The Story of Annette: A Soul in Hell Part 2
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Are you praying the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena this year?
Advent always begins on the Sunday closest to November 30th, the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle. Is this just a nice coincidence, or is there deeper significance?
There is indeed a deeper significance.
Saint Andrew was Christ’s first apostle, which is why the church celebrates his feast early in the liturgical year. The Orthodox tradition also refers to him as Πρωτóκλητος, which means “First Called.”
Jesus called Saint Andrew in Matt. 4:18-20:
"As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them, 'Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.'
At once they left their nets and followed him."
In keeping with his role as "the first-called," the feast of St. Andrew is found at the beginning of our new liturgical year.
Beginning on November 30, Saint Andrew's feast day, Catholics come together to pray the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena.
The prayer dates back at least 100 years, but its origins are unknown. Some believe it began in Ireland.
Why is it called the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena?
The Christmas Novena, or the Christmas Anticipation Prayer, begins just before Advent on Saint Andrew's feast day. We pray it for 25 days in preparation for Christ's coming on Christmas.
The novena is not for Saint Andrew's intercession, however.
It helps us contemplate and prepare for Christ’s birth throughout the Advent season and reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas.
How to Pray the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena
The novena begins on November 30 and ends on December 24. Recite the prayer below 15 times per day for 25 days. It might not be easy to pray this novena fifteen times a day for twenty-five days, but if you are able to, it will undoubtedly leave your heart well-prepared to welcome the coming of Christ. The beauty and sweetness of this prayer will unfold for you through its daily recitation, allowing you to meditate more fully on the profound mystery of the Incarnation. It's actually not very hard to memorize. In the meantime, you can copy it, save it to your phone or computer, print it out, or tape it to your car dashboard. Whatever you need to do to help you remember to pray it each day until Christmas Eve.
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
in which the Son of God was born
of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
(mention your request)
through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ,
and of His Blessed Mother.
Amen.
Prayer is an essential part of Advent. Reciting this special novena prayer each day is a simple yet beautiful way to celebrate the spiritual significance of the Advent season and to experience a deeper conversion to the heart of Jesus.
And since Andrew helped his brother find the Messiah, and he can do the same for us as our spiritual brother. He can lead us, in spirit, to the Christmas crib, saying, "Here is the Messiah."
A Personal Testimony by Michael Hichborn
"15 years ago, my wife and I said the St. Andrew’s novena for the first time. We had been deliberating on what to pray for, and considering the two of us were praying it together we settled on two intentions - for a new house (because we were a month away from outgrowing the one we were in), and for a friend of mine (B) who was not living the best life.
Each day we prayed the novena, and when I stated our intentions, I would simply say, “For B and for a new house.” But after a few days, I asked myself, “what do I mean, ‘for B.’ What, for him, am I praying?” And in my mind, I thought, “for his final perseverance.” I figured that this would be the best prayer we could pray for anyone, so that’s what I prayed for.
On Christmas Day, I called B to wish him a merry Christmas, and we had a good chat. But he died four days later from a sudden, catastrophic heart attack.
My greatest consolation has been that in the last month of his life, I had been praying specifically for his final perseverance, and I have great confidence that the grace was given to him.
Ever since, our family has witnessed many other obvious answers to this novena, so I encourage you all to pray it with confidence, beginning today. Ask for something big!"
You can also pray the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena in the video below:
I am a daughter of the Most High and of His Catholic Church. I introduce myself that way because I am so grateful for that! I have been married to Dan for 36 years and we have three young adult children - Brett, Nicole and Eryn - and three grandchildren - Cash, Bowie and Indy. I was employed as the Adult Faith Formation Coordinator at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Peachtree City, Georgia for 14 years from December of 2008 to January of 2023. I earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theology from Catholic Distance University and a certificate as a Catholic Spiritual Mentor from the Catholic Spiritual Mentorship Program.
I left fulltime ministry in the parish to concentrate on organizing events. I would like to extend my outreach to other parishes and organizations who would like to host a wonderful Adult Faith formation event but might not have the experience or confidence to do that on their own. I offer various services including but not limited to (fees are charged hourly for most services):
+ Event Planning: event planning from start to finish,
+ Consultation: consultation about an event,
+ Consultation about running a successful Adult Faith Formation Program.
+ I also offer different Adult Faith classes and courses that can be accessed by an individual or a group or can be taught by me via zoom or locally in person.
Website https://www.catholiceventplanning.com/ or www.redemptivesuffering.net
