Novena to St Alphonsus Liguori

The novena to St Alphonsus Liguori is nine days of prayer to the great Doctor of the Church, Bishop, and founder of the Redemptorists — asked most often for health of body and soul, for confessors and priests, and by those who, like the saint himself, carry the cross of chronic illness. It is prayed especially in the nine days before his feast on 2 August, and it comes down to us in two forms: the prayer said to St Alphonsus, and the great novenas he himself wrote — for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for Christmas, and to the Holy Spirit — which the Church has treasured for two hundred years. Below we give them all. If you are new to this kind of prayer, see first our guide to what is a novena.

The novena prayer to St Alphonsus Liguori

This is the prayer at the heart of the devotion. Because St Alphonsus bore rheumatoid arthritis so severe it bent his neck to his chest, he is invoked as the patron of those who suffer illness — the "Arthritic Saint." Say the following prayer once on each of the nine days, naming your intention where marked:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Glorious St Alphonsus, loving father of the poor and the sick, all your life you devoted yourself with heroic charity to lightening their spiritual and bodily miseries. Full of confidence in your tender pity for the sick, since you yourself patiently bore the cross of illness, I come to you for help in my present needs. (Here name your request.)

Loving father of the suffering, St Alphonsus, whom I invoke as the Arthritic Saint, since you suffered from that disease in your lifetime, look with compassion upon me in my suffering. Beg God to give me good health. But if it is not God's will to cure me, then give me strength to bear my cross patiently, and to offer my sufferings in union with my crucified Saviour and His Mother of Sorrows — for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, in reparation for my sins and those of others, for the needs of this troubled world, and for the holy souls in purgatory.

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…

St Alphonsus Liguori, patron of the sick, pray for us. Amen.

A second, older form of the prayer comes from the Redemptorists, the congregation he founded, and looks less to the body than to the soul:

O my glorious and well-beloved patron, St Alphonsus, thou who didst toil and suffer so abundantly to assure to men the fruits of the Redemption, behold the miseries of my poor soul, and have pity on me. Obtain for me a lively sorrow for my sins, strength against temptation, an ardent love of God and of most holy Mary, and the grace of final perseverance — that so I may one day be united with thee in praising God and most holy Mary through all eternity. Amen.

St Alphonsus Liguori novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

This is the most sought-after of all his novenas, and one of the tenderest devotions in the Church's treasury. It is not a novena to St Alphonsus but one he wrote, to be prayed for the deliverance of the souls in purgatory — and, through their intercession, for a special grace of your own. Each day has its own short act of contrition and charity; each day closes with his Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour. The first two days run:

First Day. Jesus, my Saviour, I have so often deserved to be cast into hell. How great would be my suffering if I were now cast away, and obliged to think that I myself had caused my damnation! I thank Thee for the patience with which Thou hast borne with me. My God, I love Thee above all things, and I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, because Thou art infinite goodness. I will rather die than offend Thee again. Grant me the grace of perseverance. Have pity on me, and, at the same time, on those blessed souls suffering in purgatory.

Second Day. Woe to me, unhappy being, so many years have I already spent on earth and have earned naught but hell! I give Thee thanks, O Lord, for granting me time even now to atone for my sins. My good God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. Send me Thy assistance, that I may apply the time yet remaining to me for Thy love and service; have compassion on me, and, at the same time, on the holy souls suffering in purgatory.

The following seven days continue in the same spirit — one day begging perseverance, another detachment from the world, another a holy death — each shaped to a soul preparing to die well while it interceded for those already dead. And each day, without fail, one prays the great prayer that gives the novena its power, drawing on the seven sufferings of the Passion:

Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Souls in Purgatory

O most sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane, have mercy on these blessed souls. Have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most cruel Crucifixion, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the Cross, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

O most sweet Jesus, through the immense pain which Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy blessed soul, have mercy on them.
R. Have mercy on them, O Lord.

(Then commend the souls to God, and beg them to pray for you:) Blessed souls, I have prayed for thee; I entreat thee, who art so dear to God, and who art secure of never losing Him, to pray for me, a miserable sinner, who is in danger of being damned and of losing God for ever. Amen.

Prayed nine days running for a departed soul, or for all the faithful departed, this is among the surest works of mercy a Christian can offer. It pairs naturally with the Litany of the Poor Souls in Purgatory and with the Novena for the Dead.

The Christmas novena of St Alphonsus Liguori

His Novena for Christmas — Novena del Santo Natale — is the most beloved Advent devotion he composed, prayed on the nine days from 16 to 24 December in preparation for the Nativity. It is not a repeated petition but nine meditations, one for each day, that lead the soul step by step into the mystery of the Incarnation. Each day gives a reflection, then "affections and prayers," and closes by invoking Our Lady. The nine days meditate:

• 16 December — the love that God has shown us in becoming man;
• 17 December — the love of God in being born a little Child;
• 18 December — the poverty in which Jesus was born;
• 19 December — the humility of Jesus from His infancy;
• 20 December — the life of sorrow Jesus embraced from His birth;
• 21 December — the mercy of God in coming to save us by His death;
• 22 December — the journey of the Infant Jesus into Egypt;
• 23 December — the sojourn of the Infant Jesus in Egypt and at Nazareth;
• 24 December — the birth of the Infant Jesus in the cave of Bethlehem.

Its whole burden is caught in the aspiration that opens it: "Son of God, Thou didst become man to make Thyself lovable to us; but where is the love that we should have for Thee in return?" St Alphonsus meant these pages as spiritual reading or quiet meditation, so that the heart might come to the crib with something more than habit. It sits well beside the Novena to the Divine Infant and the Christmas devotions of the season.

The novena to the Holy Spirit by St Alphonsus Liguori

St Alphonsus also left a Novena of the Holy Ghost, which he called the first and greatest of all novenas — for the Apostles and Our Lady prayed it first, in the upper room, in the nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost. Its nine meditations dwell on the Holy Ghost under the images of love: love as fire, as light, as a fountain, as dew, as rest, as strength, as the indwelling of God, as a bond, and as an all-surpassing treasure. Its first affection is a prayer any soul can make its own: "O my God, until now I have done nothing for Thee who hast done so much for me." Prayed in the nine days before Pentecost — see our Pentecost novena — it begs the Holy Ghost to drive out coldness of heart and kindle divine charity.

How to pray this novena

A novena is nine days of prayer for one intention. To keep the novena to St Alphonsus:

1. Choose your form. For health, patience in illness, or the needs of priests and confessors, pray the Glorious St Alphonsus prayer above. For the dead, pray his Holy Souls novena. In Advent, his Christmas novena; before Pentecost, his Holy Ghost novena.
2. Choose your days. The most fitting time is the nine days before his feast — 24 July to 1 August, ending on the eve of 2 August — but any nine consecutive days will serve.
3. Pray at a fixed hour each day, once a day, naming the one grace you seek and adding the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
4. Ask in submission. As the prayer itself says: if health is not God's will, ask instead for strength to bear the cross patiently. The novena that is answered is the one prayed Thy will be done.

Who is St Alphonsus Liguori?

Alphonsus Maria de Liguori was born near Naples on 27 September 1696, of a noble family. A prodigy of learning, he took his doctorate in both civil and canon law at sixteen and became a brilliant advocate — until, having lost a great case through a point of law he had overlooked, he laid down his profession, saying, "World, I know thee now." He was ordained priest in 1726 and gave himself to the abandoned poor of Naples and the herdsmen of the surrounding hills, whom no one else would evangelize.

In 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer — the Redemptorists — to preach the Gospel to the most neglected souls, a work carried on to this day and entrusted with the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. From his order came other great intercessors, among them the wonder-worker St Gerard Majella. In 1762 Alphonsus was made Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti, reforming his diocese with tireless zeal until age and illness compelled his retirement.

He wrote without ceasing — more than a hundred works, translated into scores of languages: his Moral Theology, which won him the title of patron of confessors and moralists; The Glories of Mary; Preparation for Death, a masterpiece on the Four Last Things; Uniformity with God's Will; and Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. Through all his labours he was racked by rheumatic arthritis so severe that it permanently bent his head to his breast — the affliction for which the sick invoke him. He endured, besides, long years of interior darkness and a bitter scruple-ridden old age, and died a holy death on 1 August 1787, in his ninety-first year, as the Angelus was ringing.

He was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839, declared a Doctor of the Church by Pius IX in 1871, and named patron of confessors and moral theologians by Pius XII in 1950. His feast is kept on 2 August in the traditional Roman calendar. He is invoked as patron of confessors, of moral theologians, of vocations, and of those who suffer from arthritis and chronic pain.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the novena to St Alphonsus Liguori prayed?

It is prayed on any nine consecutive days, but most fittingly in the nine days leading to his feast — 24 July to 1 August, ending on the eve of his feast day, 2 August (his day in the traditional Roman calendar; the reformed calendar keeps it on 1 August, the day of his death).

What is St Alphonsus Liguori the patron saint of?

He is the patron of confessors and of moral theologians — named so by Pope Pius XII in 1950 — and, because he himself was crippled by rheumatoid arthritis, the patron of those who suffer from arthritis and chronic illness. He is also invoked for vocations and by the sick generally.

Why is St Alphonsus called the "Arthritic Saint"?

Because for much of his long life he bore rheumatoid arthritis so severe that his neck was permanently bent down toward his chest, causing him constant pain. Having carried that cross himself, he is trusted as a compassionate intercessor for anyone burdened with illness — which is why the novena to him is so often prayed for health and for patience in suffering.

What is the St Alphonsus Liguori novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory?

It is a nine-day novena that St Alphonsus himself composed to be prayed for the souls in purgatory, and through them for a special grace. Each day joins a short act of sorrow and love to his Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour, which pleads the seven sufferings of Christ's Passion for the release of the holy souls. The full text is given above.

What is the Christmas novena of St Alphonsus Liguori?

It is his Novena for Christmas, prayed from 16 to 24 December — nine daily meditations on the Incarnation, moving from God's love in becoming man to the birth of the Infant Jesus in the cave of Bethlehem. Rather than a repeated petition, it is spiritual reading meant to prepare the heart for Christmas.

Did St Alphonsus Liguori write a novena to the Holy Spirit?

Yes. His Novena of the Holy Ghost is prayed in the nine days before Pentecost, meditating on the Holy Ghost as love under nine images — fire, light, a fountain, dew, rest, strength, indwelling, a bond, and treasure. He called it the first of all novenas, since Our Lady and the Apostles prayed it first before the descent of the Spirit.

Is St Alphonsus Liguori a Doctor of the Church?

Yes. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1871, honoured for his moral theology and his writings on prayer, on Our Lady, and on the last things. He is one of the relatively few saints so honoured, and is often called the "Most Zealous Doctor."

Pray this novena — and St Alphonsus's own novenas for the Holy Souls, for Christmas, and to the Holy Spirit — with day-by-day reminders and audio in the Iter Fidei app. Download it here.

Sources. Butler's Lives of the Saints (St Alphonsus Liguori, 2 August); the writings of St Alphonsus de Liguori — his Novena for Christmas, his Novena of the Holy Ghost, and his Prayer to Our Suffering Saviour for the Souls in Purgatory; the traditional novena prayers to St Alphonsus as carried in Catholic prayer-books; the canonization by Gregory XVI (1839), the declaration as Doctor of the Church by Pius IX (1871), and the patronage of confessors and moralists conferred by Pius XII (1950).