St. Andrew and the 25-day Christmas Novena

The single prayer of the St. Andrew Christmas Novena is traditionally prayed fifteen times each day, beginning on the feast of St. Andrew (November 30) and concluding on Christmas Eve. In 2024, Christmas Eve falls on a Tuesday.

Who was St. Andrew? 

St. Andrew was Jesus’s first apostle and the older brother of St. Peter, the second apostle. In the Gospel of John, we read that Andrew was also a follower of John the Baptist, and in Matthew’s Gospel, we hear the account of Christ calling on two brothers and fishermen – Andrew and Peter. 

“Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers. They were Simon (his other name was Peter) and Andrew, his brother. They were putting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Follow Me. I will make you fish for men!” At once they left their nets and followed Him.”

Matthew 4:18-20

While this exchange between Jesus and Andrew and Peter is brief, what followed was Jesus’s Sermon of the Mount and the Feeding of the 5,000, two of the most critical moments in the Gospels and the rest of the Gospel narrative of which Peter is a key figure. We might know more about Peter – how he was forgiven, redeemed, and called upon to build the Church – but Andrew remains a critical character in the Gospels; Andrew led Peter to Jesus. 

Why is it called the St. Andrew Christmas Novena? 

The simple answer to this question is that St. Andrew’s feast day of November 30 precedes Christmas and helps us to determine the start of Advent. To answer this question more fully, however, the thematic underpinnings of Andrew’s role in the Gospel narrative align well with the purpose of this novena: to prepare for His coming. 

How to Pray the St. Andrew Christmas Novena

With a few exceptions, we pray novenas for nine days. The St. Andrew Christmas Novena is one such exception – we pray this novena for 25 days, overlapping with much of the liturgical season of Advent. 

We begin the novena on the feast of St. Andrew on November 30 and conclude on Christmas Eve. Tradition holds that we pray the novena 15 times daily for a particular intention. This being said, pray in a way that works best for you. 

Time needed: 5 minutes

Pray this novena for 25 days.

1. Make the Sign of the Cross. 

   In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

2. Say the St. 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 the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.

3. Name any intentions or other prayers you wish to share with God. Maybe consider your response to Jesus’s call to follow Him; just as he called on Andrew and Peter, he also calls on us to let go and surrender. 

4. Conclude with the Sign of the Cross.

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

5. If you’re praying this novena in the traditional fashion …

   Repeat the above steps 14x throughout your day. 

6. Continue praying the novena daily through Christmas Eve!

May peace be with you this Advent. God bless!