The St. Andrew Christmas novena is a short prayer you say 15 times a day, from St. Andrew’s feast on November 30 until Christmas Eve. It’s one of our favorite Catholic Advent prayers (Advent is the weeks when the Church gets ready for Jesus’ birth), and you can tuck the 15 prayers into little moments all through the day.
What Is the St. Andrew Christmas Novena?
The St. Andrew Christmas novena is a relatively new devotion (a special prayer practice), said to have originated in Ireland over 100 years ago. It begins on November 30, the feast day of St. Andrew (the day the Church honors him), and ends on Christmas Eve. In 2026, it starts on Monday, November 30, the day after the First Sunday of Advent. Each day, you recite the prayer 15 times.
A novena is usually a prayer said over nine days, but this one lasts 25. It’s named for its start date, St. Andrew’s feast, and the prayer itself is addressed to God.
The St. Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer
In this prayer, we remember the night Jesus was born in Bethlehem and ask God to hear our hearts.
"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, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen."
In the old words of the prayer, “vouchsafe” means “kindly grant,” and “I beseech Thee” means “I humbly ask You.”
Where it says [here mention your request], add your intention, the person or need you’re bringing to God, like a sick friend or a family worry.
Graces are given through this beautiful and easy recitation that directs our hearts and our minds to the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ at Christmas.
Who Was St. Andrew?
St. Andrew was one of the twelve apostles, the men Jesus chose as His closest followers, and the brother of St. Peter. He was the first apostle called to follow Jesus, so he’s known as “the first called.” By tradition, he died on an X-shaped cross, now called St. Andrew’s cross. It’s fitting that the novena begins on his feast. Andrew was the first to follow Jesus, and on his day, we begin following Him toward Christmas, one prayer at a time.
How to Remember to Pray It 15 Times a Day
We know how tough it is to remember a prayer 15 times a day! It helps to tie it to things you already do around the house and on the go:
- Print and tape the prayer to the fridge. Every time you grab a snack, pour a cold drink, or feed a little mouth, raise your heart and your voice to heaven while you open that fridge door. A second copy in your prayer corner, a small spot at home set aside for prayer, helps too.
- Pray the novena every time you get into the car. Whether you’re headed to school pickups, practice, holiday parties, or the grocery store, turn those trips into a prayer.
- If you have stairs in your home, say the prayer when you head down them, uniting your heart with Mary’s as she waited for her Son during this season of preparation.
- Pray it together with your children at mealtimes or bedtime, so little ones hear the words again and again. If your family reads a Jesse Tree story at night, pray right after it.
Some days will be fuller than others, and that’s okay. Use these little habits to help you remember the prayer and find time for all 15, even on the busiest days. Every time you pause to pray, you’re turning your heart toward Jesus. When you say the last prayer on Christmas Eve, the waiting is over, and the joy of the Twelve Days of Christmas begins.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pray all 15 at once?
There’s no set time of day for the novena, so you can pray all 15 together (it takes only a few minutes) or spread them through your day, whichever helps you pray with your heart.
What if I start after November 30?
Start the day you find it. The novena is a devotion, not a Church rule, so simply pray it 15 times a day from then until Christmas Eve, and know that God welcomes your prayer whenever you begin. Next year, mark November 30 on your calendar. The novena always begins that day, even though the start of Advent moves from year to year.