Start Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025
End Date: Sunday, August 3, 2025
Feast Day: Saturday , August 4, 2025
Patronage:
St. John Marie Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests. He is also invoked as a powerful intercessor for confessors, spiritual directors, and those seeking repentance, perseverance in prayer, and purity of heart. His holy life continues to inspire priests and laity alike to deeper conversion and pastoral charity.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening Prayer (to be said each day):
I love You, O my God and my only desire is to love You until my last breath. I love You, O infinitely lovable God, and I prefer to die loving You rather than to live for a single moment without loving You. I love You, O my God, and I long for heaven only to know the bliss of loving You perfectly. I love You, O my God, and I only fear going to hell because there I will never experience the sweet consolation of loving You. O my God, if my tongue is not able to say at every opportunity that I love You, at least I want my heart to repeat it to You as many times as I take a breath. My God, give me the grace of suffering out of love for You, of loving You while I suffer; give me the grace of one day breathing my last breath out of love for You and at the same time feeling how much I love You. The closer I come to my final end, the more I beseech You to intensify and perfect my love for You. Amen.
Day One: Hearts Abandoned to God’s Will
Scripture Reading:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)
Reflection:
Saint John Marie Vianney reminds us that the path to holiness is open to every soul willing to surrender fully to Our Adorable Jesus. His life speaks not of ease, but of fidelity—of trusting God’s grace amid weakness, rejection, and trial. As he clung to the Lord with perseverance and simplicity, we are called to do the same. In an age when many hearts grow lukewarm or distracted by the world, we must rediscover the joy of living entirely for God. Let us pray to be families and communities that inspire vocations, embrace sacrifice, and raise up courageous witnesses to the Gospel in every state of life.
Prayer for Day One:
Saint John Vianney, you were graced with the gift of a loving and devout family who nurtured your soul and encouraged your desire to walk the path of holiness. Their prayers and example became the fertile ground upon which your vocation blossomed. In your longing to imitate Christ and dedicate yourself entirely to His service, you faced many obstacles—academic difficulty, war, opposition—but none could hinder your perseverance. Your unwavering faith, deep humility, and reliance on divine grace sustained you and led you to the altar, where you became a faithful shepherd of souls and a mirror of Christ’s mercy.
Obtain for our priests and those discerning the priesthood that same courage and trust that animated your life. May they surrender all to God without hesitation, trusting that He who calls also provides. May the Holy Spirit enlighten their path with wisdom and fortitude, that they may always choose what most glorifies God and serves His people. Protect them from discouragement, and deepen their love for the Church and her mission in the world.
Inspire families within our Catholic communities to pray fervently for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. May mothers and fathers recognize the sacred privilege of fostering a vocation within their own home. Let them, by word and example, instill in their children a profound love for Jesus, a reverence for the Sacraments, and a desire to live wholeheartedly for God. Raise up, through the intercession of the Holy Curé of Ars, a new generation of holy priests, born from holy homes, to guide and sanctify your Church.
Believing in the power of your kind intercession, we humbly ask you to pray for us and the special intention we are hoping God will grant us through this novena. (Here mention your special intention.)
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
Day Two: Persevering in the Call of Grace
Scripture Reading:
“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
Reflection:
As we reflect on the life of Saint John Vianney, we are moved by the quiet heroism of fidelity—his unwavering perseverance through rejection, interior trials, and worldly scorn. His priesthood was not built on brilliance, but on surrender: a total gift of self to Our Adorable Jesus, despite every inadequacy and opposition. In him, we see how grace triumphs in weakness when one remains rooted in prayer and mission. Today, we pray for seminarians and priests, that they may be fortified by this same spirit of holy perseverance. And we, too, are called to echo this fidelity in our own vocations—whether hidden or public—so that every action of our lives becomes an offering to God and a light for our neighbor.
Prayer for Day Two:
Saint John Vianney, your successful journey to the priesthood is a testament to your determination to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Your life as a priest is a shining example of what we should expect from the chosen leaders of God’s flock. Your perseverance in the face of many hardships has saved numerous souls. May those men who are called to the priesthood accept the cross humbly and persevere through the many challenges of seminary formation. May they be inspired by the perseverance and dedication of the Curé of Ars to take up the call to Holy Orders. May all of our priests also be inspired to endure the many hardships that they may encounter in ministry and to overcome the opposition imposed by our modern society and secular culture.
May we also, who contemplate your life, be imbued with the same determination to be the best that we can be in the many roles we play in life. Let everything we think, say, or do benefit our neighbor and lead us ever closer to our Heavenly Father. Believing in the power of your kind intercession, we humbly ask you to pray for us and the special intention we are hoping God will grant us through this novena.
(Mention your special intention here.)
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
Day Three: Choosing Simplicity for the Sake of the Kingdom
Scripture Reading:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19–21)
Reflection:
In the life of Saint John Vianney, we discover the radiant beauty of evangelical poverty. With nothing of his own and everything surrendered to God, he became rich in grace and fruitful in his mission. His detachment from worldly goods was not born of disdain for the world, but out of ardent love for Our Adorable Jesus, who emptied Himself for our sake (cf. Philippians 2:7). As we reflect on his witness, we are challenged to examine what possesses our hearts. We pray that priests, seminarians, and all who are discerning may learn to value simplicity, purity, and heavenly treasure. May we, too, forsake vanity and find joy in the riches of holiness.
Prayer for Day Three:
Saint John Vianney, you lived a simple and austere life, preferring to store riches in heaven. You never turned your back to any of the poor people who were in need of your assistance. Pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten our priests and those who are called to the priesthood and remain with them always so that they too may learn to forego material possessions to earn God’s grace. May they always value their spiritual health over all the wealth in the world and strive to help others to follow the path of simplicity of life.
O Curé of Ars, you so edified others: the modesty and the exquisite purity radiated from your body. With such charm and with such enthusiasm you preached to others about these beautiful virtues which you said resembled the perfume of a vineyard in bloom. You, who have directed so many souls towards the heights of virtue, defend our priests and those in discernment against temptations and obtain for them the strength to conquer these temptations so that they may fully give themselves to others and the Church.
Believing in the power of your kind intercession, we humbly ask you to pray for us and the special intention we are hoping God will grant us through this novena.
(Here mention your special intention.)
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
Day Four: The Grace of Confession and the Mercy of God
Scripture Reading:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Reflection:
The Curé of Ars poured out his life in the confessional, becoming a visible icon of the mercy of Our Adorable Jesus. Day after day, hour after hour, he sat—poor, fatigued, hidden—so that sinners might encounter the joy of reconciliation. His confessional became a wellspring of grace where hardened hearts were softened and the lost were restored. We, too, have known the struggle to repent, yet also the healing that flows from humility. Let us beg God that more priests, inspired by this holy saint, would proclaim the beauty of conversion, and that we ourselves may never grow cold to the Sacrament of Penance.
Prayer for Day Four:
Saint John Vianney, you knew how important it was to make a good confession for the Christian life. It was to procure the happy fruits of millions of souls that you willingly remained in the confessional, like a prison, up to fifteen and sixteen hours on certain days. Inspire our priests to grow in love for this great sacrament of mercy. Help our priests to courageously call all souls to repentance and to encourage frequent reception of this blessed sacrament so that the grace of final perseverance and the sanctification of their souls may be assured.
Help our priests to be gentle and kind in the confessional to those seeking mercy. Inspire those discerning God’s call to develop the habit of frequent confession, to prepare properly each time, and to have sincere contrition for their sins. Ask these graces for all of us.
Believing in the power of your kind intercession, we humbly ask you to pray for us and the special intention we are hoping God will grant us through this novena.
(Here mention your special intention.)
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
Day Five: Love for the Holy Eucharist, Our Adorable Jesus
Scripture Reading:
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
(John 6:51)
Reflection:
Before the tabernacle, St. John Vianney spent hours in silent adoration, often weeping in awe before Our Adorable Jesus truly present in the Eucharist. He knew that in the Blessed Sacrament, Heaven touches earth and the soul receives divine strength. We, too, are invited to rediscover this profound mystery with the eyes of faith. When priests reverently celebrate the Eucharist and when the faithful adore with love and devotion, the whole Church is renewed. In a world starved for truth and wounded by distractions, may we return to the Source and Summit of our lives: Jesus, hidden in the Host.
Prayer for Day Five:
Saint John Vianney, in life you showed great veneration and dedication to the Blessed Sacrament. For this reason, you spent long hours in the confessional, helping the faithful become worthy to receive the Holy Sacraments of Jesus’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
Inspire our priests to share in this same love for the Eucharist. Help them to preach the truth of the Real Presence and to practice deep devotion through Eucharistic Adoration and Veneration. May they inspire the faithful by their example and nourish their flocks with this heavenly Bread.
Help them, and those discerning the priesthood, to obtain a fervent desire to always remain worthy to receive Our Adorable Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Believing in the power of your kind intercession, we humbly ask you to pray for us and the special intention we are hoping God will grant us through this novena.
(Here mention your special intention.)
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
Day Six: The Power of Prayer and Silence Before Our Adorable Jesus
Scripture Reading:
“Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:17–18)
Reflection:
St. John Vianney lived as one wholly absorbed in God—finding in every moment an opportunity to lift his soul in prayer. His life teaches us that authentic apostolic fruitfulness flows not from activity alone but from union with Our Adorable Jesus in silent, trusting communion. We live in an age that distracts and fragments, but the Church needs priests—and faithful—rooted in prayer, formed by contemplation, and animated by the Spirit. If we desire to know God’s will, to serve His people, and to persevere in holiness, we must rediscover the hidden strength found on our knees.
Prayer for Day Six:
Saint John Vianney, you rejoiced at every opportunity to spend time in prayer and contemplation. Your heart burned so deeply with love for Our Adorable Jesus that, had it not been for practical considerations, your bishop would have granted your desire to live as a monk in solitude with God.
Teach our priests and those discerning the priesthood the immense value and transforming power of fervent prayer. May they grow daily in their understanding of God’s holy will for their lives. Obtain for them the conviction that through persevering prayer, nothing is impossible.
Help them to become men of deep prayer—who not only pray often but teach the faithful the beauty and necessity of prayer. Inspire our parishes to become true houses of prayer where all are drawn to Our Lord in reverent silence and loving trust.
Believing in the power of your kind intercession, we humbly ask you to pray for us and the special intentions we are hoping God will grant us through this novena.
(Here mention your special intention.)
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
Day Seven: Spiritual Warfare and Triumph Through Mortification and Prayer
Scripture Reading:
“Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith.”
(1 Peter 5:8–9)
Reflection:
The life of St. John Vianney reveals that every priest and faithful soul is caught in a great spiritual battle. The enemy fears holy priests and zealous vocations because they snatch souls from his grasp. Yet, our hope is in the triumph of grace. Through prayer, penance, and unwavering love for Our Adorable Jesus, we too can overcome temptation. In this age of distraction and moral confusion, we are called to vigilant purity, sacrificial love, and fidelity to the sacraments. Let us join with St. John Vianney in standing firm—never yielding to evil, but triumphing through the Cross.
Prayer for Day Seven:
Saint John Vianney, though tormented for years by the devil and wearied by trials and fatigue, you never abandoned the sacred work of winning souls for Christ. You bore these spiritual assaults with heroic courage, armed with mortification and ceaseless prayer. You teach us that fidelity to Our Adorable Jesus in suffering becomes a powerful weapon against darkness.
O holy Curé of Ars, powerful intercessor, you know well the cunning of the evil one—his attacks on priests and on those discerning a call to serve God. Protect them, we pray, from every spiritual snare. Defend their hearts from discouragement, impurity, and indifference. Clothe them with the armor of holiness.
Grant them, and us, a deep spirit of prayer, sacrifice, and joy in trial. May we remain steadfast in the love of Christ and radiate His divine charity to a world in need.
Believing in the power of your kind intercession, we humbly ask you to pray for us and the special intentions we are hoping God will grant us through this novena.
(Here mention your special intention.)
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
Day Eight: The Love of the Sacred Heart and the Priesthood
Scripture Reading:
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your souls.”
(Matthew 11:29)
Reflection:
In St. John Vianney, we see a soul that drank deeply from the wellspring of Our Adorable Jesus’ Sacred Heart. He understood that the priesthood is not merely a role, but a profound union with the Heart of Christ—burning with mercy, pierced with sorrow, and overflowing with love. As we reflect, we are reminded that every priest is called to be an image of Christ’s tender love and sacrificial mercy. We too, in our vocations, are summoned to recline our hearts upon His—to rest in Him, to be healed by Him, and to reflect His love to a world starving for Divine compassion.
Prayer for Day Eight:
Saint John Vianney, in your great devotion to Christ, you reflected the intimacy of the beloved disciple who leaned upon the Master at the Last Supper. You knew well that the priesthood is the love of the Heart of Our Adorable Jesus. Obtain for our priests and those discerning the call to Holy Orders a burning love for the Sacred Heart—a love that is humble, merciful, and unwavering.
Help them to be true spiritual fathers, pouring out their lives as Christ did, guiding souls with patience and compassion. May they always remain in Christ, drawing their strength from His pierced Heart.
Inspire us too to grow in love for the Sacred Heart, that our hearts may become more like His—gentle, forgiving, and aflame with Divine charity.
Believing in the power of your kind intercession, we humbly ask you to pray for us and the special intention we are hoping God will grant us through this novena.
(Here mention your special intention.)
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
Day Nine: To Jesus Through Mary—The Priest’s Mother and Queen
Scripture Reading:
“When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’”
(John 19:26–27)
Reflection:
St. John Vianney understood that one cannot fully love Our Adorable Jesus without also loving His Most Holy Mother. From youth to the priesthood, he entrusted his soul to Mary and found in her the surest path to her Son. As we conclude this novena, we are reminded that every priest and disciple must dwell under the mantle of the Immaculate Virgin. Mary is not only the Mother of Christ but the Mother of the Church, the Queen of priests, and the most powerful intercessor in our struggles. In consecrating ourselves to her, we give Jesus everything—for nothing given to Mary is ever lost to God.
Prayer for Day Nine:
Saint John Vianney, your filial love for the Blessed Virgin was a light that guided your entire priestly life. You knew the road to Our Adorable Jesus was safest and swiftest when walked hand in hand with His Immaculate Mother. Obtain for our priests a true and tender devotion to Mary—one that is lived daily in prayer, in purity, and in filial trust. May they fly to her protection, especially in times of weariness or trial, and may they teach the faithful to do the same.
For those discerning the priesthood, may Mary be their companion, their protector, and their model of joyful surrender to God’s will. As Jesus entrusted Mary to us from the Cross, may we, with hearts renewed, entrust ourselves and the Church to her maternal care.
Believing in the power of your kind intercession, we humbly ask you to pray for us and the special intention we are hoping God will grant us through this novena.
(Here mention your special intention.)
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
O Mary, Mother of priests, pray for us.
Closing Prayer (to be said each day):
Saint John Vianney, your childhood dream was to become a priest and win souls for God. Through years of toil, trials, and seeming failure, you never lost sight of that holy desire. You endured with humility and persevered with faith, trusting not in your strength but in the grace of the One who calls. You became a priest truly after God’s own Heart—outstanding in simplicity, radiant in prayer, hidden in mortification, and wholly consumed with love for God and His people.
Totally devoted to the service of souls, you emptied yourself day after day, making yourself a bridge between heaven and earth through the confessional, the pulpit, and the altar. The Church now honors you as a model of priestly life and patron of all priests, trusting that your example and prayers will help them live up to the high dignity of their sacred vocation—to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God and living icons of Christ, the Eternal High Priest, who came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
Pray that God may raise up many more priests after His own Heart—men of prayer and penance, lovers of the Eucharist, heralds of truth, and shepherds of souls. Intercede for all priests under your patronage, that they may be tireless in the ministry of the Word, fervent in celebrating the Sacraments, and gentle yet bold in guiding souls to holiness. May they be strengthened in humility, poverty, purity, and unwavering charity. May their hidden sacrifices bear fruit for eternity.
May their devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist and to Mary, His Immaculate Mother, be the twin fountains from which they draw strength, wisdom, and consolation. Let them find in the Heart of Jesus their refuge and in the Heart of Mary their joy. Through your powerful intercession, Saint John Vianney, obtain for us holy priests, holy vocations, and holiness in our own lives. Amen.
Litany of St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars
Lord, have mercy on us,
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us,
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us,
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us,
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Saint John-Mary Vianney, pray for us.
St. John Vianney, endowed with grace from thine infancy,
St. John Vianney, model of filial piety,
St. John Vianney, devoted servant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
St. John Vianney, spotless lily of purity,
St. John Vianney, faithful imitator of the sufferings of Christ,
St. John Vianney, abyss of humility,
St. John Vianney, seraph of prayer,
St. John Vianney, faithful adorer of the Most Blessed Sacrament,
St. John Vianney, ardent lover of holy poverty,
St. John Vianney, tender friend of the poor,
St. John Vianney, penetrated with the fear of God’s judgment,
St. John Vianney, fortified by divine visions,
St. John Vianney, who was tormented by the evil spirit,
St. John Vianney, perfect model of sacerdotal virtue,
St. John Vianney, firm and prudent pastor,
St. John Vianney, inflamed with zeal,
St. John Vianney, faithful attendant on the sick,
St. John Vianney, indefatigable catechist,
St. John Vianney, who didst preach in words of fire,
St. John Vianney, wise director of souls,
St. John Vianney, specially gifted with the spirit of counsel,
St. John Vianney, enlightened by light from Heaven,
St. John Vianney, formidable foe to Satan,
St. John Vianney, compassionate with every misery,
St. John Vianney, providence of the orphans,
St. John Vianney, favored with the gift of miracles,
St. John Vianney, who did reconcile so many sinners to God,
St. John Vianney, who did confirm so many of the just in the way of virtue,
St. John Vianney, who did taste the sweetness of death,
St. John Vianney, who dost now rejoice in the glory of Heaven,
St. John Vianney, who give joy to those who invoke thee,
St. John Vianney, heavenly patron of parish priests,
St. John Vianney, model and patron of directors of souls,
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
℣. Pray for us, blessed Jean-Marie Vianney,
℟. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Almighty and merciful God, Who did bestow upon blessed John Mary Vianney wonderful pastoral zeal and a great fervor for prayer and penance, grant, we beseech Thee, that by his example and intercession we may be able to gain the souls of our brethren for Christ, and with them attain to everlasting glory. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.
℟. Amen.
May the Real Presence of Our Adorable Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament bless and sanctify us, filling our hearts with His love, peace, and grace, now and always. Amen.