A listing of prayers and devotions to St. Andrew for his powerful prayers and intercession. As Catholics, we believe in the intercession of the saints, who readily pray and assist us from Heaven.
St. Andrew was one of the first disciples called by Jesus and the brother of St. Peter. Originally a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, he had been a follower of John the Baptist before recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and bringing his brother Simon (Peter) to meet him. According to the Gospel of John, he was the first to identify Jesus as the Messiah, earning him the title “Protokletos” (First-Called) in the Eastern Church. After Pentecost, tradition holds that Andrew preached the Gospel around the Black Sea and in Greece and Asia Minor. He is said to have been martyred in Patras, Greece, on an X-shaped cross (now known as a St. Andrew’s Cross) at his own request, feeling unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus. His relics were taken to Constantinople but later moved to Amalfi, Italy, and some were returned to Patras in modern times. He is the patron saint of Scotland (where his relics were also claimed to have been taken), Russia, and Greece, as well as of fishermen and those who work on the sea. His feast day on November 30th traditionally marks the beginning of the Advent season in Western Christianity.
The St. Andrew Christmas Novena is a treasured Catholic tradition that begins on November 30th, the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, and continues daily through Christmas Eve. This beautiful devotion helps the faithful prepare their hearts for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ through 25 days of contemplative prayer.
Though its exact origins are unknown, this cherished prayer is believed to be over 100 years old and likely came from Ireland. The novena takes its name from St. Andrew’s feast day, which providentially marks the beginning of the Advent season. St. Andrew, the first apostle called by Our Lord and the one who brought his brother Peter to Christ, serves as our spiritual guide as we prepare to welcome the Messiah.
[Pray this prayer 15 times daily from November 30-December 24 for your special intention]
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.
