Happy Feast of St. Andrew! 🎣

Andrew was a fisherman, the brother of St. Peter, and one of the very first to follow Jesus. In fact, the first thing he did after meeting the Lord was run and get his brother. (John 1:40–42, if you want to look it up.)

Talk about a great evangelization strategy. Step one: find Jesus. Step two: tell your sibling. Step three: watch your sibling become the first Pope.

What is the St. Andrew Christmas Novena?

Starting today, Catholics around the world begin the St. Andrew Christmas Novena.

It’s a short, beautiful prayer recited 15 times a day, from November 30 until Christmas Day. It’s named after St. Andrew because it begins on his feast, not because he wrote it.

Technically it’s not a “novena” in the nine-day sense. It runs for almost four weeks. We like to think of it as a novena that went to the gym.

The 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 piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.

Simple. Tender. And it puts you right there at the manger, cold and all.

”Fifteen times? Every day?” Yes. Here’s how.

Don’t panic. It takes less time than you think. A few tips:

Split it up. Pray five in the morning, five at lunch, and five before bed.

Use your fingers or a rosary. Count on your fingers or use part of a rosary to keep track. No abacus required.

Attach it to habits. Pray it while your coffee brews, during your commute, or while you wait for the kids at school pick-up.

Pray it with others. Families, roommates, and parish groups can take turns leading. It’s beautiful to hear many voices pray it together.

Bring an intention

Tradition encourages bringing a special intention to Jesus during these weeks. Something big, something small, something you’ve been carrying alone for too long.

Write it down. Hand it over. Let the Child of Bethlehem hold it.

Pray it with Tabella

Want company? Our St. Andrew Christmas Novena on Tabella leads you through the prayer so you can join in anywhere, anytime.

And while you’re at it, add a daily saint to your Advent routine with Advent with the Saints. St. Andrew would approve. He’s very pro-bringing-friends.

Follow and share

Follow the St. Andrew Christmas Novena on Tabella and turn on notifications so it’s always one tap away.

Then do what Andrew did: go get your brother. Or your sister, your mom, your best friend, your parish group chat. Share it today so you can all start together.

St. Andrew, pray for us! 🙏