The cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican beginning on May 7 to discern and elect the next pope. Praying this Novena, we ask the Holy Spirit to be present with them, to illuminate them in their discernment, and to guide them to elect the Vicar of Christ that Our Lord has chosen for us.
Day 1 | “You are Peter…”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (16:13-19)
Pause for silent prayer.
Let us pray:
Lord, you guide us through your visible shepherd on earth, the Pope. We ask you to make yourself present during the upcoming Conclave. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the cardinals present, Lord, that there may be a renewed Pentecost in your Church. Give them the wisdom, prudence and fortitude they need to elect whom you have chosen to lead and guide us. We need you Lord. Hear our prayer and grant us the gift of a holy successor of Peter to govern in your name. Amen.
Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Day 2 | “Feed my sheep…”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (21:15-17)
Pause for silent prayer.
Let us pray:
Lord, you guide us through your visible shepherd on earth, the Pope. We ask you to make yourself present during the upcoming Conclave. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the cardinals present, Lord, that there may be a renewed Pentecost in your Church. Give them the wisdom, prudence and fortitude they need to elect whom you have chosen to lead and guide us. We need you Lord. Hear our prayer and grant us the gift of a holy successor of Peter to govern in your name. Amen.
Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Day 3 | Peter, the Unity of All the Church
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A reading from a sermon by Saint Augustine
As you are aware, Jesus chose his disciples before his Passion and called them Apostles; and among these almost everywhere Peter alone deserved to represent the entire Church. And because of that role which he alone had, he merited to hear the words: To you I shall give the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. For it was not one man who received the keys, but the entire Church considered as one… Rightly then did the Lord after his Resurrection entrust Peter with the feeding of his sheep. Yet he was not the only disciple to merit the feeding of the Lord’s sheep; but Christ in speaking only to one suggests the unity of all; and so he speaks to Peter, because Peter is first among the Apostles. (Sermon 295, nos. 2, 4)
Pause for silent prayer.
Let us pray:
Lord, you guide us through your visible shepherd on earth, the Pope. We ask you to make yourself present during the upcoming Conclave. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the cardinals present, Lord, that there may be a renewed Pentecost in your Church. Give them the wisdom, prudence and fortitude they need to elect whom you have chosen to lead and guide us. We need you Lord. Hear our prayer and grant us the gift of a holy successor of Peter to govern in your name. Amen.
Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Day 4 | Authentic Teacher of the Faith
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A reading from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Roman Pontiff and the bishops are “authentic teachers, that is, teachers endowed with the authority of Christ, who preach the faith to the people entrusted to them, the faith to be believed and put into practice” (Lumen gentium, 25). The ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Pope and the bishops in communion with him teach the faithful the truth to believe, the charity to practice, the beatitude to hope for. (no. 2034)
Pause for silent prayer.
Let us pray:
Lord, you guide us through your visible shepherd on earth, the Pope. We ask you to make yourself present during the upcoming Conclave. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the cardinals present, Lord, that there may be a renewed Pentecost in your Church. Give them the wisdom, prudence and fortitude they need to elect whom you have chosen to lead and guide us. We need you Lord. Hear our prayer and grant us the gift of a holy successor of Peter to govern in your name. Amen.
Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Day 5 | “Strengthen your brothers…”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.” Peter said to him, “Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.” But Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me.” (22:31-34)
Pause for silent prayer.
Let us pray:
Lord, you guide us through your visible shepherd on earth, the Pope. We ask you to make yourself present during the upcoming Conclave. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the cardinals present, Lord, that there may be a renewed Pentecost in your Church. Give them the wisdom, prudence and fortitude they need to elect whom you have chosen to lead and guide us. We need you Lord. Hear our prayer and grant us the gift of a holy successor of Peter to govern in your name. Amen.
Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Day 6 | The Petrine Ministry
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A reading from the Encyclical Ut unum sint by Pope Saint John Paul II
As the heir to the mission of Peter in the Church, which has been made fruitful by the blood of the Princes of the Apostles, the Bishop of Rome exercises a ministry originating in the manifold mercy of God… The authority proper to this ministry is completely at the service of God’s merciful plan and it must always be seen in this perspective. Its power is explained from this perspective. Associating himself with Peter’s threefold profession of love, which corresponds to the earlier threefold denial, his Successor knows that he must be a sign of mercy. His is a ministry of mercy, born of an act of Christ’s own mercy… The Church of God is called by Christ to manifest to a world ensnared by its sins and evil designs that, despite everything, God in his mercy can convert hearts to unity and enable them to enter into communion with him. (nos. 92-93)
Pause for silent prayer.
Let us pray:
Lord, you guide us through your visible shepherd on earth, the Pope. We ask you to make yourself present during the upcoming Conclave. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the cardinals present, Lord, that there may be a renewed Pentecost in your Church. Give them the wisdom, prudence and fortitude they need to elect whom you have chosen to lead and guide us. We need you Lord. Hear our prayer and grant us the gift of a holy successor of Peter to govern in your name. Amen.
Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Day 7 | Peter the First of the Apostles
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. (10:1-4)
Pause for silent prayer.
Let us pray:
Lord, you guide us through your visible shepherd on earth, the Pope. We ask you to make yourself present during the upcoming Conclave. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the cardinals present, Lord, that there may be a renewed Pentecost in your Church. Give them the wisdom, prudence and fortitude they need to elect whom you have chosen to lead and guide us. We need you Lord. Hear our prayer and grant us the gift of a holy successor of Peter to govern in your name. Amen.
Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Day 8 | Union of Pope and Bishops
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A reading from the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium
This collegial union [of bishops] is apparent also in the mutual relations of the individual bishops with particular churches and with the universal Church. The Roman Pontiff, as the successor of Peter, is the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity of both the bishops and of the faithful. The individual bishop, however, is the visible principle and foundation of unity in his particular church, fashioned after the model of the universal Church. In and from such individual churches there comes into being the one and only Catholic Church. For this reason each individual bishop represents his own church, but all of them together in union with the Pope represent the entire Church joined in the bond of peace, love, and unity. (no. 23)
Pause for silent prayer.
Let us pray:
Lord, you guide us through your visible shepherd on earth, the Pope. We ask you to make yourself present during the upcoming Conclave. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the cardinals present, Lord, that there may be a renewed Pentecost in your Church. Give them the wisdom, prudence and fortitude they need to elect whom you have chosen to lead and guide us. We need you Lord. Hear our prayer and grant us the gift of a holy successor of Peter to govern in your name. Amen.
Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Day 9 | Successor to the Apostle Peter
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A reading from a letter to the Corinthians by Pope Saint Clement I
Having received their orders, the Apostles went out, fully convinced by the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, trusting the word of God, and assured by the Holy Spirit. They went out proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was at hand throughout the countryside and in the cities. They tested in the Spirit the first fruits of their preaching, and appointed them to be bishops and deacons for those who would later come to believe… Our Apostles knew also, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that there would be strife over the office of the episcopate. And so with perfect foresight, when they ordained those men, the Apostles gave them the mandate that when they pass away other proven men should succeed them in their ministry. (42:3-4; 44:1-2)
Pause for silent prayer.
Let us pray:
Lord, you guide us through your visible shepherd on earth, the Pope. We ask you to make yourself present during the upcoming Conclave. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the cardinals present, Lord, that there may be a renewed Pentecost in your Church. Give them the wisdom, prudence and fortitude they need to elect whom you have chosen to lead and guide us. We need you Lord. Hear our prayer and grant us the gift of a holy successor of Peter to govern in your name. Amen.
Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
The readings for this novena are taken from the USCCB’s Novena in memory of Pope Francis.
