A novena to St. Cecilia is nine days of prayer asking the intercession of St. Cecilia, one of the most beloved virgin martyrs of ancient Rome, honored as the patron saint of musicians, singers and church music because, according to her Acts, on her wedding day “she sang in her heart to the Lord” while the instruments played. It is traditionally prayed from November 13 to 21, ending on the eve of her feast on November 22. It is a lovely novena for choirs, musicians, music students and anyone who wants to praise God with their gifts. Each day follows her story as told in her ancient Acts, with a passage of Scripture.
A short prayer to St. Cecilia, written for this page:
St. Cecilia, you sang to God in your heart and gave your life for Christ.
Pray for me in my need: (name your intention).
Bless all musicians and singers, and help me to make my whole life a song of praise. Amen.
How to pray the novena
- Make the Sign of the Cross and name your intention.
- Read the passage and reflection for the day.
- Pray the short prayer to St. Cecilia above.
- End with an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be, or sing a hymn.
Day 1: A heart given to God
Cecilia, a young Roman noblewoman, had promised her heart to Christ. Her Acts tell that she prayed with the words of the Psalm (Psalm 118:80, Douay-Rheims):
Let my heart be undefiled in thy justifications, that I may not be confounded.
Intention: for purity of heart.
Day 2: The song in her heart
Given in marriage to a young pagan, Valerian, she sang to God in her heart while the musicians played at the wedding feast. St. Paul wrote (Ephesians 5:19, Douay-Rheims):
Speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord;
Intention: for church musicians, choirs and cantors.
Day 3: Her guardian angel
On her wedding night she told Valerian that an angel of God guarded her. Psalm 90:11 (Douay-Rheims):
For he hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways.
Intention: for the protection of my guardian angel. See the Guardian Angel prayer.
Day 4: Valerian’s conversion
Valerian went to Pope Urban, was baptized, and returned to find the angel beside Cecilia; his brother Tiburtius was converted too. Acts 16:31 (Douay-Rheims):
But they said: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Intention: for husbands, wives and families who do not yet share the faith.
Day 5: Burying the martyrs
Valerian and Tiburtius gave Christian burial to the martyrs, a crime in the eyes of the persecutors. Jesus said (Matthew 25:40, Douay-Rheims):
And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.
Intention: for those who care for the dying and the dead.
Day 6: Treasure for the poor
After her husband and his brother were martyred, Cecilia gave away her goods to the poor. Jesus said (Matthew 19:21, Douay-Rheims):
Jesus saith to him: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me.
Intention: for a generous heart.
Day 7: The martyrdom
Condemned to be suffocated in the steam bath of her own house, Cecilia survived; the executioner struck her neck three times but could not kill her, and she lived three more days, encouraging the faithful. St. Paul wrote (Romans 8:35–37, Douay-Rheims):
Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress? or famine? or nakedness? or danger? or persecution? or the sword?
(As it is written: For thy sake we are put to death all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.)
But in all these things we overcome, because of him that hath loved us.
Intention: for persecuted Christians.
Day 8: Patron of music
Because of the song in her heart, Christians made Cecilia the patron of music. Psalm 150:3–5 (Douay-Rheims):
Praise him with sound of trumpet: praise him with psaltery and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise him with strings and organs.
Praise him on high sounding cymbals: praise him on cymbals of joy: let every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia.
Intention: for music students and all who use their talents for God.
Day 9: In the hand of God
Her house in Trastevere became a church, Santa Cecilia, and when her tomb was opened in 1599 her body was found lying on its side, as the sculptor Stefano Maderno portrayed it in a famous statue. Wisdom 3:1 (Douay-Rheims):
But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.
Intention: for my intention, and for the grace of a holy death.
Frequently asked questions
When is St. Cecilia’s feast day?
November 22.
Why is St. Cecilia the patron saint of musicians?
Because her Acts say that on her wedding day, while the instruments played, she sang in her heart to God alone.
Is the story of St. Cecilia historical?
Cecilia was a real Roman martyr venerated from the earliest centuries and named in the Roman Canon of the Mass; the details of her story come from Acts written later, which mix history and legend.
More prayers
- St. Cecilia prayer
- Catholic hymns
- Patron saint of artists
- Patron saint of women
- Novenas
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Psalm 118:80; Ephesians 5:19; Psalm 90:11; Acts 16:31; Matthew 25:40 and 19:21; Romans 8:35–37; Psalm 150:3–5; Wisdom 3:1 (Douay-Rheims).