A novena to St. Teresa of Ávila is nine days of prayer asking the intercession of the great Spanish Carmelite (1515–1582), reformer of her order, mystic, and the first woman declared a Doctor of the Church, who taught that prayer is “nothing else than being on terms of friendship” with God. It is traditionally prayed from October 6 to 14, ending on the eve of her feast on October 15. It is a good novena for anyone who wants to grow in prayer, for courage in difficult undertakings, and for peace in trials. Each day follows her life with a passage of Scripture, and the novena ends with her famous bookmark prayer, “Let nothing disturb thee.”
A short prayer to St. Teresa, written for this page:
St. Teresa, you persevered in prayer through years of dryness and became a friend of God.
Pray for me in my need: (name your intention).
Teach me to pray, to trust, and to be at peace, for God alone suffices. 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. Teresa above.
- End with an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.
Day 1: A child who wanted to see God
As a little girl, Teresa and her brother set out to die as martyrs among the Moors “so as to see God,” until an uncle brought them home. St. Paul wrote (Philippians 1:21, Douay-Rheims):
For to me, to live is Christ; and to die is gain.
Intention: for children and their desire for God.
Day 2: Entering Carmel
In 1535, at twenty, Teresa entered the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation at Ávila. Psalm 83:2–3 (Douay-Rheims):
How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.
Intention: for those discerning a religious vocation.
Day 3: Years of struggle
For nearly twenty years Teresa struggled in prayer, distracted and half-hearted, but she never gave it up entirely. Jesus taught (Luke 18:1, Douay-Rheims):
And he spoke also a parable to them, that we ought always to pray, and not to faint,
Intention: for perseverance in prayer when it feels dry.
Day 4: Conversion before the wounded Christ
In 1554, before an image of Christ covered with wounds, she was overwhelmed with sorrow and began a new life. Galatians 2:20 (Douay-Rheims):
And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me. And that I live now in the flesh: I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself for me.
Intention: for a true conversion of heart.
Day 5: Prayer as friendship
Teresa taught that mental prayer is an intimate conversation with the One we know loves us. Jesus said (John 15:15, Douay-Rheims):
I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you.
Intention: for the gift of mental prayer.
Day 6: The interior castle
In The Interior Castle she described the soul as a castle with many dwelling places, at whose center God lives. Jesus said (John 14:2, Douay-Rheims):
In my Father’s house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place for you.
Intention: for those who are searching for God within.
Day 7: Founding on rock
From 1562 Teresa founded seventeen reformed convents, traveling across Spain in rough carts despite illness and opposition. Matthew 7:24–25 (Douay-Rheims):
Every one therefore that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock,
And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock.
Intention: for courage in the work God gives me.
Day 8: Wounded by love
Teresa described how an angel pierced her heart with a fiery dart of divine love. Jesus said (Luke 12:49, Douay-Rheims):
I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled?
Intention: for a burning love of God.
Day 9: A daughter of the Church
She died at Alba de Tormes in 1582, saying that she died a daughter of the Church. Psalm 41:2–3 (Douay-Rheims):
As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God.
My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?
St. Teresa’s bookmark, from Father Lasance’s With God (1911):
Let nothing disturb thee,
Let nothing affright thee.
All things are passing;
God only is changeless.
Patience gains all things.
Who hath God wanteth nothing —
Alone God sufficeth.
The prayer of her feast from the 1916 daily missal:
Hear us, O God, our Saviour, and as we rejoice in the feast of thy holy Virgin Teresa, so may we be nourished by the food of her heavenly doctrine and formed in the spirit of pious devotion. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
When should I pray the novena to St. Teresa of Ávila?
From October 6 to 14, ending the day before her feast on October 15, or at any time.
What is St. Teresa of Ávila the patron saint of?
Spain, people in religious orders, people suffering from headaches and illness, and those who seek to grow in prayer.
Why is she a Doctor of the Church?
For her writings on prayer, especially The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle. Pope St. Paul VI declared her the first woman Doctor of the Church in 1970.
More prayers
- St. Teresa of Ávila prayer
- St. John of the Cross
- Doctors of the Church
- St. Thérèse novena
- Novenas
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), St. Teresa’s Book-Mark, public domain.
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Teresa (October 15), Collect, public domain (archive.org).
- Philippians 1:21; Psalm 83:2–3; Luke 18:1; Galatians 2:20; John 15:15 and 14:2; Matthew 7:24–25; Luke 12:49; Psalm 41:2–3 (Douay-Rheims).