A novena to St. Thomas Aquinas is nine days of prayer asking the intercession of the Dominican friar (1225–1274) who became the greatest theologian of the Church, the “Angelic Doctor,” author of the Summa Theologiae and of the Eucharistic hymns sung at Corpus Christi, and the patron saint of students, schools and universities. It is traditionally prayed from January 19 to 27, ending on the eve of his feast on January 28, and it is a favorite novena before exams, at the start of a school year, or for anyone seeking wisdom. Each day follows his life with a passage of Scripture, and the novena includes his own famous prayer before study.
A short prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas, written for this page:
St. Thomas, you loved the truth and used your great mind for God.
Pray for me in my need: (name your intention).
Give me clarity in my studies, humility in what I know, and a heart that loves God above all. 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. Thomas above.
- End with an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.
Day 1: A child at Monte Cassino
At five, Thomas was given to the Benedictine abbey of Monte Cassino, where he asked his teachers again and again, “What is God?” Psalm 118:105 (Douay-Rheims):
Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths.
Intention: for children and their first questions about God.
Day 2: Choosing to follow Christ
When he joined the new Order of Preachers, his family had him seized and kept him at home for about a year, but he would not give up his vocation. Jesus said (Matthew 10:37, Douay-Rheims):
He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me.
Intention: for young people facing opposition to their vocation.
Day 3: The gift of purity
According to his biographers, when his brothers sent a woman to tempt him, he drove her away with a burning brand and afterwards begged God for the grace of purity. Wisdom 8:21 (Douay-Rheims):
And as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except God gave it, and this also was a point of wisdom, to know whose gift it was: I went to the Lord, and besought him, and said with my whole heart:
Intention: for the virtue of chastity.
Day 4: “The dumb ox”
Quiet and heavily built, Thomas was nicknamed “the dumb ox” by his fellow students, but his teacher, St. Albert the Great, said that his bellowing would one day be heard throughout the world. Wisdom 7:7 (Douay-Rheims):
Wherefore I wished, and understanding was given me: and I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me:
Intention: for students, especially those who struggle.
His prayer before study:
O incomprehensible Creator, the true fountain of light, and only Author of all knowledge; vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to enlighten our understanding, and to remove from us all darkness of sin and ignorance. [Thou, who makest eloquent the tongues of those that want utterance, direct our tongues, and pour on our lips the grace of thy blessing.] Give us a diligent and obedient spirit, quickness of apprehension, capacity of retaining, and the powerful assistance of thy holy grace; that what we hear or learn, we may apply to thy honour and the eternal salvation of our own souls, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Day 5: Knowing God
In his great Summa Theologiae Thomas set out to explain the whole of Christian faith with the help of reason. Jesus said (John 17:3, Douay-Rheims):
Now this is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Intention: for teachers, theologians and catechists.
Day 6: The Eucharist
At the request of Pope Urban IV, Thomas composed the Mass and Office of Corpus Christi, including the hymns Pange Lingua, Tantum Ergo and Panis Angelicus. Jesus said (John 6:56, Douay-Rheims):
For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed.
Intention: for a deeper love of the Holy Eucharist.
Day 7: “Nothing but you, Lord”
According to an early account, Christ spoke to Thomas from the crucifix, “Thou hast written well of me, Thomas; what reward wilt thou have?” and he answered, “None other than thyself, Lord.” Psalm 72:25–26 (Douay-Rheims):
For what have I in heaven? and besides thee what do I desire upon earth?
For thee my flesh and my heart hath fainted away: thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion for ever.
Intention: to desire God above all his gifts.
Day 8: “Like straw”
Near the end of his life, after an experience during Mass, Thomas stopped writing, saying that everything he had written seemed like straw compared with what he had seen. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (Douay-Rheims):
We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known.
Intention: for humility in learning.
Day 9: Home to God
He died on March 7, 1274, at the Cistercian abbey of Fossanova, on his way to the Council of Lyons. Psalm 26:4 (Douay-Rheims):
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. That I may see the delight of the Lord, and may visit his temple.
The prayer of his feast from the 1916 daily missal:
O God, who didst enlighten thy Church by the marvellous learning of thy blessed Confessor Thomas, and enrich it by his holy labor, grant us we beseech thee, understanding to master what he taught and success in imitating what he did. 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. Thomas Aquinas?
From January 19 to 27, before his feast on January 28, or before exams and at any time.
What is St. Thomas Aquinas the patron saint of?
Students, schools, universities, Catholic academies, theologians and booksellers.
Why is his feast January 28 and not March 7?
He died on March 7, which often falls in Lent, so in 1969 his feast was moved to January 28, the day his relics were brought to Toulouse in 1369.
More prayers
- Patron saint of students
- St. Thomas Aquinas prayer
- St. Albert the Great
- Patron saint of reading
- Doctors of the Church
- Panis Angelicus
- Novenas
Texts and sources
- St. Thomas Aquinas, prayer before study, in Patrick F. Moran, The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations (1883), public domain (Wikisource).
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Thomas Aquinas (March 7), Collect, public domain (archive.org).
- Psalm 118:105; Matthew 10:37; Wisdom 8:21 and 7:7; John 17:3 and 6:56; Psalm 72:25–26; 1 Corinthians 13:12; Psalm 26:4 (Douay-Rheims).