A Novena for the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary, the New Temple of the Lord

The Presentation of the Virgin Mary
The Presentation of the Virgin Mary, Codex of Predis (1476), Royal Library, Turin, Italy. Prisma/UIG/Getty Images
by Scott P. Richert
Scott P. Richert is senior content network manager of Our Sunday Visitor, the world's largest English language Catholic publisher. He has written about Catholicism for outlets including Humanitas and Catholic Answers Magazine.
Updated February 17, 2019

This Novena for the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary calls to mind a central theme of the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (November 21): that Mary is the new Temple, in whom God has come to dwell in the person of Jesus Christ.

This novena is particularly appropriate to pray in the nine days leading up to the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Begin the novena on November 12 to end it on November 20, the eve of the feast. Like any novena, however, it can be prayed at any time of the year, when you have a special favor to ask of the Blessed Virgin.

Novena for the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Gracious and lovable art thou in thy splendor, O holy Mother of God! Show me thy countenance. Let thy words sound in my ears, for thy voice is sweet and thy countenance is beautiful. Turn to us in thy beauty and loveliness! Come forth in majesty and reign!
  • Hail Mary…
O blessed Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, Temple of the Lord, sanctuary of the Holy Ghost, thou alone, without an equal, hast pleased our Lord Jesus Christ!
  • Hail Mary…
Blessed indeed art thou, O holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise, for from thee arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our Lord. Draw us, O Immaculate Virgin; we shall come after thee, breathing the sweet fragrance of thy virtues! 
  • Hail Mary…
[Here state your petition.]
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known, that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To thee to do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

Definitions of Words Used in the Novena

Here are the meanings of words used in the Novena for the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary that you might not be familiar with:

  • Gracious: filled with grace, the supernatural life of God within our souls
  • Thou: You (singular, as the subject of a sentence)
  • Thy: Your
  • Splendor: magnificence and grandeur
  • Countenance: a person's face
  • Majesty: royal power
  • Reign: to rule
  • Blessed: holy
  • Ever Virgin: always a virgin, both before and after the birth of Jesus Christ
  • Temple of the Lord: containing Christ in her womb, similar to the Ark of the Covenant or the tabernacle that holds the Eucharistic Body of Christ
  • Sanctuary: a holy place
  • Holy Ghost: another name for the Holy Spirit, less commonly used today than in the past
  • Hast: have
  • Thee: You (as the object of a preposition)
  • Immaculate: free from sin
  • Fled: normally, to run from something; in this case, though, it means to run to the Blessed Virgin for safety
  • Implored: asked or begged sincerely or desperately
  • Intercession: intervening on behalf of someone else
  • Unaided: without help
  • Virgin of virgins: the most saintly of all virgins; the virgin who is the example for all others
  • The Word Incarnate: Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh
  • Despise: look down on, spurn
  • Petitions: requests; prayers