Novena in Memory of Pope Francis

Introduction

The entire Church mourns the death of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. In cathedrals, basilicas, parish churches, shrines, and chapels the Holy Eucharist will be offered for the repose of his soul. Communities and individuals will ask God to bestow his infinite mercy on the man who served the Church as Bishop of Rome.

This novena has been prepared to help pray for the Pope during the time of mourning. The daily novena – lasting for the novendiales period from April 26 to May 4, 2025 – consists of a short reading from Scripture or some other ecclesiastical text and some brief prayers, including orations drawn from the Roman Missal and the Order of Christian Funerals.

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Novena

Day 1 — "You are Peter…"

Day 2 — "Feed my sheep…"

Day 3 — Peter, the Unity of All the Church

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.
Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
— And let perpetual light shine upon him.

O God, who in your wondrous providence
chose your servant Pope Francis to preside over your Church,
grant, we pray,
that, having served as the Vicar of your Son on earth,
he may be welcomed by him into eternal glory.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Day 5 — "Strengthen your brothers…"

Day 6 — The Petrine Ministry of Mercy

Day 7 — Peter, the First of the Apostles

Day 8 — Union of Pope and Bishops

Day 9 — Successor to the Apostle Peter

Acknowledgments

Excerpt from the English translation of The Liturgy of the Hours © 1970, 1973, 1975 International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL); excerpt from the English translation of the Order of Christian Funerals © 1985 ICEL; excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010 ICEL. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Excerpt from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America, copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

Excerpt from Ut unum sint (1995) © Dicasterio per la Comunicazione—Librería Editrice Vaticana.

Excerpt from Lumen gentium from The Documents of Vatican II, Walter M. Abbott, ed. New York: Guild Press, 1966.

 

Novena in Memory of Pope Francis © 2025 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.