A Novena is a set of prayers said over nine days for a special intention. They are patterned on the nine days between the Ascension of the Lord and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost where the disciples were praying in the upper room.
There are many, many novenas that can be prayed. Some of them use the same prayer on each of the nine days. Some of them use a different prayer on each day. However it is laid out, the important part is the nine days of prayer.
Novenas are often prayed to a saint for specific purposes. With them you implore a saint for intercession with God over the nine days. This act of prayer can be symbolic of what the Lord told us in the parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke Chapter 18:
1 Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.a He said,
2 “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
3 And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’
4 For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
5 because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’”
6 The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
7 Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?
8 I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Websites for Novenas
Apps for Novenas