Novena for Life

A Higher Purpose
Lead your community in the spiritual fight to establish a culture of life in our nations. Knights and their families will come together in both public and private acts of prayer to promote the protection of life.

Overview
The protection of life is a sustained prayer intention of the Church, and in particular of the Knights of Columbus. Knights remain firmly committed to defending the right to life of every human being – from the moment of conception to natural death. To commemorate and bolster this important cause, councils will promote a novena, nine days of sustained prayer, to build up a culture of life in our parishes, homes and wider community.

Required Program
A council must conduct this required program in the Life category to be eligible to receive the Columbian Award.

Action Steps
Resources

Action Steps

Working with your pastor, obtain his recommendations on conducting a Novena for Life. Consider using novenas provided by the USCCB, such as the 9 Days for Life Novena in January.
Set a date for the novena. Consider incorporating it as part of the council’s participation in a 40 Days for Life campaign or schedule it to precede a major feast day or pro-life event.
Plan the schedule, events, and activities for the novena. Requirements for the nine days are broad and should be molded to suit your parish and community. Keep the following recommendations in mind when planning your Novena for Life:
- Anchor the beginning and end of the nine days with public church services like a Mass or rosary
- Consider organizing a social activity during the novena for the parish to come together and celebrate life
- Involve members of many parish organizations, especially the parish school and religious education leaders, in promoting and participating in the novena and services
- Invite members of local culture of life groups to join in your novena and services
Order Gospel of Life Prayer Cards (#4237) through Supplies Online, the supply ordering portal available on Officers Online, and distribute them to members of the parish. Have these prayer cards available the week prior to the start of the novena, at the opening church service and at all associated activities. Also place a good supply of prayer cards in your church and council hall.
Prior the start of the novena, use the sample press release as a model to create and distribute a tailored release to local media.
Build public interest for the event! Promote the Novena for Life in your parish and larger community through a variety of efforts:
- Prominently display promotional posters (which can be ordered through Supplies Online)
- Bulletin announcements
- Pulpit announcements
- Posting on your council and parish website / social media pages
To gain credit for your program, complete the associated reporting forms and submit them to the Supreme Council Department of Fraternal Mission. Remember to retain copies for your council records.
- At the end of the fraternal year, complete the Fraternal Programs Report Form (#10784)
- At the end of the fraternal year, complete your Columbian Award Application (#SP-7)

Resources

Novena for Life Resources

All supplies and kits should be ordered by your council Grand Knight or Financial Secretary using the Supplies Online application available through Officers Online. Please note that Guide Sheets, Press Releases, etc. are available below as PDFs.