St. James The Greater Novena Prayer Patron Saint of Spain and Pilgrims
St. James The Greater Novena All 9 Days.
| Novena | St. James The Greater Novena |
| Novena Begins | July 16 |
| Feast Day | July 25 |
| Patron Saint of | Spain and Pilgrims |
About St. James The Greater
Of the three major Saint James of the apostolic age—St. James, brother of St. John and son of Zebedee and Salome, also called St. James the Greater; St. James, the son of Alphaeus and long time disciple of Jesus, also called St. James the Lesser; and St. James the Just, the brother of Jesus and first Bishop of Jerusalem—St. James Episcopal Church is named after St. James the Greater.
Sometimes we forget that the saints were real historical figures. James was a Galilean fisherman, one of the first disciples called by Jesus along the shores of Galilee as he and his brother John were fishing with their father Zebedee (Matthew 4:21-22, Mark 1:19-20). James traveled with Jesus for his entire ministry. Although his brother John was “the beloved,” and the one to whom Jesus entrusted care of his mother Mary, James was mentioned prominently in all four gospels. James and John were called the “Sons of Thunder.” This phrase may have been a reference to their feisty devotion to Jesus, but more probably referred to the time they wanted to call down fire upon the Samaritan town that refused to welcome Jesus, and the Master had to rebuke them sternly (Luke 9:51-56). Their mother was chastised when she requested that her sons sit on the right and left side of Jesus when he came into his kingdom, which led Jesus to repeat his messages about humility and servanthood as the key characteristics expected of his disciples. However, James was one of the three disciples, Peter and John being the other two, who were invited to witness the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36).
The historical story of James the Greater continued in Acts 12:1-2 when it was recorded that King Herod had James, John’s brother, killed with a sword, and then arrested Peter, who was saved when an angel broke his chains in prison. Our namesake Saint James was therefore the earliest martyr, except for St. Stephen.
There are also legends of St. James, miraculous or weird depending on your religious tradition. The first legend is that the disciples placed the bones of St. James in a boat and brought them to Iberia, landing in Padron on the coast of Galacia and then on to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where millions of pilgrims have ventured in the largest and longest devotion in Christian history. On the Feast Day, July 25, the pilgrims complete their long trek and enter the cathedral for a joyous celebration Mass for the patron saint of Spain. An even weirder legend is that the bones, including the severed head, of St. James miraculously sailed by themselves in a small boat and landed at Galacia, and then transported to Compostela. It is from this legend that the seafaring symbols of the three scallop shells join the symbols of the Galilean fisherman who became a fisher of men, and became attached to our St. James.
The St. James banner designed by Louise Henry and now part of the rotation at Christ Church Cathedral of banners representing congregations of the Diocese of Kentucky (Shown in Figure 1) portrays the fishing background of St. James. The banner of St. James on the altar area of the chancel at St. James Shelbyville depicts the traditional three scallop shells and was designed by Mo Wakefield and dedicated by Father Peter Whelan September 2009. (Figure 2.)
A third story is attached to St. James as the patron saint of Spain, much bloodier and more problematic than the previous two legends. “An even later tradition states that he miraculously appeared to fight for the Christian army during the battle of Clavijo, and was henceforth called Matamoros (Moor-slayer). Santiago y cierra España (“St. James and strike for Spain”) has been the traditional battle cry of Spanish armies.”
From Wikipedia. Apparently, this was a story that Don Quixote revered.
A second, and far more fanciful, legend is that Saint James preached the gospel in Iberia and received a visit by the Virgin Mary on January 2, 40 AD. He then returned to Judea to be martyred by Herod in A.D. 44. According to this legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to James on the bank of the Ebro River at Caesaraugusta. She appeared upon a pillar, Nuestra Señora del Pilar, and that pillar is conserved and venerated within the present Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, in Zaragoza, Spain. This legend was established within the Catholic Church by the 12th century and is attached to their version of St. James the Greater.
St. James The Greater Novena Day 1
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Glorious Apostle, Saint James, who by reason of your fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus to be a witness of His glory on Mount Tabor, and of His agony in Gethsemane; you, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory: obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending warfare of this life, that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus, we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive the victor’s crown in heaven.
Amen
(Mention your request here…)
Saint James the Apostle, pray for us.
Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…
St. James The Greater Novena Day 2
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Glorious Apostle, Saint James, who by reason of your fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus to be a witness of His glory on Mount Tabor, and of His agony in Gethsemane; you, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory: obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending warfare of this life, that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus, we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive the victor’s crown in heaven.
Amen
(Mention your request here…)
Saint James the Apostle, pray for us.
Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…
St. James The Greater Novena Day 3
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Glorious Apostle, Saint James, who by reason of your fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus to be a witness of His glory on Mount Tabor, and of His agony in Gethsemane; you, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory: obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending warfare of this life, that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus, we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive the victor’s crown in heaven.
Amen
(Mention your request here…)
Saint James the Apostle, pray for us.
Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…
St. James The Greater Novena Day 4
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Glorious Apostle, Saint James, who by reason of your fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus to be a witness of His glory on Mount Tabor, and of His agony in Gethsemane; you, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory: obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending warfare of this life, that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus, we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive the victor’s crown in heaven.
Amen
(Mention your request here…)
Saint James the Apostle, pray for us.
Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…
St. James The Greater Novena Day 5
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Glorious Apostle, Saint James, who by reason of your fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus to be a witness of His glory on Mount Tabor, and of His agony in Gethsemane; you, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory: obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending warfare of this life, that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus, we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive the victor’s crown in heaven.
Amen
(Mention your request here…)
Saint James the Apostle, pray for us.
Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…
St. James The Greater Novena Day 6
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Glorious Apostle, Saint James, who by reason of your fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus to be a witness of His glory on Mount Tabor, and of His agony in Gethsemane; you, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory: obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending warfare of this life, that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus, we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive the victor’s crown in heaven.
Amen
(Mention your request here…)
Saint James the Apostle, pray for us.
Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…
St. James The Greater Novena Day 7
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Glorious Apostle, Saint James, who by reason of your fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus to be a witness of His glory on Mount Tabor, and of His agony in Gethsemane; you, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory: obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending warfare of this life, that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus, we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive the victor’s crown in heaven.
Amen
(Mention your request here…)
Saint James the Apostle, pray for us.
Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…
St. James The Greater Novena Day 8
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Glorious Apostle, Saint James, who by reason of your fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus to be a witness of His glory on Mount Tabor, and of His agony in Gethsemane; you, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory: obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending warfare of this life, that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus, we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive the victor’s crown in heaven.
Amen
(Mention your request here…)
Saint James the Apostle, pray for us.
Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…
St. James The Greater Novena Day 9
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Glorious Apostle, Saint James, who by reason of your fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus to be a witness of His glory on Mount Tabor, and of His agony in Gethsemane; you, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory: obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending warfare of this life, that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus, we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive the victor’s crown in heaven.
Amen
(Mention your request here…)
Saint James the Apostle, pray for us.
Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…
Prayer to St. James The Greater
O glorious Apostle, Saint James,
who by reason of thy fervent and generous heart
was chosen by Jesus to be witness of His glory on Mount Tabor,
and of His agony in Gethsemane;
thou, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory;
obtain for us strength and consolation
in the unending warfare of this life,
that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus,
we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive
the victor’s crown in heaven.
Amen.
Thanks for reading St. James The Greater Novena. Read Also other July Novenas.
