The Saint Cecilia Novena

The Saint Cecilia Novena is a nine-day Catholic prayer through the intercession of Saint Cecilia, the third-century Roman virgin martyr and patroness of sacred music. The novena is prayed for Catholic musicians, choirs, organists, parish music directors, and for purity of life modeled on Cecilia's witness.

Origin and historical development

Saint Cecilia was a Roman virgin martyr of the early third century. Her name appears in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) of the Catholic Mass, in the list of female martyrs commemorated by name in every Mass celebrated with that prayer.

Cecilia's association with music developed from the traditional account that, on her wedding day, she "sang in her heart to the Lord." By the late medieval period she had become the universal Catholic patroness of sacred music. The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome (founded 1585) and the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome (founded by Pope Saint Pius X in 1911) are her principal modern Catholic institutional patronages.

The novena form is prayed in preparation for her feast on November 22.

Structure of the novena

Each day of the novena attends to one aspect of Cecilia's witness: her interior song to the Lord, her marriage to Valerian, the conversion of her husband, the conversion of his brother Tiburtius, her martyrdom, the discovery of her incorrupt body in 1599, her patronage of musicians, the Catholic theology of sacred music, and her place in the Roman Canon.

When the novena is prayed

The traditional dates of the novena are November 13 through November 21, ending on the eve of the Memorial of Saint Cecilia on November 22. The novena may also be prayed at any time of year by Catholic musicians, choirs, or anyone seeking her particular protection.

Theological foundation

The Catholic theology of sacred music rests on the principle that music is one of the chief means by which the soul lifts itself to God in worship. Pope Saint Pius X's motu proprio Tra le Sollecitudini (1903) gave the modern Catholic charter for sacred music. For the related Catholic teaching on the liturgical context of sacred music, see the related learn page.

Pairing with other prayers

The novena pairs naturally with the Liturgy of the Hours (in which sacred music finds its primary Catholic expression), the Holy Rosary, and the foundational Catholic prayers.

Sources

The principal sources are the Acta Sanctae Caeciliae (fifth century), the Roman Canon of the Mass, and Pope Saint Pius X's motu proprio Tra le Sollecitudini (November 22, 1903), which formalized the Catholic theology of sacred music.