St. Thérèse of Lisieux — the Little Flower — promised from her deathbed: “After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon the earth.” Catholics around the world have prayed this novena for over a century, and countless people have received roses — literal and spiritual — as signs of her intercession.
A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer for a particular intention. The tradition dates to the nine days the Apostles spent in prayer between the Ascension and Pentecost. This novena is traditionally prayed from September 22 to September 30, ending on the eve of her feast day (October 1), but it can be prayed at any time of year.
How to Pray This Novena
Each day, find a quiet moment — morning or evening — and pray the opening prayer, that day’s meditation and prayer, and the closing prayer. Place your intention before God with confidence. Thérèse teaches us that God does not need eloquent words; He needs only our trust.
Many people ask St. Thérèse for a rose as a sign that their prayer has been heard. This is not superstition — it is simply asking a friend in heaven to let you know she is praying with you.
Opening Prayer (Pray each day)
O Little Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who during your short life on earth became a mirror of angelic purity, of love strong as death, and of wholehearted abandonment to God, now that you rejoice in the reward of your virtues, cast a glance of pity on me as I leave all things in your hands. Make my troubles your own — speak a word for me to our Lady Immaculate, whose flower of special love you were — to that Queen of heaven who smiled on you at the dawn of life. Beg her as the Queen of the Heart of Jesus to obtain for me by her powerful intercession the grace I yearn for so ardently at this moment, and that she join with it a blessing that may strengthen me during life, defend me at the hour of death, and lead me straight on to a happy eternity. Amen.
Day 1 — The Little Way
Thérèse discovered that holiness is not about grand gestures, but about doing small things with great love. She wrote: “Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”
St. Thérèse, you showed us that the path to heaven is paved with small acts of love. Teach me to see the holiness hidden in my ordinary day. Help me trust that nothing offered with love — however small — is lost in the eyes of God. I bring before you my intention: [state your intention]. Pray for me, Little Flower. Amen.
Day 2 — Trust in God’s Love
Thérèse taught that the foundation of the spiritual life is not our effort but God’s mercy. “The elevator that would lift me up to heaven is your arms, O Jesus! To reach perfection I do not need to grow up. On the contrary, I need to stay little.”
St. Thérèse, you trusted in God’s love even when you could not feel it. Help me surrender my need to control, my anxiety about the future, and my desire to earn what can only be received as a gift. I place my intention in your hands: [state your intention]. Pray for me, Little Flower. Amen.
Day 3 — Spiritual Childhood
Thérèse approached God as a child approaches a loving father — with total dependence, without pretension. “Perfection seems simple to me; I see it is sufficient to recognize one’s nothingness and to abandon oneself as a child into God’s arms.”
St. Thérèse, teach me the freedom of spiritual childhood. Help me stop pretending to be strong when I am weak, and to come before God with empty hands, trusting that He will fill them. I ask your intercession for my intention: [state your intention]. Pray for me, Little Flower. Amen.
Day 4 — Suffering Offered with Love
During her final eighteen months of illness and spiritual darkness, Thérèse united her suffering to Christ’s Passion. She said: “I look only at the present moment. I forget the past and I take good care not to forestall the future.”
St. Thérèse, you bore your suffering quietly and offered it as a gift. When I face pain, disappointment, or difficulty, help me see it not as punishment but as an offering I can place at the foot of the Cross. I bring you my intention: [state your intention]. Pray for me, Little Flower. Amen.
Day 5 — Love as Vocation
Thérèse longed to be a priest, a missionary, a martyr — all at once. She resolved this by discovering her true calling: “In the heart of the Church, my Mother, I will be love!”
St. Thérèse, you found that love encompasses every vocation. Help me discover that my daily life — however ordinary — is the place where God has called me to love. I entrust to you my intention: [state your intention]. Pray for me, Little Flower. Amen.
Day 6 — Mercy Over Perfection
Thérèse never claimed to be without fault. Her genius was in turning every failure into a deeper act of trust. “Even if I had committed every possible crime, I should lose none of my confidence. Heartbroken with repentance, I would throw myself into my Saviour’s arms.”
St. Thérèse, you teach me that falling is not failing — it is an invitation to be lifted up. Help me approach God’s mercy without shame, knowing that He loves me most in my weakness. I ask your prayers for my intention: [state your intention]. Pray for me, Little Flower. Amen.
Day 7 — Hidden Acts of Love
Thérèse chose hiddenness. She desired to be “forgotten and counted as nothing.” She folded other sisters’ forgotten mantles, ate spoiled food without complaint, and gave her warmest smile to the sister who annoyed her most.
St. Thérèse, you showed that the most powerful acts are often the ones no one sees. Help me serve without seeking recognition, love without keeping score, and trust that God sees what is hidden. I bring you my intention: [state your intention]. Pray for me, Little Flower. Amen.
Day 8 — Joy in Darkness
For her final eighteen months, Thérèse endured a trial of faith so severe she described it as sitting at “the table of sinners.” Yet the other sisters knew her as the most cheerful person in the convent. Joy, she showed us, can be chosen.
St. Thérèse, when faith feels impossible and God seems absent, help me persevere. Teach me that trust is strongest precisely when I cannot see. I place my intention before you with confidence: [state your intention]. Pray for me, Little Flower. Amen.
Day 9 — A Shower of Roses
On her deathbed, Thérèse promised: “After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon the earth.” She has kept this promise for over a century. Countless people have received her roses — and she is not finished.
St. Thérèse, today I complete this novena and place my intention one last time in your hands: [state your intention]. I trust in your intercession. I trust in God’s love. I ask you, Little Flower, to let fall a rose as a sign that you have heard my prayer. I will watch for it with the eyes of a child. Amen.
Closing Prayer (Pray each day)
O Little Thérèse of the Child Jesus, I ask you to answer my prayer by granting me the grace that I desire, and to let fall from heaven a rose in sign of the favor obtained. Amen.
After the Novena
Watch for her roses. They may come as a literal flower from an unexpected source, a sudden peace, an answered prayer, or a moment of grace you cannot explain. Many people have shared stories of receiving roses in extraordinary ways — read their stories on the Rose Wall.
If you receive a sign, consider sharing your story so others may be encouraged in their own prayer.