St Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer Card

According to tradition, the Advent prayer which begins “Hail and blessed be the hour…” is to be recited 15 times daily—though not necessarily all at once--from November 30 until Christmas Day. Because recitation begins on the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, this prayer has come to be known as The St. Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer even though it neither addresses him nor even mentions his name. Rather, the prayer anticipates and commemorates the birth of the Infant Jesus at Bethlehem and is addressed to God Himself. It is widely believed among the Faithful that God will grant a petitioner’s request for a special spiritual favour in honour of His Son’s birthday. Said to have originated in Ireland, the prayer is well over 100 years old. + Saints_Aplenty offers several memory joggers for those who wish to participate in this beloved ritual ranging from a poster to a table- or desktop pedestal sign. We also offer several means of sharing the practice ranging from postcards to prayer cards. Our items feature a St. Andrew roundel on a bright yellow-green background. We have, however, replaced the ancient Roman-style victor’s wreath that surrounds the portrait of St. Andrew in the original devotional print with a more modern, seasonal wreath of green holly leaves with clusters of red berries. + Image Credit (JMAS 02): Antique image of St. Andrew the Apostle from a late 19th-century devotional print in chromolithography with gilt accents originally published by Josef Müller, Art Publisher, Munich, Germany, from the designer’s private collection of religious ephemera. The image is one of twelve in the publisher’s Apostle Series (No. 12155). + Here, St. Andrew supports the beams of a transverse, saltire, or x-shaped cross, the instrument of his martyrdom and most frequently represented attribute. + Image Credit (Wreath): Antique image of a holly wreath extracted from an embossed and gilded Christmas postcard with Santa, original publisher unknown (Series 79), Divided Back era (c. 1907-1915), also from the designer’s private collection.