A novena is a journey of prayer that lasts for nine consecutive days and prepares us for a feast. The novena to Saint Vincent takes place during the nine days leading up to September 27, the liturgical memorial of the founder of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity.
When to pray: from September 18 to 26.
How long does it take: a few minutes each day.
Who can participate: anyone, either individually or in community. There is no need to belong to a Vincentian group.
Each day follows the same structure: a real fact about that day’s migration route, a passage from Scripture, a word from Saint Vincent, the intentions, the Our Father, and a question for reflection.
Saint Vincent knew what it meant to flee firsthand. During the Fronde and the wars of the mid-seventeenth century, thousands of people arrived in Paris seeking refuge, and the communities he had founded organized themselves to welcome them. In a letter to a sister who was concerned about the risk of sheltering refugees in her home, he replied that it would be a sin to give up, out of fear, such a beautiful virtue as charity.
Elsewhere, he noted something that remains strikingly relevant today: these people did not understand the language and seemed abandoned to him, and it was precisely this that moved him to compassion.
The language barrier, isolation, and indifference around them. Not much has changed.
More than 500,000 people crossed the Darién jungle in a single year; one in five was a child, exposed to extreme conditions and trafficking networks (UNICEF / IOM).
The Word: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35). Jesus did not merely teach hospitality: he himself experienced exile in Egypt.
Saint Vincent: do not judge the poor and strangers by appearances, but look at them in the light of faith, because in them we see the living image of the Lord.
Let us pray for those crossing the jungle, especially the children who risk their lives there.
For reflection: am I willing to allow this prayer to transform my indifference?
It is considered the deadliest land migration route in the world: more than 680 people die or go missing every year while crossing deserts and rivers (Missing Migrants Project / IOM).
The Word: “Do not neglect hospitality; through it some have unknowingly welcomed angels” (Heb 13:2).
Saint Vincent: when a sister feared that soldiers might rob her because she had given shelter to refugees, he replied that it would be a sin to give up such a beautiful virtue because of that danger.
Let us pray for those crossing these corridors, exposed to kidnapping, extortion, and extreme desert temperatures.
For reflection: do I see people on the move as statistics and news stories, or as individuals with stories and families?
More than 22,000 people have died or gone missing in the Central Mediterranean since 2014, making it the deadliest maritime migration route in the world (UNHCR).
The Word: “Practice hospitality without complaining. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Pt 4:9–10).
Saint Vincent: he wondered whether there was some way to gather them together in order to comfort and instruct them, because they did not understand the language and seemed abandoned to him.
Let us pray for those who risk their lives in these waters and for those who suffer violence in detention centers before embarking.
For reflection: has familiarity with these tragedies numbed my ability to grieve for so many lives lost?
More than 300,000 migrants from the Horn of Africa cross toward Yemen every year, a country at war (UNHCR / IOM).
The Word: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Mt 5:9).
Saint Vincent: he asked that Christ, the servant of the poor, be honored in children and those in need, just as in the poor people who came to seek refuge in Paris because of the wars.
Let us pray for Ethiopian and Somali migrants exposed to hunger, thirst, and armed violence.
For reflection: how do I defend the dignity of those who have been forced to leave everything behind?
The conflict in Sudan and instability in the Sahel have forced more than 10 million people to flee their homes (United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights).
The Word: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).
Saint Vincent: he described those who, forced to flee because of war or because their homes had been burned, had to seek refuge elsewhere, and the comfort they found in someone willing to help them.
Let us pray for displaced families suffering violence, dispossession, and food insecurity.
For reflection: do I simply watch from afar, or do I speak out against the injustice that strips the poorest of everything?
Around 2,000 people lose their lives every year while attempting to cross the Atlantic in precarious boats (IOM).
The Word: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask” (Jn 11:21–22).
Saint Vincent: when we have spent everything for Our Lord and have nothing left, we will leave the key under the door and withdraw.
Let us pray for the young people and families who embark from Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco.
For reflection: what kind of world have we built if so many of our brothers and sisters must risk death in order to seek life?
Approximately one in seven Rohingya people who attempt the sea crossing dies or goes missing (UNHCR / United Nations).
The Word: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:4–5).
Saint Vincent: always be ready to reach out to them and offer every kind of help and comfort in their greatest suffering.
Let us pray for the Rohingya people and for those who are stateless, especially women and children pushed back into the sea.
For reflection: do I take refuge in neutrality, or do I choose to draw near to those in need?
Hundreds of thousands of refugees experience violent pushbacks and sub-zero temperatures; up to 60% of children in these camps show signs of severe psychological trauma (UNICEF / Médecins Sans Frontières).
The Word: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” (Mt 18:5).
Saint Vincent: those who assist the poor will hear the Lord say to them, in a gentle and loving voice, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father.”
Let us pray for those trapped by winter, closed borders, and lack of access to care.
For reflection: do I allow narratives that dehumanize migrants to influence my position?
More than 7.7 million people have left Venezuela; thousands travel on foot for more than 1,000 kilometers across the freezing Andean highlands (R4V Platform / UNHCR).
The Word: “You are faithful in all that you do for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God” (3 Jn 5–6).
Saint Vincent: the exact duty of charity consists in doing for each person what we would reasonably wish to have done for ourselves.
Let us pray for the caminantes who face high-altitude cold, exhaustion, and discrimination.
For reflection: what invisible barriers of fear or apathy do I still keep in my heart?
Lord Jesus, who knew the weariness of the journey and the absence of a home, look upon our migrant brothers and sisters. Through the intercession of Saint Vincent de Paul, grant them protection on their journey and strength in times of trial. Make us instruments of your charity, capable of transforming prayer into concrete acts of welcome. Amen.
When is the Novena to Saint Vincent de Paul prayed?
From September 18 to 26, during the nine days leading up to the feast of September 27.
Can I start late?
Yes. If you begin after September 18, you can continue for nine consecutive days, even beyond the feast.
Should it be prayed alone or in a group?
Both are possible. The text is intended for both personal and communal prayer.
Why are migrants the theme this year?
Because serving those fleeing war and hunger has been part of the history of the Congregation since its origins.
