Praying A 54-Day Rosary Novena

The Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena

In 1884, 33 years before Her apparition at Fatima, Our Lady appeared to a young girl, Fortuna Agrelli. Fortuna was terminally ill with not just one but three incurable diseases when she was graced with an apparition from Our Lady of the Rosary. Our Lady guided her to pray six consecutive novenas, three in a spirit of petition followed by three in a spirit of thanksgiving. After which, Fortuna was miraculously cured of her terminal illnesses. 

Since this initial apparition and consequent miraculous healing, several key details have become more properly understood. As our Blessed Mother urges, we shall pray six consecutive novenas, the first three shall be done in petition and the latter three shall be done in thanksgiving. Although Holy Mother Church graciously suggests the faithful pray certain mysteries of the Rosary on specific days, this Novena has its own particular rhythm in which to pray the mysteries. It is traditional to begin each novena with the Joyful mysteries, the following day will be the Sorrowful mysteries, and on the third consecutive day, the Glorious mysteries will be prayed. This cycle of Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries will be repeated throughout the 54 days. While the Luminous mysteries are a beautiful practice, the initial apparition occurred before their institution in 2002. Thus, the traditional 54 days are prayed omitting these mysteries.

Now that we have the general rhythm to the Novena, let us look at the daily Rosary we are asked to pray.

1. First, make the Sign of the Cross.
2. Then pray the opening prayer. Within the first 27 days of petition, you will pray the following:

"Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I humbly kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses, snow white buds to remind thee of thy joys, each bud recalling to thee a holy mystery, each 10 bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God’s graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee, thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my petition; from thy bounty thou wilt give me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly seek. I despair of nothing that I ask of thee. Show thyself my Mother."

3. Next, you shall begin to pray the Mysteries of the Rosary for that day. On the first day of the novena, begin with the Joyful mysteries. For step-by-step instructions on how to pray the Rosary, click here.

4. For this Novena, upon the conclusion of each decade, after praying the Glory Be and the Oh My Jesus prayer, you will pray: “I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of _____ (the corresponding virtue for each mystery) lay this bouquet at thy feet.

5. Once you have completed the Rosary, you shall pray the Hail, Holy Queen prayer as usual and then shall conclude while in petition with:

“Sweet Mother Mary, I offer thee this spiritual communion to bind my bouquets in a wreath to place upon thy brow. O my Mother! Look with favor upon my gift, and in thy love obtain for me (specify request).” Lastly, conclude with one final Hail Mary,

During the last 27 days, which are said in thanksgiving, pray the following as your opening prayer: 

"Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I gratefully kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses snow white buds to remind thee of thy joys each bud recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, Dispenser of God’s graces. and Mother of all who invoke thee! thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my thanksgiving; from thy bounty thou hast given me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly sought. I despaired not of what I asked of thee, and thou hast truly shown thyself my Mother!"

While praying in thanksgiving, conclude with the following:

"Sweet Mother Mary, I offer thee this Spiritual Communion to bind my bouquets in a wreath to place upon thy brow in thanksgiving for (specify request) which thou in thy love hast obtained for me."