Pentecost Novena

Pentecost Preparation 2026

On the day of his glorious Ascension, the Lord Jesus Christ, shortly before he ascended to heaven, said to his disciples, “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24: 49). In obedience to these words, “the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk  from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying….They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” (Acts 1: 12-14).

We are the disciples of Christ in this present time, and what he said to his first disciples, he says to us, and what they did, we should do; come together in prayer and expectation for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Pentecost is a continuous event in the life of the Church and the world, for, as it is written, the promise of the Father is for all who are called to be disciples of Jesus (Acts 2: 39).

The body of Christ, the Church, draws its life, wisdom and strength from the Holy Spirit. Our journey through time to eternity is directed by the Holy Spirit. He is the principle of Christian mission. Pentecost is a time to appreciate the person and work of the Holy Spirit in the world, the Church and in the life of every Christian and to renew our relationship with him.

I am proposing and inviting us to a 9-Day Parish Preparation for Pentecost 2026 beginning from the day after Ascension to the day before Pentecost (May 15-23). On these days, we will gather as a faith family in the Church at 6 pm to pray and reflect on the wonders and mysteries of the Holy Spirit.

The Easter season looks forward to the celebration of Pentecost, and the last nine days of this season are specifically set apart for an intensive preparation for Pentecost. Every celebration of the major mysteries of our salvation is preceded by a period of preparation. Advent is the preparation for Christmas, and Lent is for Easter. There is preparation for Pentecost which is the oldest of all the periods of preparation in Christian history. It is traditionally called Pentecost Novena because it is a period of nine days.

Let us make room for this preparation in our schedules. Let us avail ourselves of this opportunity of a time to have the Church, the world and ourselves renewed, reinvigorated, and revitalized. May God bless us all as we do this. Holy Spirit, Our Life and our Love!

-Fr Bona