About this Novena
This Novena to Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, is an invitation to draw closer to the heart of Our Mother, who, in every moment of her life, reflected the beauty of authentic love. Inspired by St. Josemaria Escriva and St. Pope John Paul II, and rooted in Scripture, this nine-day prayer journey speaks to the deepest needs of modern family life: healing, unity, hope, and holiness.
Each day explores a different dimension of love through Mary’s example – love that is sacrificial, steadfast, and joyfully obedient to God’s will.
Whether you are praying as a parent, a single person, or with your family, this novena offers a time of spiritual renewal, encouraging you to entrust your personal intentions to Mary, who always leads us to her Son.
How to Pray this Novena
Pick an intention for these next nine days.
Select a time and place each day in which you will say the daily novena prayer.
Begin with the Sign of the Cross, read the daily prayer, and then spend a few minutes contemplating what you’ve just read and how it applies to your life.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, of all God’s creation, you loved Him most perfectly, with a heart undivided, pure, and full of trust. When the child Jesus was lost, you searched three days for Him. Your mind and heart did not rest until you found Him in His Father’s house. Teach me to seek Christ with the same perseverance and longing, to desire Him above all else, and to love God with that same faithfulness, not only in moments of consolation but also in the struggles of daily life.
As daughter of God the Father, you knew the love of a Father who provides, protects, and guides. Help me to rest in that same filial love, to trust that I am His beloved child, and to extend unconditional love to all those entrusted to me.
As mother of God the Son, you carried Love Incarnate in your womb and held Him in your arms. You watched Him grow, serve, suffer, and save. Give me the grace to mirror His mercy in my home, to forgive quickly, to serve humbly, and to love even when it’s difficult.
As spouse of God the Holy Spirit, you were completely open to the promptings of grace. You lived each day attentive to the Spirit’s whisperings. Help me invite the Holy Spirit into my thoughts, words, and actions, so I may love God a little more today than I did yesterday.
Dearest Mother, teach me to love God not just with my lips, but with my life, especially through the gift of my family. May each act of service, each moment of sacrifice, be a small offering of love to Him who loved me first.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, with the tender and maternal heart with which you loved Jesus, you love me. I come before you today as your child, entrusting to you this intention: [insert your petition here]. Confident in your intercession, I ask you to present it to Jesus, and if it be His will, that it may be granted. Amen.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, in the home of Nazareth, together with St. Joseph and Jesus, you formed a family so deeply rooted in love, humility, and obedience that your ordinary life became a model of unity for every home. When the angel warned Joseph in a dream, together you did not hesitate to rise in the night and flee to Egypt. In that journey into the unknown, your unity was your refuge – three hearts clinging to God and to each other in trust and love.
You were not shielded from hardship: poverty, uncertainty, and even sorrow knocked at your door, but your heart remained fixed on God and one another. In every decision, every trial, and every joy, you remained united.
Holy Mother, in a world so often marked by discord and division, I ask you to bring unity into my family. Heal wounds of misunderstanding, soften hearts grown distant, and restore what has been strained by impatience or pride.
Help me to live as Joseph, faithful and steadfast, a quiet guardian of peace in my home, trusting even when the path is unclear.
Help me to live as you, Mary, attentive to the promptings of grace, offering my will and my ways to the Father each day so that I might reflect His love in every interaction.
Help me to live as Jesus, obedient, compassionate, and centered always on the Father’s will, seeking not to be served but to serve.
Dearest Mother, teach my family to be one in spirit and in truth, a domestic church marked by mercy, forgiveness, charity, and joy. When tensions rise and we feel divided, remind us of the journey to Egypt and those hidden years in Nazareth, then draw us back to one another.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, with the tender and maternal heart with which you loved Jesus, you love me. I come before you today as your child, entrusting to you this intention: [insert your petition here]. Confident in your intercession, I ask you to present it to Jesus, and if it be His will, that it may be granted. Amen.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, you weren’t fooled by the glittering promises of the world. Your heart was undivided, pure, anchored in truth, and rooted in God. At the Presentation in the Temple, you selflessly offered your Son without fear or possessiveness, offering Him completely back to God. In you, we see the radiant beauty of real love: a love that trusts, that rejoices in truth, that serves, that hopes.
Today, I live in a world overflowing with counterfeit loves: pleasures that promise happiness but leave the soul restless and empty; relationships that offer comfort without commitment, affections that flatter but do not fulfill. So many voices promise happiness through possessions, self-promotion, or endless distraction. The glow of screens and the lure of material gain tempt me to settle for shallow comforts instead of lasting love.
Mother, open my eyes to these illusions. Help me to recognize when my heart is being pulled toward selfishness, vanity, pride, or escape. Give me the strength to turn away from what is fleeting, and the courage to seek what is lasting – the freedom that is found in God alone.
Teach me, like you, to love with a heart that is free. Free to sacrifice, free to serve, free to love deeply, free to will the good of another. Remind me that true love, fairest love, is not about feelings, but about the gift of self, poured out daily, quietly, and humbly.
Dearest Mother, help me find this love in my union with God, and help me live it out in my home. May my family be a place where love is sincere, where forgiveness is offered readily, and where each person is seen and cherished for who they truly are. Lead me always toward what is true, good, and beautiful. And when lesser loves tempt me, wrap me in your mantle and show me again the profound mystery of belonging fully to God.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, with the tender and maternal heart with which you loved Jesus, you love me. I come before you today as your child, entrusting to you this intention: [insert your petition here]. Confident in your intercession, I ask you to present it to Jesus, and if it be His will, that it may be granted. Amen.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, your fiat, “Let it be done to me according to your word,” at the Annunciation echoes through eternity. In that moment, as the angel proclaimed that you would conceive and bear the Son of God, you embraced the Incarnation with total trust. Your yes was not just the choice of a moment, but a lifelong commitment. In happiness and in sorrow, in silence and in suffering, you said yes to God with humility and unwavering love.
Your yes at the Annunciation was only the beginning. You said yes as you fled into Egypt, yes in the obscure years of Christ’s childhood, yes at the foot of the Cross, yes when the tomb seemed to silence every promise. Your heart kept beating in rhythm with God’s will, a steady, trusting yes through every season of life.
Teach me, Mother, to offer my own fiat. So often, I cling to my plans, my desires, my sense of control. I resist what I do not understand and fear what I cannot predict. Yet you show me that peace is not found in knowing what comes next, but in knowing Who is asking.
Like Joseph, who quietly obeyed the angel’s message without needing all the answers, help me to obey with courage and without delay. Give me the grace to follow God’s will, even when it asks more than I expected, or leads me down unfamiliar paths.
Dearest Mother, help me say yes today. Yes to the little interruptions in my schedule. Yes to the people in my home who need my time and love. Yes to the sacrifices required for relationships to flourish, and yes to the daily highs and lows of Christian living. Yes, even when God’s will asks me to let go, to wait, or to begin again. Form in me a heart like yours: calm, strong, and open to the divine plan. Help me surrender not just once, but again and again, with love.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, with the tender and maternal heart with which you loved Jesus, you love me. I come before you today as your child, entrusting to you this intention: [insert your petition here]. Confident in your intercession, I ask you to present it to Jesus, and if it be His will, that it may be granted. Amen.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, your joy was not fleeting; it was a deep and abiding joy that flowed from your unshakable trust in God and your identity as His beloved daughter, mother, and spouse. When you visited Elizabeth, your soul proclaimed the greatness of the Lord, and your spirit rejoiced in God your Savior. In your Magnificat, you showed us that true joy springs from humility, gratitude, and confidence in the goodness of God.
You lived your vocation as wife and mother with tender strength and radiant love. In the simplicity of daily life – cooking meals, fetching water, and teaching Jesus – you found holiness. You embraced the ordinary with extraordinary grace because you knew who you were and whose you were.
At Cana, you noticed what others overlooked. You saw the wine had run out, and with a mother’s heart, you acted. You interceded not for yourself but so that someone else’s celebration might continue. You taught us that joy often comes through generosity and attentiveness to others.
Mother, teach me to do the same. Amid work, noise, and need, remind me that my vocation to family life is sacred ground. These moments, though small, are steeped in grace.
When I feel weary, discouraged, or unseen, remind me that my worth is not measured by accomplishment but by the simple and profound truth that I am a child of God. That my joy is rooted not in perfect circumstances but in the perfect love of the Father who has called me by name.
Dearest Mother, help me to smile more easily, to laugh more wholeheartedly, to bring warmth into my home, and to cultivate a spirit of joy even amid life’s demands. Show me how to delight in the gift of my vocation, not only when it’s easy but especially when it’s hard. And help me always remember that my truest joy is being a beloved child of God.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, with the tender and maternal heart with which you loved Jesus, you love me. I come before you today as your child, entrusting to you this intention: [insert your petition here]. Confident in your intercession, I ask you to present it to Jesus, and if it be His will, that it may be granted. Amen.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, your love was not transactional. You did not ask, “What will I gain?” before offering your fiat. You gave yourself entirely to God, not for recognition, not for reward, but because love of God compelled you to say yes. At Bethlehem, when you brought Jesus into the world far from home, in poverty and hiddenness, you embraced hardship without complaint. You wrapped the Savior in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, content to love and serve without comfort or acclaim.
Teach me that same generosity of heart. Help me to love without keeping score, without seeking thanks, praise, or validation. To serve when no one sees, to forgive when it is not asked for, to show up with tenderness even when I feel empty.
You lived a life of total gift. You poured yourself out at home in Nazareth, in the weariness of travel, in the monotony of home, and then most painfully, at the foot of the Cross. Still, your love did not withdraw. It deepened.
Help me to embrace the kind of love that is willing to be wounded for the ones I love: a love that dies to self in a thousand small ways each day. Teach me the strength of soft hearts, the courage to serve when it costs, and the beauty of self-gift that seeks nothing in return.
Dearest Mother, when I grow tired of giving, when resentment creeps in, remind me that Christ loved me to the end, and that to follow Him requires picking up my cross daily. Teach me to be undaunted, faithful, and unflinching in love. Make my heart more like yours: wide open, brave, and ready to love to the very end.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, with the tender and maternal heart with which you loved Jesus, you love me. I come before you today as your child, entrusting to you this intention: [insert your petition here]. Confident in your intercession, I ask you to present it to Jesus, and if it be His will, that it may be granted. Amen.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, you lived a life of radiant, consistent virtue, not only in the extraordinary moments, but in the ordinary ones too. During the years in Nazareth, you embraced simplicity and obscurity with love. Day after day, you worked, prayed, and cared for Jesus and Joseph while no one knew their God lived in their midst. From the stable in Bethlehem to your humble home, from the awe-inspiring miracles to the anguish beneath the Cross, you responded with humility, patience, fortitude, and charity.
There was never a time you did not choose holiness. Your profound union with God shaped every thought, word, and action. You are proof that sanctity is possible for me if I offer my life in hidden faithfulness.
Mother, I struggle to live virtuously, especially when I am tired, overwhelmed, or feel unseen. When my patience wears thin, when my pride rises up, when fear tempts me to take the easier road, remind me of you. You who were unwavering in storms, gentle in conflict, brave in suffering, and joyful in sacrifice.
Teach me to love virtue, not because it is easy, but because it is good. Help me to persevere when it feels thankless. To forgive even when I’ve been wronged. To serve without needing recognition. To speak truth kindly, and to be silent when silence is holier.
Dearest Mother, show me how to live virtue, not just when life is calm, but when chaos erupts, when the house is noisy, the schedule is full, and the world presses in. Let me remember that these are the very moments when virtue matters most. Fairest Love, make me steadfast like you, a true reflection of your Son’s light in every circumstance of my life.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, with the tender and maternal heart with which you loved Jesus, you love me. I come before you today as your child, entrusting to you this intention: [insert your petition here]. Confident in your intercession, I ask you to present it to Jesus, and if it be His will, that it may be granted. Amen.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, you remained enduring in your love for God and in your commitment to His plan. You stood beneath the Cross, faithful when others fled, trusting when hope seemed lost. In that hour of darkness, your courage bore witness to a love stronger than fear and stronger than death.
When your Son was laid in the tomb, you did not abandon hope. In the days that followed, when the apostles were afraid and uncertain, you remained a steadfast mother, gathering them, encouraging them, and praying with them as you awaited the resurrection of your Son. At Pentecost, as the Holy Spirit descended in tongues of fire, you stood among them, a living witness that God keeps His promises.
And across the centuries, as the fount of all grace, you never cease to point hearts to your Son. In apparitions and devotions, in whispered prayers and generous acts of faith, you continue to proclaim His mercy, calling us back to the heart of God.
Mother, in a world that is so often indifferent or hostile to your Son, help me to be a courageous witness. Teach me to stand firm in truth with humility and charity, to love boldly without compromise, to speak when the Gospel must be spoken, and to live my life as another Christ here on earth.
When I am tempted to hide my faith, remind me of your unswerving example. When I am afraid of judgment or rejection, remind me that true courage comes not from my own strength, but from the Holy Spirit who overshadowed you.
Dearest Mother, make my life a proclamation of God’s goodness. Help me to live so thoroughly rooted in His love that every action becomes a testimony, not to my strength, but to His grace. Be near me as I strive to love and witness courageously, so that in all I do, others may be drawn to your Son, who is Love Himself.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, with the tender and maternal heart with which you loved Jesus, you love me. I come before you today as your child, entrusting to you this intention: [insert your petition here]. Confident in your intercession, I ask you to present it to Jesus, and if it be His will, that it may be granted. Amen.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, throughout your life, you never wavered in living your vocation to its fullest. From the angel’s greeting to the empty tomb, you remained faithful, enduring in love, anchored in truth, united to God’s will in all things. For your fidelity, you were lifted up, assumed body and soul into heaven, and crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth, a sign of hope for all who persevere in love until the end. In your Assumption and Coronation, God honored every magnanimous sacrifice, every humble yes, and showed us what awaits those who are faithful.
Mother, I long to follow your example. Yet I know my heart is prone to discouragement, to distraction, to forgetting the grace of my calling. When the demands of my vocation feel overwhelming, when the days blur into ordinary routines, and when sacrifice feels unnoticed, remind me that holiness is forged through perseverance.
Give me the grace to be faithful; faithful in minor duties and great trials, faithful when my vocation brings delight, and faithful when it brings the Cross. Teach me to see each day as an opportunity to renew my yes, to love again, to trust again.
Mother, never let me be parted from your Son. Keep my heart anchored in His Heart. Increase in me a love for Him that grows stronger with each passing year. When my resolve weakens, lend me your courage. When I am tempted to walk away, draw me closer to the One who called me.
Fairest Love, help me to cherish my vocation, to guard it, nurture it, and honor it, so that I may one day hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Be my companion on this journey, and guide me safely home to your Son.
Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, with the tender and maternal heart with which you loved Jesus, you love me. I come before you today as your child, entrusting to you this intention: [insert your petition here]. Confident in your intercession, I ask you to present it to Jesus, and if it be His will, that it may be granted. Amen.