St. Hubert is the Patron Saint of Hunters, and this is a novena for a safe and successful hunt.

A novena is a series of nine prayers, sometimes prayed privately and sometimes in groups. Though traditionally prayed once a day for nine consecutive days, a novena can be prayed any way or at any time: all the prayers in one sitting, once an hour for nine hours, once every ten minutes for ninety minutes, etc. How you choose to utilize this novena is up to you. As Pope St. John Paul II said, “It doesn’t matter how you pray, as long as you pray!”

First Session: Praise God

Opening Prayer
When your disciples didn’t know how to pray, they asked you, “Lord teach us how to pray” and you did. Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name, I ask you fill me with the Holy Spirit as you teach me how to pray. Our Lady, Queen of Hunters, cover me with your mantle of protection. St. Hubert, patron saint of hunters, please guide me and grant me a safe & successful hunting experience and hunting season. Amen.

Foundational Quote
“Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.” – Psalm 145:2

Reflection
Dear God – every time we praise you, we become better humans, since our praise of you reminds us of who you are, who we are, and whose we are. I praise you right now for all the ways you have been so good to me!

Closing Prayer
St. Hubert, while you were hunting you had a powerful experience of God that brought you into a life changing personal relationship with Jesus. Please pray for me that through this hunting trip I might be open to any ways the Lord Jesus wants to reveal himself to me and draw me closer to Him. Amen.

Second Session: The Gift of Nature

Foundational Quote
“Nature is a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness.” – Pope Francis

Reflection
The musical artist Rich Mullins wrote “There’s so much beauty around us for just two eyes to see, but everywhere I go, I’m looking.” Time spent hunting is an excellent opportunity to appreciate the wonders of this world and to praise the Creator. Take some time right now to thank God for some of the natural beauty He has created and allowed you to enjoy, including – but certainly not limited to – the animals you hunt.

Third Session: For All Hunters

Foundational Quote
“The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.” – Pope St. John Paul II

Reflection
Lord, I pray for all hunters everywhere. I thank you for those who mentored me and taught me to love this sport, as well as those who have made it possible for me to hunt through their stewardship of private and public properties. Help all of us who hunt to obey the laws of the land by respecting property boundaries and honoring bag limits. We pray for the grace to wait for the ethical shot so that any animals harvested will experience limited suffering. Help us to build strong and charitable relationships with our neighbors and everyone in our hunting parties. And help us to respond with love toward those who dislike hunters and hunting.

Fourth Session: For All I Leave Behind

Foundational Quote
When he said his night prayers, Pope John XXIII would tell God, “Well, I did my best. It’s Your Church, so I’m going to bed now.”

Reflection
Lord Jesus, Pope John XXIII was responsible for leading the Catholic Church and for the pastoral care of billions of Catholics worldwide – and still, he knew he needed rest. And he knew that he could be most restful when he cast all his cares upon you and entrusted everything to you. Similarly, we hunters want to rest and be renewed. And so, we place all that we leave behind in your nail scarred hands, especially our loved ones and our responsibilities at work at home. We know that you will give them back when this hunting trip ends, and we trust that they will be better for having been in your hands. Jesus, we trust in you.

Fifth Session: For This Hunt

Foundational Quote
“Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person.” – Fred Bear

Reflection
Jesus, you said to your disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” And that is what I am doing! Though there is a fair amount of work involved, I a blessed to be able rest a while. As I bask in this experience of hunting, help me to enter into your presence and allow me to experience peace and joy.

Sixth Session: For Patience

Foundational Quote
“Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.” – Author Unknown

Reflection
A wise and seasoned hunter once said, “There’s a reason that it’s called hunting and not killing,” since most of the time spent hunting involves waiting, and waiting requires patience. Lord, let all of the time I spend hunting be a school where I learn patient endurance, and may the lessons I learn hunting carry over into my daily life, which often requires maintaining a hopeful attitude while waiting. Help me to live always in the present moment; not in the past, and not in the future.

Seventh Session: Detachment from Outcomes

Foundational Quote
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:11-13

Reflection
Lord, you know my heart and my desires. You know that I’m hoping and praying and striving for a bountiful harvest. If I am successful on this hunting trip, I will be grateful share with others, and give you all the glory. And if I am unsuccessful, I will praise you anyway for having allowed me this awesome opportunity, since every moment spent with you in nature holds infinite value.

Eighth Session: Openness to the Holy Spirit

Foundational Quote
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” – Psalm 139:7-12

Reflection
Holy Spirit, you are the source of all inspiration. As I spend this time hunting, I ask you to inspire my thoughts and lead me into the way of truth. I give you permission to speak to my heart in any way that you want to, and I pray for the courage to follow through on all the ways you inspire me. Come, Holy Spirit.

Ninth Session: Gratitude

Foundational Quote
“Contact with nature, with its beauty and its peace, gives us new strength and restores us.”- Pope St. John Paul II

Reflection
It is a tremendous blessing to be able to hunt, and I am so grateful for this opportunity. I thank you for all the opportunities I have had to hunt in the past, I ask for your grace to cherish this hunting experience, and I ask that you grant me many more opportunities to hunt in the future. Please instill in me an overwhelming attitude of gratitude while I hunt, and in every situation that I will face in my future. Thank you, Lord. I cannot thank you enough.

Novena to St. Hubert