Writing it down
St. Jude novena journal prompts for your intention
The guide includes journal prompts alongside each day’s reflection and prayer. Writing gives an unresolved situation somewhere to sit, and it gives you a record of what you actually asked for, which is more useful than you might expect nine days later.
What the book provides
Each of the nine days combines a biblical story, a reflection, the traditional prayer to St. Jude, a personal intention, journal prompts, a practical action and a closing invocation. The prompts are there to keep the day from becoming only reading.
The written element is optional in the sense that nothing depends on it. It is not optional in the sense of being decorative: for many readers, naming a fear on paper is the first time they have said it plainly at all.
Six angles for the blank page
If you want to write beyond the prompts in the book, these angles follow the same movement: name the truth, release control, take one small step.
- 1
State the intention in one sentence
Write it as you would say it to a friend, not as you would phrase it in church. If it comes out as “I do not know what to ask for,” write that instead.
- 2
Name the feared possibility
The guide’s practical steps include acknowledging a feared possibility. Writing it down takes some of its authority away, and it stops the fear from running the whole prayer.
- 3
Describe the day you are actually having
Three lines is enough. Naming exhaustion, anger or numbness is part of bringing the truth before God rather than performing calm.
- 4
Write what is yours to do this week
Not the whole solution. One action: an appointment, a message, a document, a request for help. In grief, eating a meal or inviting company can be the entire entry.
- 5
Note who else could pray
The guide encourages asking others to pray with you. Write the name of one person you could ask, and what you would say to them.
- 6
Record what you are grateful for in advance
The nine days include giving thanks before anything has been resolved. Write one thing that is true today, independent of the outcome.
These are suggestions for using the space, not a transcript of the book’s own prompts.
Actions are not bargaining
The practical steps in the guide are ordinary and deliberately small: make an appointment, send a message, gather a document, ask for help. In grief, an action may be as simple as eating or inviting companionship.
The book is explicit that these steps accompany prayer and are not a way to control what happens next. That matters, because it is easy to turn a list of tasks into a private contract: if I do all nine days properly, the situation should change. Writing the action down and then leaving the outcome alone is the healthier habit.
Reading on Kindle and keeping notes
If you read on a Kindle, keep written responses in a separate notebook or a notes app. The guide suggests this directly, because typing long reflections on a Kindle is unpleasant and highlighting is not the same as writing.
Two habits that work: a single page per day with the date at the top, and one line at the end of each entry naming the action you chose. Nine short entries are more useful than one long one.
Questions readers ask
Can Kindle readers journal with this guide?
Yes, with a separate notebook or notes app. The description recommends exactly that for written responses, since the guide is read rather than filled in. No interactive fields are implied, and format availability should be checked on the Amazon listing.
Do I have to write anything at all?
No. The prompts support the prayer; they are not an assignment. If writing feels like one more demand on an already difficult week, pray the day and skip the page.
What should the first entry say?
One sentence naming the situation, and one sentence naming what you are asking for. That is a complete entry and a good place to begin.
Should I reread my entries at the end?
It can help. The ninth day considers what follows when the answer is yes, no, or wait, and reading your own words from day one makes that reflection concrete rather than abstract.
How the nine days are arranged or praying when nothing changes.
Keep reading
- How to pray a St. Jude novenaWhat a novena is, what you need to begin, and how the nine days are usually prayed.
- If you miss a dayWhat to do when the nine days are interrupted, and why a gentle return is enough.
- Prayer when nothing changesPraying while a situation stays unresolved: persistence, surrender, grief and waiting.
- Returning to Catholic prayerA welcoming starting point for anyone coming back after an absence, or unsure in church.
The book
Prompts for the days you cannot explain
Nine days of scripture, reflection, prompts and small actions, for readers who would rather write the truth than perform a prayer.
The St. Jude Novena: A 9-Day Prayer Guide for Hopeless Cases
by Clare Donnelly
The listing on Amazon is the only place to buy the book.