Coming back
Returning to Catholic prayer after an absence
Begin smaller than feels respectable. You do not need polished words, a special object, or a settled sense of belonging to start praying again. Clare Donnelly writes for readers coming back after time away, and for readers who do not feel fully at home in church.
There is no audition
The most common reason people delay praying again is that they want to arrive in better condition: more certain, more consistent, less angry, more deserving of the words. The guide refuses that premise. It invites you to bring what you are carrying without pretending to feel calm or certain.
That is a practical permission, not a sentiment. It means the first day can consist of one sentence you actually mean, followed by the traditional prayer to St. Jude, and nothing else.
A realistic starting point
Ten minutes, not an hour
The guide’s preparation notes treat ten or fifteen minutes as enough space to pray. Choose a slot you can keep on a bad week.
One intention, in plain words
Not a summary of your whole life. The thing that is actually keeping you up at night.
No equipment
No candle, no statue, no particular chair. The guide says so directly: no special devotional object is required to begin.
A notebook if writing helps
Written prompts are part of the nine days. Kindle readers can keep responses in a separate notebook or notes app.
When church itself feels difficult
Some readers have been hurt, bored, disillusioned, or simply drifted. Others never had much of a practice to return to. The guide does not require you to resolve those feelings before you pray, and it does not assume you are comfortable in a pew.
If you want to take one step beyond the book, the ordinary Catholic options are a conversation with a priest and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This site does not set requirements for either, and a local parish is the right place for specifics.
Words you may have forgotten
The book includes a glossary, so you are not expected to already know the vocabulary. These are the terms that come up most often.
- Novena
- A prayer repeated across nine days, usually for a particular intention. The word comes from the Latin for nine.
- Intention
- The specific need you are praying for. In this guide you are asked to name it plainly rather than describe it vaguely.
- Intercession
- Asking a saint to pray for you, rather than praying to the saint as though to God. Devotion to Jude is an intercessory practice.
- Invocation
- A short prayer addressed to God, or asking a saint’s prayers. The guide includes brief invocations and closing ones for each day.
Questions readers ask
Can I pray this if I have not been to Mass in years?
The book is written to welcome readers returning after an absence, and it does not begin with an examination of your record. It is a devotional guide, not a rulebook, and it does not replace the sacraments or parish life.
Do I need to know the traditional prayers by heart?
No. A consolidated prayer section gathers familiar Catholic prayers, brief invocations and the daily sequence, so you can read rather than recall.
I feel like a hypocrite praying now.
The guide assumes exactly this kind of hesitation. It invites you to bring fear, anger, grief, exhaustion and silence before God rather than presenting a version of yourself you do not recognise.
Is a novena a good first step back?
It can be, because the shape is modest: one short prayer a day for nine days, with a clear intention. If nine days feels like too much, pray day one and see. The guide does not treat an interrupted start as a failure.
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.
- Journal prompts and intentionsHow to name an intention plainly, write through a novena, and use a Kindle with a notebook.
The book
A place to begin again
Nine days of scripture, reflection and prayer for readers coming back after an absence, or for anyone who wants to pray without pretending to be further along.
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.