Draft:St. Andrew Christmas Novena

The Saint Andrew Christmas Novena or simply the Christmas Novena or the Christmas Anticipation Prayer is a novena that is prayed fifteen times a day from the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (November 30) to Christmas Eve (December 24).

The Christmas Novena is a dedication that many Catholics take up during the Advent season in preparation for Christmas. Other Advent traditions include the Advent wreath, Tree of Jesse, Advent calendar, and the O Antiphons.

A novena, (from Latin: novem, "nine") is prayed nine times every day for nine consecutive days, or nine consecutive times each hour, (It varies depending on the novena), but the Christmas Novena is said fifteen times a day until Christmas Eve. There are different ways to pray the prayer, you may say the prayer fifteen times in a row, or you can divide the prayer up as necessary, (Maybe say it five times before each meal, or even five times in the morning, five in the afternoon, and five in the evening.)

The Saint Andrew Novena, although named after Saint Andrew Apostle, is not however asking for the intercession of Saint Andrew. The prayer is asking Jesus to intercede for us. But it's named after Saint Andrew because the novena starts on his feast day.

Text
The text below is the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena, say it fifteen times a day from November 30 u ntil Christmas Eve. (24 days)

"Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear prayer and grant my desires, (mention your intentions here) through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and His Blessed Mother. Amen."

History
This novena dates back to at least one hundred years old, but the exact date is unknown. The origins of the prayer is also unknown, but some believe it began in Ireland. Catholics believes that those who pray the novena fifteen times a day from St. Andrew's feast day to Christmas Eve, will obtain their request.