Come Holy Spirit Novena Retreat for Pentecost

Like the first followers of Christ who retreated to the upper room, in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit, St. Augustine’s Seminary invites you to join our online Holy Spirit Novena Retreat. It is intended for all lay people, religious and clergy seeking to deepen their spiritual life, and their relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit.

Just before ascending into heaven Jesus told his followers to pray together, so they gathered in the upper room along with the Blessed Virgin Mary (Acts 1:14), where they prayed for nine consecutive days leading to Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit would descend upon them as “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:1-4). This pattern of nine days of prayer is the basis of the novenas we pray today.

Our online retreat is made up of a series of 30-minute video presentations available on ​our YouTube Channel:

Each video is a short retreat conference and will feature a priest from the seminary community including: Rev. Edwin Gonsalves, Rev. Tomasz Skibinski, Rev. Frederick Chung, Rev. Scott Birchall, Rev. Charles Anang, Rev. John Elmer Abad, Rev. Kevin Belgrave, Rev. Peter Marr, Rev. Séamus Hogan, and Rev. Favin Alemao.

All videos are available on demand, and we encourage you to pray daily at a specific time starting Friday May 14 and ending on Pentecost Sunday May 23, 2021. To conclude the retreat, you are invited to join the livestream mass from St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica presided by Cardinal Thomas Collins in Toronto (or your home parish).

We encourage everyone to conclude each day in prayer to the Holy Spirit for the seven gifts:

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-309