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The 54 day Rosary novena, also called the Pompeii novena, is a Rosary devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii. You pray the Rosary every day for one intention: 27 days in petition, then 27 days in thanksgiving. People turn to it in heavy seasons, when a child is sick, a marriage is struggling or a loved one has walked away from God. It asks a lot, which is why many call it a school of perseverance and trust.
Each Rosary of the novena begins with a short offering, followed by your intention in your own words:
Queen of the Holy Rosary, I pray this Rosary in your honor, and I place my intention in your hands.
After each Rosary, repeat three times the invocation that Pope Leo XIII added to the Litany of Loreto for the whole Church in 1883:
Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us.
One Rosary or Three a Day? The Two Common Forms
The novena is prayed in two ways around the world. Both are private devotions and neither is prescribed by Church law, so choose the one you can sustain for 54 days.
| English-speaking countries | Poland and Central Europe | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily prayer | one Rosary of five decades | three sets of mysteries, 15 decades |
| Mysteries | rotate by day: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious | Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious every day |
| Luminous mysteries | optional, often added to the rotation | optional fourth set, 20 decades |
| Time per day | about 20 minutes | about 60 to 80 minutes |
If you are new to the Rosary or a newborn keeps you up at night, the five decade form is a faithful and complete way to make the novena. If you already pray the Rosary daily, the three part form may suit you.
How to Pray the 54 Day Rosary Novena
1. Choose one intention
The whole novena is prayed for a single intention. Write it on a card and keep it with your rosary, so you do not change it halfway through.
2. Set your start date and mark days 28 and 54
You can begin on any day. Mark day 1, day 28 and day 54 on your calendar. If you start on September 1, the thanksgiving part begins on September 28 and the novena ends on October 24.
3. Begin each Rosary with the offering
Make the Sign of the Cross, say the offering and name your intention. During the petition days you ask, and during the thanksgiving days you thank God for the same intention.
4. Pray the Rosary for the day
Pray the Apostles Creed, one Our Father, three Hail Marys and a Glory Be on the opening beads, then each decade with one Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be. Pray five decades or three full sets of mysteries, depending on the form you chose.
5. Close with the invocation and a final prayer
After each Rosary, say three times: Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us. Many people then add the Hail Holy Queen, the Supplica to Our Lady of Pompeii or one of the prayers below.
6. Days 1 to 27: pray in petition
The first half is a novena of petition. Bring your request to God through Mary each day, honestly and without trying to bargain.
7. Days 28 to 54: pray in thanksgiving
On day 28 the novena turns into thanksgiving, whether or not your prayer has been answered as you hoped. This is the heart of the devotion: you thank God in advance because you trust that He has heard you.
8. Finish well
On day 54, thank God for the whole journey. Many people end the novena with confession and Holy Communion, or have a Mass offered for their intention.
The 54 Days at a Glance
| Days | Part | What you pray |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 | first novena of petition | offering with your request |
| 10 to 18 | second novena of petition | offering with your request |
| 19 to 27 | third novena of petition | offering with your request |
| 28 to 36 | first novena of thanksgiving | offering with thanks |
| 37 to 45 | second novena of thanksgiving | offering with thanks |
| 46 to 54 | third novena of thanksgiving | offering with thanks |
The word novena comes from the Latin word for nine, so the Pompeii novena is really six nine-day novenas in a row.
How to Split the Rosary Across Your Day
You do not need to pray everything in one sitting. A realistic plan for a busy family day:
- Morning: the Joyful mysteries over coffee or while the baby naps.
- Afternoon: the Sorrowful mysteries on a stroller walk or in the car.
- Evening: the Glorious mysteries once the house is quiet, perhaps right after your bedtime prayer with the kids.
Children can join you for one decade and add their own small intention. If your novena is for one of them, end the day with a short prayer for your children. Just make sure the whole Rosary for that day is prayed before the day ends.
A Petition Prayer Inspired by the Pompeii Novena
This prayer was written for this article. It does not replace the traditional closing prayers, but you can add it at the end of each petition day.
Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, today I bring you my Rosary and my request.
You see what I carry in my heart, even what I cannot put into words. Please present it to your Son.
I do not want to force anything from God. I want to trust Him, even if His answer comes in a way I do not expect.
Help me to persevere to the last day and to keep my peace. Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us. Amen.
A Thanksgiving Prayer Inspired by the Pompeii Novena
Mary, my Mother, thank you for walking with me through all these days.
Thank you for every Rosary, even the ones I prayed tired and distracted.
I thank God for what He has already given and for what He is still preparing. I believe He has heard my prayer.
Teach me to stay grateful when this novena is over. Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us. Amen.
The Supplica to Our Lady of Pompeii
The Supplica is a long, solemn prayer written in 1883 by Bartolo Longo. It opens with the Italian words O Augusta Regina delle Vittorie, O August Queen of Victories. According to the official website of the Pompeii shrine, it is recited solemnly at noon on May 8 and on the first Sunday of October, when millions of the faithful around the world join in at the same time.
In it, Longo turns to Mary as mother and queen, confesses the weakness of sinners and begs mercy for families and the whole world. In its final part he greets the Rosary itself as a sweet chain that binds us to God. English translations differ, so use the version from your parish or a Catholic prayer book you trust.
Where the 54 Day Novena Comes From
The story is tied to Pompeii in southern Italy and to Bartolo Longo (1841-1926). As a law student in Naples he drifted far from the faith and into occult practices. After his conversion he became a Dominican tertiary on October 7, 1871. Having come to the valley near ancient Pompeii to look after the affairs of Countess Marianna De Fusco, whom he later married, he began teaching the Rosary to the poor families living there. In 1875 he received an old painting of Our Lady of the Rosary with Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine of Siena, in bad condition and bought for very little from a junk dealer in Naples. On May 8, 1876 the cornerstone of a new church was laid (Wikipedia). Today it is the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii, and Pope Paul VI personally crowned the painting in 1965.
The 54 day form comes from an account that Longo made known. In Naples, a young woman named Fortuna Agrelli had suffered for thirteen months from an illness that doctors could not cure. A Rosary novena for her healing began on February 16, 1884. On March 3, according to the account, Our Lady appeared to her with the Child Jesus, Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine of Siena, and told her to make three novenas, promising that she would obtain her request. Fortuna recovered. The account adds that Mary later asked for three novenas of petition followed by three of thanksgiving. This is a private revelation, helpful for many but not a guarantee.
Pope John Paul II beatified Bartolo Longo on October 26, 1980, and later called him a true apostle of the Rosary in his letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae. Pope Leo XIV canonized him on October 19, 2025, together with six other saints. His feast is October 5.
The Luminous Mysteries and Other Adaptations
When the novena began, the Rosary had fifteen mysteries. In that same letter of October 16, 2002, John Paul II proposed five mysteries of light: the Baptism in the Jordan, the Wedding at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, the Transfiguration and the Institution of the Eucharist. Some people now add them as a fourth set each day, some include them in the daily rotation and some keep the original three. All are legitimate choices.
Families also pray the novena together, with each person leading one decade, and many mothers pray it for a safe pregnancy and birth alongside a prayer for pregnancy. If 54 days feels like too much right now, a shorter devotion such as the St Charbel novena may be a gentler place to start.
A Novena, Not a Formula
Many stories of answered prayers surround this novena, but no prayer is a vending machine. God gives what serves our good, not always exactly what we ask, and prayer changes the one who prays. The promises attached to this novena come from private devotion and are not an official guarantee of the Church.
If you pray for healing, keep following the advice of your doctor or midwife, because prayer does not replace medical care. And if the novena does not go according to plan, do not blame yourself. God looks at the heart, not at the number of beads.
FAQ
How long is the 54 day Rosary novena?
The novena lasts 54 days without interruption. The first 27 days are prayed in petition and the next 27 in thanksgiving, which makes six nine-day novenas in a row.
How many Rosaries do I pray each day?
In English-speaking countries most people pray one Rosary of five decades a day, rotating the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries. In Poland and Central Europe many pray all three sets every day, and some add the Luminous mysteries. Both forms are accepted private devotions.
What if I miss a day of the Pompeii novena?
Missing a day is not a sin. Because the novena is meant to be prayed without a break, many people calmly start again from day 1, while others make up the missed Rosary and continue. This is pastoral advice rather than a Church rule, so if you are unsure, ask a priest.
Why do I give thanks before my prayer is answered?
The thanksgiving part expresses trust that God has already heard you and will answer in the way that is truly good for you. It is a prayer of faith, not a bargain, and it often brings peace before any outward change.
Can I pray the 54 day novena for someone else?
Yes. Your intention can be the health, conversion, marriage or any other need of a person you love. Pray with respect for their freedom and entrust them to God rather than trying to force a particular outcome.
Who was Saint Bartolo Longo?
An Italian lawyer and Dominican tertiary who returned to the faith and built the Pompeii shrine. He was beatified in 1980 and canonized on October 19, 2025.