Pray the full principal prayer, honoring Saint Peter as the Rock appointed by Christ.

O Blessed Apostle Saint Peter, to whom Our Lord Jesus Christ gave the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and the supreme power of binding and loosing upon earth, look down with merciful eyes upon us who make this novena in honor of thy most sacred Chair. Thou art the Rock upon which the Church of the living God is built, and the gates of hell shall never prevail against it. Thou art the Pastor appointed by Our Lord to feed His lambs and His sheep, the visible head of the Mystical Body of Christ upon earth, the foundation of unity, the center of Catholic communion. We rejoice that Our Lord established thee in Rome, that from this See of thine the light of Faith and the bond of charity might go forth to all nations even unto the ends of the earth.

O holy Apostle, we beseech thee by the dignity of thy Chair and by the authority which Christ the Lord conferred upon thee, protect and defend the Holy Roman Church. Strengthen the faith of the faithful, confirm the wavering, enlighten those who sit in darkness, and draw unto the one fold all who have strayed therefrom. Pour forth thy prayers before the throne of God for the Supreme Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ on earth and thy successor, that he may be preserved in holiness, guided in wisdom, and sustained in courage to govern the Church of God with faithfulness and zeal.

We ask thee, O great Apostle, to intercede for us also in our particular needs. Thou who didst receive from the very lips of Our Lord the solemn commission: 'Feed My sheep,' forget not us, poor and sinful though we be, who are numbered among that flock purchased at so great a price. Teach us to love the Church our Mother with filial devotion, to obey her teachings with prompt and humble submission, to defend her rights with generous courage, and to honor in her the very presence of Christ her divine Spouse and Head.

O blessed Saint Peter, obtain for us a lively and steadfast faith in all that the Holy Catholic Church teaches and proposes for our belief, a firm hope in God's mercy through Jesus Christ, and a burning charity toward God and toward all men. May we never be separated from thee, from thy Chair, and from the Holy Roman Church over which thou dost preside in thy successors. Grant that we may live and die as obedient children of Holy Mother Church, and that through thy powerful intercession we may one day attain to that eternal beatitude which was promised to those who confess and follow the Faith delivered once for all to the saints.

V. Thou art Peter. R. And upon this Rock I will build My Church.

Let us pray: O God, who hast given to blessed Peter the Apostle the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and hast appointed him Prince over all Thy faithful people, grant that by his intercession we may be loosed from the bonds of our sins and saved from every evil. Preserve in us holy unity with the Chair of Peter, that on the day of Thy judgment we may be found worthy to hear Thy voice saying: Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess you the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.