St. Hubert is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers. He was skilled in all these subject matters. Devotees from these professions can seek his intercession by praying to St. Hubert novena.
The iconography of his legend is intertwined with the legend of the martyr Saint Eustace. He was the first Christian saint to become a Bishop in 708 AD.
About St. Hubert
St. Hubert, or also known as Hubertus was most likely born Toulouse, the Kingdom of Franks. in about the year 656. He was born as the eldest son of Bertrand, the Duke of Aquitaine.
At the age of 10, he nearly was going to pass away due to a high fever but survived. St. Hubert was widely respected and revered in the Middle Ages.
Around 682, Hubert married Floribanne who was the daughter of Dagobert, the Count of Leuven. Unfortunately, Floribanne passed away while giving birth to their son Floribert, who went on to become the next Bishop of Liege.
The death of his beloved caused him immense grief which in turn prompted him to retreat from the court. He moved to the forests of the Ardennes and sacrificed all his time for hunting.
It is said that on a Good Friday morning, while the devotees were praying in the Church, Hubert was out hunting in the forest.
While following a magnificent stag, Hubert heard a voice saying “Hubert unless thou turnest to the Lord and leadest a holy life, thou shalt quickly go down into Hell.” After that, Hubert loudly asked, “Lord, what wouldst Thou have me do?” and then is told, “Go and seek Lambert, and he will instruct you.”
Hubert is respected among the sport hunting community as the originator of ethical hunting behavior. For example, killing was supposed to be humane, clean, and quick.
Only old stags past their prime of reproduction are to be hunted to manage the lineage and prevent the extinction of the animals.
Furthermore, one should never kill a female with a young one in tow. Hubert distributed all his revenues among the poor and was diligent in fasting and prayers.
Facts
Novena Starts: October 26th
Feast Day: November 3rd
St. Hubert feast day 2024 is on November 3rd
Significance of St. Hubert Novena
St. Hubert passed away in 727 or 728 on the 30th of May. He died peacefully in a place 30 miles away from Liege called Fura. Initially, he was buried in the collegiate St. Peter’s Church in Liege but then his bones were transferred to the Benedictine Abbey of Amdain in the Ardennes in 825. St. Hubert’s feast day is celebrated on the 3rd of November of every year.
Read more: St. Juan Diego Novena
St. Hubert Novena
Day 1
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena Prayer to be an honorable hunter
Let us Pray…
I will always honor, thank and adore the Lord God who created the animals and saw that each species was good. I love the God who made human beings in His own image and likeness and set them over the whole world, to have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. By my honorable conduct as a hunter, I will give a good example and I will each new hunters the same principles of honor, so that each new generation can show respect for God, other hunters and the animals, and enjoy the dignity of the hunt.
Closing Prayer
By the intercession of St. Hubert,
patron saint of hunters,
may you always honor God the Creator,
who set man in dominion over all the animals.
May the Lord God make you an honorable hunter
who respects fellow hunters, the animals, and all creation;
May He keep you safe
and all who share the field or the forest;
May He make all hunters proud of their kill,
generous with their meat,
and thankful in all circumstances.
May God bless you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 2
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena Prayer for honest hunt
Let us Pray…
Lord, may I make an honest count of game, respecting the legal limits of game in order to preserve the balance of life and death among the animals. May I so love the truth that I always give an honest recounting of the hunting stories while keeping them interesting to my friends. May I also listen to my friends’ stories with enjoyment and without envy.
Closing Prayer
By the intercession of St. Hubert,
patron saint of hunters,
may you always honor God the Creator,
who set man in dominion over all the animals.
May the Lord God make you an honorable hunter
who respects fellow hunters, the animals, and all creation;
May He keep you safe
and all who share the field or the forest;
May He make all hunters proud of their kill,
generous with their meat,
and thankful in all circumstances.
May God bless you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Read more: St. Bernard of Clairvaux Novena
Day 3
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena Prayer against selfishness
Let us Pray…
Lord, I pray for patience, prudence, and selflessness. I do not need to take every animal in the forest, nor must I take the best or nothing. I will seek the best, but accept what I get.
Closing Prayer
By the intercession of St. Hubert,
patron saint of hunters,
may you always honor God the Creator,
who set man in dominion over all the animals.
May the Lord God make you an honorable hunter
who respects fellow hunters, the animals, and all creation;
May He keep you safe
and all who share the field or the forest;
May He make all hunters proud of their kill,
generous with their meat,
and thankful in all circumstances.
May God bless you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 4
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena Prayer for conservation of natural resources
Let us Pray…
God has put all things under man’s dominion. Let me take only the animals that need to be culled for the preservation of their species and the rest of the eco-system. Give me a respect for the animals which are shot. They are not to be mocked or made objects of ridicule. Although we take their lives, they are made by your hands. Let us remember that all life belongs to you.
Closing Prayer
By the intercession of St. Hubert,
patron saint of hunters,
may you always honor God the Creator,
who set man in dominion over all the animals.
May the Lord God make you an honorable hunter
who respects fellow hunters, the animals, and all creation;
May He keep you safe
and all who share the field or the forest;
May He make all hunters proud of their kill,
generous with their meat,
and thankful in all circumstances.
May God bless you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 5
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena Prayer for safety during the hunt, especially for gun and bow safety
Let us Pray…
Lord, I pray for the good sense to care for my weapon and to carry it and fire it responsibly. I pray for the animals, that the shots are clean and do not cause unnecessary suffering to them.
Closing Prayer
By the intercession of St. Hubert,
patron saint of hunters,
may you always honor God the Creator,
who set man in dominion over all the animals.
May the Lord God make you an honorable hunter
who respects fellow hunters, the animals, and all creation;
May He keep you safe
and all who share the field or the forest;
May He make all hunters proud of their kill,
generous with their meat,
and thankful in all circumstances.
May God bless you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Read more: St. Juliana Falconieri Novena
Day 6
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena Prayer for a successful hunt
Let us Pray…
Lord, I pray that I may take down the game in as painless a way as possible. May I recognize my limits and take the shots I know I can make, not taking a shot that risks maiming or wounding an animal unnecessarily. I pray that what I take may be of genuine use, and in some way, be used to build your kingdom.
Closing Prayer
By the intercession of St. Hubert,
patron saint of hunters,
may you always honor God the Creator,
who set man in dominion over all the animals.
May the Lord God make you an honorable hunter
who respects fellow hunters, the animals, and all creation;
May He keep you safe
and all who share the field or the forest;
May He make all hunters proud of their kill,
generous with their meat,
and thankful in all circumstances.
May God bless you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 7
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena Prayer of thanksgiving for the hunt
Let us Pray…
Lord, I thank You for the opportunity to go out on the hunt. I thank You for the time alone to think and reflect on life. I thank You for the time with hunting friends, enjoying good fellowship, good stories, meals and drinks. Thank You for the beauty seen during the hunt and for the game taken and shared. I thank You especially for a safe hunt for myself and for all the hunters who share the field.
Closing Prayer
By the intercession of St. Hubert,
patron saint of hunters,
may you always honor God the Creator,
who set man in dominion over all the animals.
May the Lord God make you an honorable hunter
who respects fellow hunters, the animals, and all creation;
May He keep you safe
and all who share the field or the forest;
May He make all hunters proud of their kill,
generous with their meat,
and thankful in all circumstances.
May God bless you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 8
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena Prayer to share the fruit of the hunt
Let us Pray…
Lord, I am so blessed to be able to hunt and I appreciate the blessings You have bestowed upon me. Yet I know that so many others are in great need. Give me the grace to share the food of the hunt not only with my family and friends but also ith those who have greater need: the hungry and the poor. May my sharing with them be one small part of my continuing care for your poor. As they ask You, Father, for their daily bread, use me as one small instrument to help provide it to them.
Closing Prayer
By the intercession of St. Hubert,
patron saint of hunters,
may you always honor God the Creator,
who set man in dominion over all the animals.
May the Lord God make you an honorable hunter
who respects fellow hunters, the animals, and all creation;
May He keep you safe
and all who share the field or the forest;
May He make all hunters proud of their kill,
generous with their meat,
and thankful in all circumstances.
May God bless you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 9
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Novena Prayer to hunt for souls, like St. Hubert
Let us Pray…
Lord, you spoke to St. Hubert and converted him to You during a stag hunt. You changed him into a hunter of souls, yet you continued to use his skills as a hunter to open minds to your Gospel. I ask that you make me into a hunter of souls above all other hunting activities. May I look for the opportunities to speak of You and Your salvation. Let the hunting camp itself be a place that uplifts the soul. May my time alone be an opportunity to pray and listen to You. May all the actions of the rest of my life be a constant hunt for You, for the opportunities you give me to evangelize, and to target the souls most in need of Your love.
Closing Prayer
By the intercession of St. Hubert,
patron saint of hunters,
may you always honor God the Creator,
who set man in dominion over all the animals.
May the Lord God make you an honorable hunter
who respects fellow hunters, the animals, and all creation;
May He keep you safe
and all who share the field or the forest;
May He make all hunters proud of their kill,
generous with their meat,
and thankful in all circumstances.
May God bless you: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Read more: Padre Nuestro: Our Father (Lord’s Prayer) in Spanish
