Many mornings, I'll try my luck with the online puzzles that the New York Times provides: the crossword, Wordle, the Sudoku. The one I actually enjoy the most is called Spelling Bee. They give us seven letters and challenge us to build words. They have some rules about the words. They have to be in English usage. I'd argue that "penne" is an Italian word, even though the Times counts it as English. I'd also argue that "goal" is an English word, but the Times says no to that one.

But the word that always gets rejected is the word "novena." I'd think it was simply an exclusion of religious terms, but "imam" and "menorah" are also faith-based words, always allowed in Spelling Bee. Maybe Catholics bear some blame in this. Perhaps we've forgotten what "novena" means.

I'm particularly thinking about novenas since we've been invited by the Diocesan Vocations Office to join in praying a novena for the two young men to be ordained priests this month: Deacon Andrew McCarroll and Deacon Thomas Dzwonczyk. Maybe it's time not just to pray for these guys, but to reflect on what a novena is.

For those who remember their Latin (or bits of French, Italian, or Spanish), the word "novena" comes from the number nine. It's nine days of special prayer. Now, the next question has to be: Why nine? Why not seven, so prevalent in the Catholic system? Why not 10 like the commandments? Or 3 like the persons of the Trinity?

For the answer, we turn to the Acts of the Apostles. (Yes, novena is just that old a thing!) In the opening chapters of the Acts, Christ ascends into heaven 40 days after Easter. The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost-50 days after Easter. That leaves nine days in between those days. And what were the Blessed Virgin and the holy women, the Apostles and disciples doing those nine days? They joined together in prayer. And at the end of that sustained prayer, the Spirit comes with great gifts for the infant Church.

For us novenas can be part of a preparation for a feast day (the Masses between the Ascension and Pentecost have that character), a way of focusing our prayers for a special need or intention (novenas to Mary or the saints often work in that fashion) or a continuing devotion to Christ or his Saints (remember the weekly novenas many parishes had over the years). So, I echo the Vocations Office invitation to prayer leading up to our priestly ordinations-beginning this Friday, June 20. Ask the Holy Spirit, along with the saints and angels, to equip those men for the gifts needed for ministry among God's people.