What is the Surrender Novena?

The Surrender Novena is a deeply moving and transformative Catholic devotion that invites the faithful to surrender all their worries, anxieties, and intentions to Jesus Christ with childlike trust. At its core, it echoes Jesus’ words in the Gospel:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Given by Servant of God Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo, a lesser-known but profoundly holy Italian priest and mystic, the novena encapsulates the message that "Jesus will take care of everything"—if only we surrender completely to His divine will.

The Origin: Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo, A Prophet of Our Time

Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo (1882–1970) was a contemporary of Padre Pio, who once referred to him as a "saint." Born in Naples, Italy, Fr. Dolindo lived a life of profound humility, suffering, and unwavering faith in God’s providence. His writings emphasize total abandonment to Divine Providence, aligning perfectly with the teachings of the Church on trust in God.

The Surrender Novena was dictated to him by Jesus Himself in a mystical experience. Jesus' voice speaks directly in the first person in this novena, asking us repeatedly to let go and trust Him entirely.

Structure of the Surrender Novena

The Surrender Novena spans nine days, and each day includes:

Each day's message intensifies the call to abandon every form of control and fear, replacing them with faith in Jesus’ omnipotence and mercy.

The Spiritual Power of Surrender

In today’s world, overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, and uncertainty, the Surrender Novena stands out as a spiritual lifeline. It leads the soul away from self-reliance and into divine rest.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that trust in God is the essence of faith:

“To be a child of God is to trust God in every circumstance.” (CCC 222–227)

The novena fosters a disposition of humility, similar to what Jesus praised in the little children (Matthew 18:3). By repeating “Jesus, take care of everything,” the soul gradually unclenches from control and embraces the peace Christ promises.

Why the Surrender Novena is More Relevant Than Ever

With rising secularism, mental health crises, and constant media noise, people are searching for peace. The Surrender Novena answers this cry—not by offering a quick fix—but by inviting a relationship built on daily trust in God.

The novena serves as a daily training in faith, teaching believers to internalize what the saints lived: abandonment to God’s will is the path to joy.

“Jesus does not demand great actions from us but simply surrender and gratitude.” —St. Thérèse of Lisieux

How to Pray the Surrender Novena

You can begin the novena at any time. Here’s a simple outline:

Many choose to pray it at the start or end of the day. Some even make it a regular monthly practice.

Testimonials: Changed Lives Through Surrender

Countless Catholics have shared how the Surrender Novena brought them peace amid trials like illness, job loss, family tension, or spiritual dryness. The novena becomes more than a prayer—it becomes a way of life.

Surrender and Catholic Teaching

The Church’s spiritual tradition is rich in teachings on surrender to Divine Providence:

The Surrender Novena beautifully brings together these teachings into a simple but profound daily practice.

Conclusion: Let Jesus Take Care of Everything

The Surrender Novena is more than a prayer—it’s a call to spiritual maturity. It reminds us that God is sovereign, Jesus is trustworthy, and we are never alone. In a culture addicted to control and performance, this novena is a balm that teaches the art of letting go in faith.

So today, wherever you are, start with one prayer: “O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything.”

Bibliography & Official Catholic Sources

The Surrender Novena

Given by Jesus to Servant of God Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo Theme: “O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!”

✝️ How to Pray the Surrender Novena (Each Day):

📿 Day 1

Meditation: Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult situations.

10x: O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!

📿 Day 2

Meditation: Surrender to me does not mean to fret, to be upset, or to lose hope, nor does it mean offering to me a worried prayer asking me to follow you and change your worry into prayer. It is against this surrender, deeply against it, to worry, to be nervous, and to desire to think about the consequences of anything. It is like the confusion that children feel when they ask their mother to see to their needs, and then try to take care of those needs for themselves so that their childlike efforts get in their mother’s way. Surrender means to placidly close the eyes of the soul, to turn away from thoughts of tribulation, and to put yourself in my care.

10x: O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!

📿 Day 3

Meditation: How many things I do when the soul, in so much spiritual and material need, turns to me, looks at me, and says to me, “Jesus, You take care of it,” then closes its eyes and rests. In pain you pray for me to act, but that I act in the way you want. You do not turn to me; instead, you want me to adapt to your ideas. You are not sick people who ask the doctor to cure you, but rather sick people who tell the doctor how to. So do not act this way, but pray as I taught you in the Our Father: Hallowed be Thy Name, that is, be glorified in my need. Thy Kingdom come, that is, let all that is in us and in the world be in accord with Your Kingdom. Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, that is, in our need, decide as You see fit for our temporal and eternal life. If you say to me truly: “Thy will be done,” which is the same as saying: “You take care of it,” I will intervene with all my omnipotence, and I will resolve the most difficult situations.

10x: O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!

📿 Day 4

Meditation: You see evil growing instead of weakening? Do not worry. Close your eyes and say to me with faith: “Thy will be done, You take care of it.” I say to you that I will take care of it, and that I will intervene as does a doctor, and I will accomplish miracles when they are needed. Do you see that the sick person is getting worse? Do not be afraid. Close your eyes and say: “You take care of it.” I say to you that I will take care of it, and that there is no medicine more powerful than my loving intervention. By my love, I promise this to you.

10x: O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!

📿 Day 5

Meditation: And when I must lead you on a path different from the one you see, I will prepare you; I will carry you in my arms. I will let you find yourself, like children who have fallen asleep in their mother’s arms, on the other bank of the river. What troubles you and hurts you immensely are your reason, your thoughts, and your worry, and your desire at all costs to deal with what afflicts you.

10x: O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!

📿 Day 6

Meditation: You are sleepless; you want to judge everything, direct everything, and see to everything, and you surrender to human strength—or worse, to men themselves, trusting in their intervention—this is what hinders my words and my views. Oh, how much I wish from you this surrender, to help you and how I suffer when I see you so agitated! Satan tries to do exactly this: to agitate you and to remove you from my protection and to throw you into the jaws of human initiative. So, trust only in me, rest in me, surrender to me in everything.

10x: O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!

📿 Day 7

Meditation: I perform miracles in proportion to your full surrender to me and to your not thinking of yourselves. I sow treasures of graces when you are in deepest poverty. No person of reason, no thinker, has ever performed miracles—not even among the saints. He does divine works whosoever surrenders to God. So don’t think about it anymore, because your mind is acute and for you it is very hard to see evil and to trust in me and to not think of yourself. Do this for all your needs: do this, all of you, and you will see great continual silent miracles. I will take care of things, I promise this to you.

10x: O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!

📿 Day 8

Meditation: Close your eyes and let yourself be carried away on the flowing current of my grace. Close your eyes and do not think of the present, turning your thoughts away from the future just as you would from temptation. Repose in me, believing in my goodness, and I promise you by my love that if you say, “You take care of it,” I will take care of it all; I will console you, liberate you, and guide you.

10x: O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!

📿 Day 9

Meditation: Pray always in readiness to surrender, and you will receive from it great peace and great rewards, even when I confer on you the grace of immolation, of repentance, and of love. Then what does suffering matter? It seems impossible to you? Close your eyes and say with all your soul, “Jesus, You take care of it.” Do not be afraid; I will take care of things, and you will bless my name by humbling yourself. A thousand prayers cannot equal one single act of surrender—remember this well. There is no novena more effective than this.

10x: O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!