Surrender Novena
The Surrender Novena is a nine-day Catholic devotion composed by the Italian priest Servant of God Don Dolindo Ruotolo (1882–1970). Each day carries a short meditation dictated to Don Dolindo, followed by ten repetitions of a single refrain: "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything." The point of the novena is what the words say — laying a worry down at Jesus's feet and choosing, again and again for nine days, not to pick it back up.
It is often prayed for a specific intention (a health crisis, a difficult relationship, a decision that will not resolve), but it is really a school in how to hand something over and leave it there. On this page you'll find the daily meditations, the closing prayer, and how to pray the novena.
The Refrain (prayed 10 times at the close of each day's meditation)
O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything. (Repeat ten times.)
Day 1 — Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying?
Meditation: Jesus asks why we worry and disturb ourselves when the answer is simply to let Him act. Bring today's worry to Him with open hands. Close by praying the refrain ten times: "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything."
Day 2 — Surrender means to close the eyes of the soul
Meditation: To surrender is not to look at the problem and analyze it into peace. It is to close the eyes of the soul, turn from what troubles you, and rest in Jesus. Ten times: "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything."
Day 3 — How many things I would do if you abandoned yourselves to Me
Meditation: Jesus longs to work, but our anxious grip ties His hands. Today, name the specific thing you are holding, and hand it over. Ten times: "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything."
Day 4 — You suffer more from your worry than from the thing itself
Meditation: Half the pain of a hard thing comes from turning it over in the mind. Set the pain of worry down before you try to set the trouble down. Ten times: "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything."
Day 5 — You are sleepless; you want to judge everything
Meditation: We want to know how the story ends before we take the next step. Jesus asks us to walk it without the outline. Ten times: "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything."
Day 6 — When you say, 'It is up to Me,' I will not fail
Meditation: The words "it is up to You" are not passive; they are the most active thing an anxious heart can say. Say them today, and mean them. Ten times: "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything."
Day 7 — I will act, but I want to be the only one you turn to
Meditation: Surrender is not to Jesus and to my plan. It is to Jesus. Today, notice the small ways you have kept a back-up in mind, and hand those over too. Ten times: "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything."
Day 8 — Close your eyes and let Me work
Meditation: The instruction is not to solve, not to strategize, but to let Him work. Close your eyes for a moment before you pray, as a small act of what your soul is doing. Ten times: "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything."
Day 9 — Miracles happen where there is surrender
Meditation: The novena ends where it began — not with a promise that Jesus will do what we asked, but with a promise that where a heart truly surrenders, He acts. Ten times: "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything."
A Closing Prayer for the Ninth Day
Lord Jesus, for nine days I have laid this at Your feet. I do not know what the answer will be, but I trust the One I gave it to. Keep me from picking it up again. Where You do what I hoped, teach me to thank You. Where You do something different, teach me to trust. Take care of everything. Amen.
Scripture to pray
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.— Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.— 1 Peter 5:6–7 (ESV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.— Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)
Frequently asked questions
What is the Surrender Novena?
The Surrender Novena is a nine-day Catholic devotion composed by Don Dolindo Ruotolo (1882–1970). Each day has a short meditation followed by the refrain "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything," prayed ten times. It teaches the person praying to hand a specific worry over to Jesus and, day after day, refuse to pick it back up.
How do you pray the Surrender Novena?
Choose one specific intention — a worry, a decision, a person, a hard situation. For nine days in a row, read the day's meditation, and then pray the refrain ten times: "O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything." The prayer itself is very short; the discipline of the nine days is what forms the surrender.
Who wrote the Surrender Novena?
It was composed by Servant of God Don Dolindo Ruotolo, a Neapolitan priest (1882–1970), who wrote that the words came to him in prayer. The novena became widely known in Italy and, in the last twenty years, in English-speaking Catholic communities as well.
How long does the Surrender Novena take each day?
About three to five minutes. Reading the day's meditation takes a minute; praying the refrain ten times, slowly, takes a few more. The point is not speed — it's the daily return, for nine days, to the same act of handing something over.
What are miracles attributed to the Surrender Novena?
Many people who pray the novena report answers to specific intentions — health, family, work, difficult decisions — but the novena's promise is not that Jesus will do exactly what we ask. Don Dolindo taught that surrender itself is the miracle: a heart that stops striving and rests in Jesus is already changed, whatever the outward answer turns out to be.