The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is encouraging participation in this year's St. Andrew novena, which is a prayer to be said as many as 15 times a day until Christmas Eve.

St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and Russia, and his feast day lies on Nov. 30.

“Prepare for Christmas with the St. Andrew novena! The prayer is traditionally said up to 15 times per day, but it can be prayed only once a day or as often as you remember,” the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis posted on Facebook. 

According to ascensionpress.com, this is a prayer where it is believed that whoever recites it 15 times a day until Christmas Eve will get the favor they requested.

According to Catholic.org, St. Andrew was one of Jesus’ 12 apostles and Jesus recruited him and his brother, St. Peter, as they were fishing in the Sea of Galilee. St. Andrew was believed to be very close to Jesus. After Jesus’ death, Andrew traveled around what is now Greece and Turkey preaching the Gospel. Andrew was later put to death in Patras by crucifixion. He was crucified on an x-shaped cross, which is now known as “St. Andrew’s Cross,” supposedly because he did not believe himself to be worthy of crucifixion on the same type of cross as Jesus.

The prayer is as follows: 

“Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment at which the Son of God was born of a most pure Virgin at a stable at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold. At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, to hear my prayers and grant my desires.  Amen.”