A Novena is a period of public or private prayer lasting either nine days, weeks, or hours consecutively, to mark an important occasion, obtain a particular grace, or prayer for a special intention. The prayers are often directed to the intercession of a Saint or a particular virtue of Christ. The model for all Novenas is the celebration of the nine days traditionally observed between Ascension and Pentecost when Mary and the apostles waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The Novena for the Spiritual Welfare of the Black American Community is a special time of prayer in which people all over the world call to God through the intercession of Father Augustus Tolton, Servant of God, for the Spiritual Welfare of the Black American Community. The three ideal times for this Novena are:
– Prefacing his Birth: March 23 to March 31
– Prefacing his Date of Ordination: April 15 to April 23
– Prefacing his Death: June 30 to July 8