You may not have heard of Don Dolindo Ruotolo. That’s not surprising. He lived his entire life in the shadow of God’s will, calling himself “a little nothing.” Born in Naples in 1882, Don Dolindo was a humble, suffering priest who quietly changed lives through prayer, counsel, and deep trust in Jesus. Though he lived with chronic illness and poverty, his faith was unshakable — and so was his surrender.
Padre Pio, the beloved saint, once said of him: “The whole of paradise is in your soul.” Don Dolindo’s life wasn’t marked by flashy miracles, but by quiet, powerful moments of grace. A mother brought her disabled child to him seeking healing. He didn’t promise a cure. He knelt, prayed, and the mother left not with a healed child, but with a healed heart. That’s the power of surrender.
In the quiet of his suffering, Don Dolindo heard what he called “dictations” — words from Jesus for anxious, fearful souls. These words became the Surrender Prayer: a simple, nine-day invitation to let go and trust Jesus fully.
This prayer isn’t about getting what you want. It’s about finding peace in the One who holds your life in His hands. The Surrender Prayer is for anyone tired of striving, worrying, and controlling — anyone ready to finally let go.
Because Jesus is still whispering through Don Dolindo: “Surrender to Me. Let Me take care of everything.”
Day 1
Meditate on this message from Jesus:
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.
Then repeat 10 times:
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.
Day 2
Meditate on this message from Jesus:
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 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, so that only I act, saying, “You take care of it.”
Then repeat 10 times:
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.
Day 3
Meditate on this message from Jesus:
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, “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.
Then repeat 10 times:
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.
Day 4
Meditate on this message from Jesus:
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 upset, but 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.
Then repeat 10 times:
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.
Day 5
Meditate on this message from Jesus:
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 worry, and your desire at all costs to deal with what afflicts you.
Then repeat 10 times:
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.
Day 6
Meditate on this message from Jesus:
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.
Then repeat 10 times:
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.
Day 7
Meditate on this message from Jesus:
I perform miracles in proportion to your full surrender to me and to your not thinking of yourselves. I sow treasure troves of graces when you are in the 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 any more, 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.
Then repeat 10 times:
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.
Day 8
Meditate on this message from Jesus:
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.
Then repeat 10 times:
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.
Day 9
Meditate on this message from Jesus:
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.
Then repeat 10 times:
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything.
If you’ve just finished the nine days of the Surrender Prayer, pause for a moment and take a deep breath. You’ve just taken a step that many people never do: you’ve practiced letting go, opening your hands, and trusting Jesus with what feels impossible. That’s no small thing.
But remember, surrender isn’t a one-and-done event — it’s a daily posture. So here’s what to do next:
Reflect on What Changed: Take a few minutes to journal. What moments of peace did you notice? What fears loosened their grip? Write down the signs of God’s quiet work in your life.
Keep Surrendering: If you feel led, start the Novena again. Many people repeat it monthly, or even continuously, as a rhythm of trust.
Use the Prayer Throughout Your Day: Whenever worry rises up, whisper the words: “O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything.” Let it become the heartbeat of your day.
Share the Gift: Tell someone about the Surrender Prayer. Give a copy to a friend. Help us spread the word by sponsoring books for a shelter, AA group, hospice center and more. Sharing multiplies surrender.
Stay Anchored in Scripture: Pair your surrender with God’s Word. Verses like Psalm 46:10 (“Be still, and know that I am God”) and Matthew 6:34 (“Do not worry about tomorrow...”) are powerful reminders to trust.
You’re not alone in this journey. Jesus is with you, and so are countless others learning to trust Him. Let go. Surrender. And let peace take root.