Patron Saints for Every Need: Who to Pray To and Why
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Have a specific worry?
There is probably a saint who knows it well.
For centuries, Catholics have asked particular saints to pray for particular needs. A mother asks St. Monica. A student asks St. Thomas Aquinas. Someone who has lost their keys, again, asks St. Anthony.
These are called patron saints.
What Is a Patron Saint?
A patron saint is a saint the Church, or a long Catholic tradition, connects with a certain need, place, or way of life.
Often it comes from the saint's own story. St. Anthony was famous for finding things. St. Gerard Majella cared for mothers. St. Joseph worked with his hands.
We do not pray to saints instead of God.
We ask them to pray with us and for us, the same way you would ask a friend to pray for you. The Catechism teaches that the saints in heaven never stop interceding for us (CCC 956).
A patron saint is a friend in heaven who has walked the road you are on.
Want to understand this better? Read Why Catholics Pray to the Saints.
Health and Healing
| Need | Patron Saint | Pray |
|---|---|---|
| Healing and the sick | St. Raphael the Archangel | Prayer for the Sick |
| Hospitals, nurses, and the sick | St. Camillus de Lellis | Prayer for the Sick |
| Doctors and physicians | St. Luke | |
| Doctors and physicians | Sts. Cosmas and Damian | |
| Throat illness | St. Blaise | |
| Eye trouble | St. Lucy | Prayer to St. Lucy |
| Breast cancer and diseases of the breast | St. Agatha | |
| Cancer | St. Peregrine Laziosi | Prayer to St. Peregrine |
| Anxiety, depression, and mental illness | St. Dymphna | Prayer to St. Dymphna |
| A happy death | St. Joseph | Prayer to St. Joseph for a Happy Death |
Family and Marriage
| Need | Patron Saint | Pray |
|---|---|---|
| Fathers and families | St. Joseph | Prayer to St. Joseph for Families |
| Mothers and wives | St. Monica | St. Monica Prayer |
| Expectant mothers and childbirth | St. Gerard Majella | Prayer to St. Gerard Majella |
| Grandparents | Sts. Joachim and Anne | Novena in Honor of St. Anne |
| Finding a good spouse | St. Raphael the Archangel | |
| Children and young people | St. John Bosco | Prayer to St. John Bosco |
| Purity | St. Maria Goretti | Prayer to St. Joseph for Purity |
| Young people | St. Aloysius Gonzaga | |
| Difficult marriages | St. Rita of Cascia |
Prayer to St. Rita When Your Marriage Is Going Through a Difficult Season |
Work and Money
| Need | Patron Saint | Pray |
|---|---|---|
| Desperate cases and financial need | St. Jude |
Prayer to St. Jude for Urgent Financial Help Novena to St. Jude |
| Workers and finding work | St. Joseph the Worker | Prayer Before Study or Work |
| Farmers | St. Isidore the Farmer | |
| Teachers | St. John Baptist de La Salle | Prayer for Teachers |
| Lawyers, statesmen, and politicians | St. Thomas More | Prayer of St. Thomas More |
| Parish priests | St. John Vianney | Prayers for Priests |
| Musicians and singers | St. Cecilia | |
| Writers and journalists | St. Francis de Sales | Be at Peace |
| Soldiers and police | St. Michael the Archangel | St. Michael Prayer |
| Charitable work and serving the poor | St. Vincent de Paul |
School and Study
| Need | Patron Saint | Pray |
|---|---|---|
| Students and Catholic schools | St. Thomas Aquinas |
Prayer Before Study Prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas |
| Studying the Bible | St. Jerome | Prayer for Knowledge of Scripture |
| Taking tests | St. Joseph of Cupertino | Prayer for Students |
Travel, Safety, and Lost Things
| Need | Patron Saint | Pray |
|---|---|---|
| Lost things | St. Anthony of Padua |
Prayer to St. Anthony for Lost Things Novena to St. Anthony |
| Protection from evil | St. Michael the Archangel | St. Michael Prayer |
| Everyday protection | Your Guardian Angel | Guardian Angel Prayer |
| Travelers | St. Raphael the Archangel | |
| Travelers | St. Christopher | Prayer to St. Christopher for Travelers |
| Immigrants | St. Frances Xavier Cabrini |
Hard Times
| Need | Patron Saint | Pray |
|---|---|---|
| Hopeless cases | St. Jude | Novena to St. Jude |
| Impossible causes | St. Rita of Cascia | Prayer to St. Rita |
| The conversion of a loved one | St. Monica | How to Pray for a Child Who Has Left the Church |
| Racial harmony and social justice | St. Martin de Porres |
Faith, Church, and Mission
| Need | Patron Saint | Pray |
|---|---|---|
| The whole Church | St. Joseph | Prayer to St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church |
| Missions and missionaries | St. Thérèse of Lisieux | Prayer for the Missions |
| Missions and missionaries | St. Francis Xavier | |
| Animals and creation | St. Francis of Assisi | Prayer of St. Francis |
| The Americas | Our Lady of Guadalupe | Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe |
| The United States | Mary, the Immaculate Conception | Novena for the Immaculate Conception |
How to Ask a Saint for Help
There is no special formula. Talk to the saint the way you would ask a friend.
Start with the Sign of the Cross.
Tell the saint what you need, simply and honestly.
Ask them to bring it to Jesus with you.
End with an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be.
Many Catholics pray a novena: the same prayer for nine days in a row. See the Novena to St. Jude for an example.
Don't See Your Need Here?
Pray to the saint whose name you were given at Baptism or Confirmation. Here is a prayer to your own patron saint.
Or browse every saint by feast day in Saints & Feast Days, and every prayer in the Prayer Library.
If this helped you, consider supporting Christian Catholic Media so we can keep creating content.
Catholic Sources
Catechism of the Catholic Church: CCC 956 (the intercession of the saints); CCC 2683 (the saints share in the Church's prayer); CCC 2156 (the baptismal name and patron saints).
Scripture (Douay-Rheims): James 5:16; Revelation 5:8; Tobias 12 (St. Raphael).
