Patron Saints by Illness: Who to Ask for What

A patron saint is a companion for a particular need. The Church has long honoured men and women whose lives touched a certain kind of suffering, and the faithful ask them to pray. When you receive a diagnosis, it can help to know that someone in heaven understands that fear. You are not praying to the saint as if the saint were God. You are asking a friend to intercede, to carry your request to the One who heals.

Most of the pairings in this index grew out of folk devotion. They were not decreed by a pope or a council. A town would suffer a plague, or a family would watch a child struggle with seizures, and they would turn to a saint whose story seemed to speak to that pain. Over time the custom spread. The Church approves the veneration of the saints, but it does not claim that a particular saint is a guaranteed cure for a particular disease. The medical claim is not the point. The prayer is.

You will find many more saints associated with healing in Catholic saints for healing and across the list of healing saints. One of the best known is St. Peregrine Laziosi, who was healed of cancer after a night of prayer. If you want a structured way to pray, a novena for healing can give shape to the days. And if you wonder why a saint is shown with a particular object, how saints are shown in art explains the symbols.

Cancer and tumours

When the diagnosis is cancer

Peregrine Laziosi is asked for cancer. His feast day is 1 May. The night before an amputation, he was healed of cancer in his leg. People turn to him for tumours of any kind, and also for diseases of the leg and foot, since that was his own affliction.

Breast cancer

Agatha of Sicily is asked for breast cancer. Her feast day is 5 February. She was a martyr of the third century and is shown with her breasts on a plate. Women facing this diagnosis often ask her to pray, and she is a companion in that particular fear.

Cancer in young people

Carlo Acutis is asked for cancer in young people. His feast day is 12 October. He was an Italian teenager who died of leukemia in 2006. He is not canonized yet, which is why he is written Blessed. Young patients and their families ask for his prayers.

Disease of the leg or foot

Peregrine Laziosi is also asked for diseases of the leg and foot. His feast day is 1 May. The same saint who was healed of cancer in his leg is invoked for wounds, ulcers and other troubles of the lower limbs. His story makes him a natural companion.

The mind and the nerves

Mental illness and depression

Dymphna is asked for mental illness, and for depression with it. Her feast day is 30 May. She is the patron of Geel, the Belgian town with a centuries-long tradition of caring for the mentally ill in family homes. People ask her for calm and for good care.

Insanity understood as madness

Bibiana is invoked against insanity understood as madness. Her feast day is 2 December. She was a Roman martyr and has been called on against insanity since antiquity. Families who are frightened by severe mental disturbance ask her to pray for peace.

Epilepsy and seizures

Vitus is asked for epilepsy and seizures. His feast day is 15 June. He was a boy martyr of Sicily. The medieval dancing mania called chorea was named after him. People with epilepsy and those who care for them ask for his intercession.

Epilepsy in children

Willibrord is asked for epilepsy in children. His feast day is 7 November. He was an Anglo-Saxon missionary and the first bishop of Utrecht. Parents who watch a child have seizures often turn to him, asking for protection and for the right treatment.

Headache and migraine

Teresa of Avila is asked for headache and migraine. Her feast day is 15 October. She was the reformer of the Carmelites and suffered severe headaches most of her life. Her own pain makes her a close companion for those who live with constant head pain.

Sleep disorders and insomnia

Peter Damian is asked for sleep disorders, sleepwalking and insomnia. His feast day is 21 February. He was an eleventh-century reformer and cardinal. People who cannot sleep, or who wander in the night, ask him to pray for rest.

Nervous conditions and cramps

Cornelius is asked for nervous conditions, cramps and cramps of the nerves. His feast day is 16 September. He was a pope and martyr of the third century. Those whose bodies are tight with nervous strain ask for his prayers.

The eyes, the ears, the throat and the teeth

Eye disease and blindness

Lucy of Syracuse is asked for eye disease and blindness. Her feast day is 13 December. Her name comes from light and she is shown with her eyes on a dish. People facing surgery or losing their sight ask her to pray.

Blindness and partial sight

Odile of Alsace is asked for blindness and partial sight. Her feast day is 13 December. She was an abbess of seventh-century Alsace and was born blind in an early account. Those with limited vision ask for her help.

Sore or inflamed eyes

Augustine of Hippo is asked for sore or inflamed eyes. His feast day is 28 August. He was the bishop of Hippo and is invoked for sore eyes in the older books. People with eye infections or irritation ask for his prayers.

Deafness and hearing

Francis de Sales is asked for deafness and hearing. His feast day is 24 January. He taught a deaf man through signs and is the patron of people who cannot hear. Those who are losing their hearing, or who were born deaf, ask him to pray.

Earache

Polycarp of Smyrna is asked for earache. His feast day is 23 February. He was a disciple of John and bishop of Smyrna, martyred in about 155. People with ear pain, especially children, are often placed under his care.

Diseases of the throat

Blaise of Sebaste is asked for diseases of the throat. His feast day is 3 February. Throats are blessed with crossed candles on his feast day. People with throat cancer, sore throats or voice problems ask him to pray.

Throat trouble

Godeleva is asked for throat trouble. Her feast day is 6 July. She was a Flemish noblewoman of the eleventh century. Those who suffer from persistent throat complaints ask for her intercession.

Toothache and diseases of the teeth

Apollonia is asked for toothache and diseases of the teeth. Her feast day is 9 February. She was an elderly deaconess of Alexandria who was killed in a riot. People facing dental surgery or constant tooth pain ask her to pray.

Toothache

Medard is asked for toothache. His feast day is 8 June. He was a bishop of Noyon in the sixth century. Those with aching teeth, or who fear the dentist, often turn to him for help.

The heart, the lungs and the breath

Heart disease

John of God is asked for heart disease. His feast day is 8 March. He was the founder of the Brothers Hospitallers and is shown holding a heart. People with heart conditions, and those waiting for surgery, ask for his prayers.

Chest and lung problems

Bernardino of Siena is asked for chest and lung problems. His feast day is 20 May. He was a Franciscan preacher whose emblem is a tablet with the name of Jesus. Those with asthma, bronchitis or lung disease ask him to pray.

Whooping cough

Andrew the Apostle is asked for whooping cough. His feast day is 30 November. He was one of the twelve and is invoked against gout, sore throat and whooping cough. Parents of coughing infants often ask for his help.

The stomach, the gut and the liver

Colic, intestinal and abdominal ailments

Erasmus of Formia is asked for colic, intestinal and abdominal ailments. His feast day is 2 June. He is better known as St Elmo and is shown with his entrails wound on a windlass. People with gut pain ask for his intercession.

Colic in children and stomach pain

Rasso of Andechs is asked for colic in children and stomach pain. His feast day is 17 May. He was a tenth-century count who became a monk. Parents of crying babies with colic ask him to pray.

Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome

Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago is asked for Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome. His feast day is 13 July. He was a Puerto Rican layman who died of cancer at forty-four and was canonized in 2001. Those with chronic bowel conditions ask for his prayers.

Liver disease and cirrhosis

Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo is asked for liver disease and cirrhosis. His feast day is 30 April. He was a priest of Turin who opened a house for the sick, the disabled and the dying. People with liver disease ask for his help.

Gallstones and colic

Liborius of Le Mans is asked for gallstones and colic. His feast day is 23 July. He was a bishop of Le Mans in the fourth century. Those facing gallbladder surgery or sudden pain ask him to pray.

Bones, joints, feet and back

Arthritis

Alphonsus Liguori is asked for arthritis. His feast day is 1 August. He was a bishop who dictated his last books because arthritis had bent him double. People with painful joints ask for his prayers and for patience.

Rheumatism

James the Great is asked for rheumatism. His feast day is 25 July. He was the first of the apostles to be martyred and is invoked for rheumatism in Spain and Italy. Those with rheumatic pain ask for his intercession.

Broken bones and hernias

Mammes of Caesarea is asked for broken bones and hernias. His feast day is 17 August. He was a third-century martyr of Cappadocia. People recovering from fractures or facing hernia surgery ask him to pray.

Hernias

Conrad of Piacenza is asked for hernias. His feast day is 19 February. He was a nobleman who became a Franciscan after a hunting accident. Those with hernias, especially children, are often placed under his care.

Sciatica

Dometius of Persia is asked for sciatica. His feast day is 7 August. He was a fourth-century monk and martyr. People with shooting pain down the leg ask for his help and for relief.

Back problems and scoliosis

Joseph of Anchieta is asked for back problems and scoliosis. His feast day is 9 June. He was a Jesuit missionary in Brazil and was canonized in 2014. Those with spinal conditions or chronic back pain ask him to pray.

Foot trouble and lameness

Servatius of Tongeren is asked for foot trouble and lameness. His feast day is 13 May. He was a bishop of the fourth century whose tomb in Maastricht was a place of pilgrimage. People who cannot walk easily ask for his prayers.

Cramps and headaches together

Pancras of Rome is asked for cramps and headaches together. His feast day is 12 May. He was a fourteen-year-old martyr of Rome. Those who suffer both cramping and head pain ask for his intercession.

Skin, infection and epidemic disease

Skin diseases and shingles

Anthony the Great is asked for skin diseases and shingles. His feast day is 17 January. The burning infection shingles is still called St Anthony's fire. People with painful skin conditions ask for his help.

Diseases of the skin

Bartholomew the Apostle is asked for diseases of the skin. His feast day is 24 August. He is shown holding a knife and his own flayed skin. Those with chronic skin disease ask for his prayers.

Plague, cholera and epidemics

Roch is asked for plague, cholera and epidemics. His feast day is 16 August. He was a pilgrim who nursed plague victims and was healed of the plague himself. In times of outbreak, people turn to him for protection.

Plague

Sebastian is asked for plague. His feast day is 20 January. He was a Roman soldier shot with arrows and has been invoked against plague since the seventh century. People facing widespread disease ask for his intercession.

Smallpox

Nicasius of Rheims is asked for smallpox. His feast day is 14 December. He was a bishop of Rheims, martyred in 407. Those dealing with smallpox or its aftereffects ask for his prayers.

Smallpox and gout

Quirinus of Neuss is asked for smallpox and gout. His feast day is 30 April. He was a Roman tribune martyred in the second century. People with smallpox or gout ask for his help.

Leprosy

Damien of Molokai is asked for leprosy. His feast day is 10 May. He was a Belgian priest who died of leprosy among his people on Molokai. Those with leprosy, and those who care for them, ask for his prayers.

AIDS and plague

Aloysius Gonzaga is asked for AIDS and plague. His feast day is 21 June. He was a Jesuit who died nursing plague victims in Rome in 1591. People with AIDS and those who nurse them ask for his intercession.

Bacterial infections and food poisoning

Agrippina of Mineo is asked for bacterial infections and food poisoning. Her feast day is 23 June. She was a third-century martyr of Sicily. Those with serious infections or foodborne illness ask for her help.

Long illness, pain and desperate cases

Chronic illness

Lidwina of Schiedam is asked for chronic illness. Her feast day is 14 April. She was bedridden for decades after a fall on the ice in her teens. People who live with long-term illness ask for her companionship and prayers.

Chronic pain

Pacificus of San Severino is asked for chronic pain. His feast day is 24 September. He was blind and lame for the last years of his life. Those who endure constant pain ask for his intercession.

Impossible cases and wounds

Rita of Cascia is asked for impossible cases and wounds. Her feast day is 22 May. She was a widow turned nun, with an unhealed wound on her forehead. People facing hopeless situations or chronic wounds ask for her prayers.

Desperate and hopeless cases

Jude Thaddaeus is asked for desperate and hopeless cases. His feast day is 28 October. He was one of the twelve and is invoked above all when nothing else seems possible. People at the end of their resources ask for his help.

Sepsis and blood poisoning

John Henry Newman is asked for sepsis and blood poisoning. His feast day is 9 October. He was an English cardinal, canonized in 2019. Those with severe infections ask for his prayers.

Addiction and prison

Drug addiction

Maximilian Kolbe is asked for drug addiction. His feast day is 14 August. He was a Franciscan who gave his life for another prisoner at Auschwitz. Those struggling with addiction ask for his help and for freedom.

Opium and drug addiction

Mark Ji Tianxiang is asked for opium and drug addiction. His feast day is 9 July. He was a doctor and opium addict, martyred in 1900 and canonized in 2000. People in the grip of addiction ask for his intercession.

Alcoholism

Martin of Tours is asked for alcoholism. His feast day is 11 November. He was the bishop who cut his cloak in two for a beggar. Those who struggle with drink ask for his prayers and for strength.

Alcoholics and drinkers who want to stop

Matthias the Apostle is asked for alcoholics and drinkers who want to stop. His feast day is 14 May. He was the apostle chosen to replace Judas. People seeking sobriety ask for his help.

Mothers, children and childbirth

Childbirth and expectant mothers

Gerard Majella is asked for childbirth and expectant mothers. His feast day is 16 October. He was a Redemptorist brother whose letters were placed under pillows in labour. Mothers in labour ask for his protection.

Pregnant women and difficult births

Margaret of Antioch is asked for pregnant women and difficult births. Her feast day is 20 July. She was a martyr of the ancient church, called on in labour for over a thousand years. Women in difficult labour ask for her help.

Childbirth, and sickness with it

Juliana of Nicomedia is asked for childbirth, and sickness with it. Her feast day is 16 February. She was a martyr of the early church. Mothers who are ill during pregnancy or after birth ask for her prayers.

A safe delivery

Silvia of Rome is asked for a safe delivery. Her feast day is 3 November. She was the mother of Pope Gregory the Great. Expectant mothers ask for her intercession for a safe birth.

Childhood diseases

Pharaildis of Ghent is asked for childhood diseases. Her feast day is 4 January. She was an eighth-century Flemish noblewoman. Parents of sick children ask for her help.

Childhood illness

Deicolus of Lure is asked for childhood illness. His feast day is 18 January. He was an Irish monk who founded a monastery in Burgundy. Those caring for sick children ask for his prayers.

Complications in birth

Ulrich of Augsburg is asked for complications in birth. His feast day is 4 July. He was a tenth-century bishop of Augsburg. Women facing complications in labour ask for his help.

Difficult labour

John of Bridlington is asked for difficult labour. His feast day is 21 October. He was a fourteenth-century prior of Bridlington in Yorkshire. Mothers in difficult labour ask for his intercession.

Doctors, nurses and those who care for the sick

Physicians and surgeons

Luke the Evangelist is asked for physicians and surgeons. His feast day is 18 October. He was the beloved physician who travelled with Paul. Doctors and surgeons ask for his guidance and skill.

Surgeons, dentists and pharmacists

Cosmas and Damian are asked for surgeons, dentists and pharmacists. Their feast day is 26 September. They were twin brothers who treated the poor without payment. Those in these professions ask for their intercession.

Nurses, hospitals and the dying

Camillus de Lellis is asked for nurses, hospitals and the dying. His feast day is 14 July. He was the founder of the Camillians, who wore a red cross on his habit. Nurses and those who care for the dying ask for his help.

Hospitals

John of God is asked for hospitals. His feast day is 8 March. He opened his first hospital in Granada in 1539. Those who work in hospitals, and those who are patients, ask for his prayers.

Those who serve the sick

Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur is asked for those who serve the sick. His feast day is 25 April. He was a Spanish missionary in Guatemala, canonized in 2002. Caregivers ask for his strength and compassion.

The dying and the grieving

A happy death

Joseph is asked for a happy death. His feast day is 19 March. He was the husband of Mary, who died in the presence of Jesus and Mary. Those who are dying, and those who sit with them, ask for his prayers.

The dying and the souls in purgatory

Nicholas of Tolentino is asked for the dying and the souls in purgatory. His feast day is 10 September. He was an Augustinian friar of the thirteenth century. People pray to him for the dying and for the dead.

Sudden and unprepared death

Barbara of Nicomedia is asked for sudden and unprepared death. Her feast day is 4 December. She was a martyr of the early church, shown with a tower and lightning. Those who fear a sudden death ask for her protection.

Sudden death

Andrew Avellino is asked for sudden death. His feast day is 10 November. He was a Theatine priest who died of a stroke on the altar steps. People pray for his intercession when they fear dying without warning.

Prisoners, those condemned to death, and funeral directors

Dismas is asked for prisoners, those condemned to death, and funeral directors. His feast day is 25 March. He was the good thief, promised paradise by Jesus on the cross. Those facing execution, and those who bury the dead, ask for his prayers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a patron saint for every illness?

No. There is no official list that covers every disease. The pairings in this index come from centuries of local devotion. Some illnesses have several saints, others have none. If your condition is not here, you can still ask any saint to pray for you. The Church encourages us to ask for intercession, not to depend on a particular name.

Who is the patron saint of cancer?

Peregrine Laziosi is the saint most often asked for cancer. His feast day is 1 May. He was healed of cancer in his leg the night before an amputation. People also ask Agatha of Sicily for breast cancer, and Blessed Carlo Acutis for cancer in young people. Each of these saints is a companion, not a guarantee.

Which saint do you pray to for mental illness?

Dymphna is the saint most often asked for mental illness, including depression. Her feast day is 30 May. She is the patron of Geel, a Belgian town known for caring for the mentally ill in family homes. Some also ask Bibiana, a Roman martyr invoked against insanity since antiquity. You can ask either to pray for you.

Can I pray to a saint for a diagnosis that is not on this list?

Yes. You can ask any saint to intercede for any need. The list is a guide, not a rule. If you feel close to a particular saint, or if a saint's story speaks to your situation, you can pray to that saint. The Church does not limit who you may ask for prayers. God hears all who call on him.

Does the Church say a particular saint will cure a particular disease?

No. The Church approves the veneration of the saints, but it does not teach that a particular saint will cure a particular disease. The saints intercede; God heals. Any healing, whether through medicine or prayer, is a gift from God. We ask for help, we trust in his will, and we do not demand a result.