Catholic Prayer for Fertility: Prayers to Conceive a Child and for Couples Facing Infertility

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The longing for a child is one of the deepest desires of a married couple, and the Bible is full of women who prayed for years to conceive: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Hannah and Elizabeth. If you are hoping for a baby, or carrying the grief of infertility, you are not alone, and your prayer is heard. Below are Catholic prayers to conceive a child, the saints couples turn to, Hannah’s prayer from Scripture, and what the Church teaches about infertility and moral ways to seek help.

A short prayer for a couple hoping to conceive, written for this page:

Lord, giver of life, you know the longing of our hearts.
If it is your will, bless our marriage with a child.
While we wait, keep us close to you and to each other,
and give us peace in whatever you have planned for us. Amen.

Hannah’s prayer

Hannah, the wife of Elcana, had no children and was mocked for it. Year after year she went to the house of the Lord at Silo to pray (1 Kings 1:10–11, Douay-Rheims; 1 Samuel in modern Bibles):

As Anna had her heart full of grief, she prayed to the Lord, shedding many tears,
And she made a vow, saying: O Lord, of hosts, if thou wilt look down on the affliction of thy servant, and wilt be mindful of me, and not forget thy handmaid, and wilt give to thy servant a man child: I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.

God heard her, and she bore a son, Samuel, the great prophet. When she brought him to the temple she said:

For this child did I pray, and the Lord hath granted me my petition, which I asked of him.

Prayers for fertility

Written for this page.

For a couple trying to conceive

Heavenly Father, you blessed Abraham and Sarah, Zachary and Elizabeth, in their waiting.
Look with love on us, as we hope for a child.
Bless our bodies and our love, heal whatever needs healing,
and if it is your will, let new life begin in us.
Whatever comes, keep our marriage strong and our trust in you alive. Amen.

In the grief of infertility

Lord Jesus, each month brings disappointment, and our hearts are tired.
You wept at the grave of your friend; you know our sorrow.
Comfort us when others announce their pregnancies,
guard us from bitterness and from blaming each other,
and show us how our love can still be fruitful. Amen.

For a husband

Lord, strengthen my husband as we carry this cross together.
Help him to share his feelings, to support me and to know that his worth is not measured by what we cannot control.
Make us one in hope. Amen.

After a positive test

Thank you, Father! Protect this tiny life you have given us.
Help this child grow safely, and help us to be the parents you want us to be. Amen.

Then see the Catholic prayer for pregnancy.

Saints to ask for help

  • St. Gerard Majella, patron of mothers and of those hoping to conceive. See the St. Gerard prayer.
  • St. Anne and St. Joachim, Mary’s parents, who according to tradition were childless for many years. See the prayer to St. Anne.
  • St. Rita of Cascia, patron of impossible causes. See the St. Rita prayer.
  • St. Elizabeth and St. Zachary, the parents of John the Baptist, who conceived in old age.
  • Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse, who lost four of their nine children and are invoked by families who suffer.

Scripture of hope

When Sarah laughed at the promise of a son in her old age, the Lord asked (Genesis 18:14):

Is there any thing hard to God? According to appointment I will return to thee at this same time, life accompanying, and Sara shall have a son.

The psalmist praises God:

Who maketh a barren woman to dwell in a house, the joyful mother of children.

And the angel told Zachary, “thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son” (Luke 1:13).

What the Church teaches about infertility

The Catechism acknowledges that “couples who discover that they are sterile suffer greatly,” recalling Abraham and Rachel, who cried out to God for children (CCC 2374). The Church encourages research to treat infertility and supports medical help that heals and assists the couple’s own act of love.

It teaches that methods which separate conception from the marital act, such as in vitro fertilization, are not morally acceptable, even though every child conceived in any way is a person to be loved (CCC 2376–2377). Many Catholic couples have found help through restorative reproductive medicine and fertility-awareness approaches, such as NaProTechnology and the Creighton Model, which work to identify and treat the underlying causes of infertility.

“A child is not something owed to one, but is a gift” (CCC 2378). Couples who remain without children can still live a fruitful love through adoption, foster care, godparenthood and service to others (CCC 2379).

Frequently asked questions

Who is the patron saint of fertility?

St. Gerard Majella is the best-known patron of those hoping to conceive and of expectant mothers. St. Anne, St. Rita and St. Philomena are also invoked.

Is it okay to pray for a baby?

Yes. Scripture shows many women praying for a child, and God heard them. Pray with trust and openness to his will.

Is there a novena for fertility?

Many couples pray the novena to St. Gerard, especially around his feast on October 16, or to St. Anne before her feast on July 26.

More prayers

Texts and sources