The patron saint of people with heart problems is St. John of God (1495–1550), the Portuguese soldier and bookseller who gave his life to caring for the sick poor in Granada and founded the Brothers Hospitallers. He is invoked by heart patients, and by all who are sick, together with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the source of all healing. Below are his story, other saints for the heart, Scripture, and Catholic prayers for heart disease, heart surgery and recovery.
A short prayer for a heart patient, written for this page:
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my heart in yours.
Heal what is weak and damaged, guide my doctors,
and give me courage and peace.
St. John of God, pray for me. Amen.
St. John of God, patron of heart patients
John Cidade was born in Portugal in 1495 and as a boy ran away to Spain, where he worked as a shepherd, served as a soldier and later sold books in Granada. When he was about forty, a sermon by St. John of Ávila moved him so deeply that he gave away everything and cried out his sins in the streets, and he was locked in the city’s asylum as a madman. There he saw how the sick and the mentally ill were beaten and neglected, and he resolved to care for them himself.
He rented a house and filled it with the sick poor, begging for them in the streets with the cry, “Do good, brothers, for the love of God!” His Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God today run hospitals and care centers around the world. He died on March 8, 1550, on his knees before a crucifix, after catching a fever while saving a young man from drowning. He was canonized in 1690, and Pope Leo XIII named him patron of the sick and of hospitals. He is especially invoked by heart patients, and his feast is March 8. See the St. John of God prayer.
Other saints for the heart
- The Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose love heals every wound. See the Feast of the Sacred Heart and the Litany of the Sacred Heart.
- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (October 16), apostle of the Sacred Heart. See the St. Margaret Mary Alacoque prayer.
- St. Teresa of Ávila (October 15), who described an angel piercing her heart with a fiery dart of God’s love. See the St. Teresa of Ávila prayer.
- St. Peregrine, patron of cancer patients and those with serious illness. See the St. Peregrine prayer.
Prayers for heart problems
Written for this page.
For someone with heart disease
Lord Jesus, Divine Physician, look with mercy on (name), whose heart is weak.
Strengthen every beat, bless the medicines and treatments,
guide the doctors and nurses, and give (him/her) hope and peace.
St. John of God, pray for (him/her). Amen.
Before heart surgery
Lord, I place myself in your hands before this surgery.
Guide the surgeons’ hands and minds, protect me through every moment,
calm my fear, and bring me safely through to recovery.
Into your hands I commend my spirit. Amen.
See also the prayer before surgery.
After a heart attack
Thank you, Lord, for sparing my life.
Help me to heal, to rest, and to make the changes I need to make.
Take away my fear of what might happen, and teach me to live each day as a gift. Amen.
For a healthy heart
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours:
healthy in body, clean in spirit, and full of love. Amen.
Scripture for the heart
God’s promise through the prophet Ezechiel (Ezechiel 36:26, Douay-Rheims; Ezekiel in modern Bibles):
And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of heart problems?
St. John of God, founder of the Brothers Hospitallers, whose feast is March 8.
Who is the patron saint of heart patients?
St. John of God is the patron of heart patients and of the sick and hospitals in general.
Is there a novena for heart problems?
Many people pray the Sacred Heart novena, or a novena to St. John of God for nine days before March 8, for someone with a heart condition.
More prayers for healing
- Catholic prayer for healing
- Patron saints of healing
- Prayer before surgery
- St. John of God prayer
- Patron saint of nurses
- Psalms for healing
Texts and sources
- Ezechiel 36:26 (Douay-Rheims).
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. John of God,” public domain (Wikisource).