The saint most often called the patron saint of peace is St. Elizabeth of Portugal (1271–1336), a queen known in her own lifetime as “the Peacemaker,” who more than once rode between armies to stop wars between her husband and her son, and between Portugal and Castile. Catholics also pray for peace to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Peace, a title Pope Benedict XV added to the Litany of Loreto during the First World War, and to St. Francis of Assisi, whose name is linked with the famous peace prayer. St. Elizabeth’s feast day is July 4 (July 5 in the United States). Below are her story, the prayer of her feast, Scripture on peace and prayers for peace in the world, in families and in the heart.
A short prayer for peace, written for this page:
St. Elizabeth of Portugal, you stood between armies to stop the shedding of blood.
Pray for peace in our world, in our country and in our homes,
and make me a peacemaker wherever I am. Amen.
St. Elizabeth of Portugal, the Peacemaker
Elizabeth was born in 1271, a princess of Aragon, and was named after her great-aunt, St. Elizabeth of Hungary. At twelve she was married to King Denis of Portugal, an able ruler but an unfaithful husband. She bore his infidelities with patience and prayer, cared for his children by other women, and spent her days in prayer, works of mercy, and care for the poor, the sick and pilgrims.
When her son Afonso rebelled against his father, civil war broke out. In 1323, as the two armies faced each other near Lisbon, Elizabeth rode out on a mule between the lines and persuaded father and son to make peace. After Denis died in 1325, she joined the Third Order of St. Francis and lived beside the Poor Clare convent she had founded in Coimbra. In 1336, though old and ill, she traveled in the summer heat to stop a war between her son, now King Afonso IV, and the king of Castile. She succeeded, but died soon after at Estremoz, on July 4, 1336. She was canonized in 1625.
The prayer of her feast from the 1916 daily missal:
O most merciful God, who along with other excellent qualities didst adorn the blessed Queen Elizabeth with a gift of allaying the fury of war, grant us through her intercession, after passing this mortal life in the peace we suppliantly implore to arrive at everlasting happiness. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
Our Lady, Queen of Peace
In 1917, during the First World War, Pope Benedict XV added the invocation “Queen of Peace, pray for us” to the Litany of Loreto and asked Catholics everywhere to beg Mary for an end to the war. Catholics still pray the Rosary for peace, and the Church’s World Day of Peace is kept on January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
Other saints of peace
- St. Francis of Assisi, who greeted everyone with “The Lord give you peace” and went unarmed to meet the Sultan during the Crusades. The “Peace Prayer,” “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,” bears his name. See the Prayer of St. Francis.
- St. John XXIII, the pope of the encyclical Pacem in Terris (1963), written to the whole world after the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- St. Homobonus, who worked to make peace among the quarreling factions of his city. See patron saint of business.
Scripture on peace
The Beatitude of the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9, Douay-Rheims):
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.
The peace that Christ gives (John 14:27, Douay-Rheims):
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid.
Prayers for peace
Written for this page.
For peace in the world
Lord, Prince of Peace, look on a world torn by war.
Protect the innocent, comfort the grieving, convert the hearts of those who make war,
and give wisdom to leaders who work for peace. Queen of Peace, pray for us. Amen.
For peace in the family
St. Elizabeth, you made peace between a father and his son.
Pray for my family: heal what is broken between us, soften hard hearts,
and help us to forgive and begin again. Amen.
For peace of heart
Jesus, you said, “Let not your heart be troubled.”
Quiet my anxious thoughts, give me your peace,
and let me carry it to everyone I meet today. Amen.
See also the Catholic prayer for peace.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of peace?
St. Elizabeth of Portugal, called “the Peacemaker,” is the saint most often invoked for peace, together with Our Lady, Queen of Peace.
When is St. Elizabeth of Portugal’s feast day?
July 4; in the United States, July 5, because of Independence Day.
Who added “Queen of Peace” to the Litany of Loreto?
Pope Benedict XV, in 1917, during the First World War.
More prayers
- Litany of Peace
- Pope St. John XXIII
- Catholic prayer for peace
- Prayer of St. Francis
- Litany of Loreto
- St. Elizabeth of Hungary
- Catholic prayer for our country
- Patron saints
Texts and sources
- Matthew 5:9 and John 14:27 (Douay-Rheims).
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Elizabeth of Portugal (July 8), Collect, public domain (archive.org).