The patron saint of the United States of America is the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception: the American bishops, gathered at the Sixth Provincial Council of Baltimore in 1846, chose her as patroness of the nation, and Blessed Pope Pius IX approved their choice in 1847. Her feast, December 8, is the patronal feast of the United States and a holy day of obligation, and the largest Catholic church in North America, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to her. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of all the Americas. Below are the story of both patronages, the saints of the United States, and prayers for America, including Archbishop John Carroll’s prayer for the nation.
A short prayer for America, written for this page:
Mary, conceived without sin, Patroness of the United States, pray for our country.
Lord, bless America with faith, justice and peace; protect the unborn, the poor and the stranger;
give wisdom to those who govern us, and make us one people under you. Amen.
Mary Immaculate, Patroness of the United States
When the bishops chose the Immaculate Conception in 1846, the doctrine had not yet been defined; Pius IX proclaimed it a dogma in 1854. The National Shrine in Washington, begun in 1920, honors her as patroness of the nation. The collect of the feast in a 1916 missal:
O God, who, by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, didst prepare an habitation worthy of thy Son, we implore that as in view of the death of thy Son thou didst preserve her from every stain, so through her intercession thou mayest grant us to come purified to thee. Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
See the Immaculate Conception and the Immaculate Conception novena.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas
Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego near Mexico City in 1531. Popes have honored her as patroness of Latin America and of all the Americas, and since 1999 her feast, December 12, is kept throughout the continent. See Our Lady of Guadalupe feast day.
Saints of the United States
- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (November 13): the first U.S. citizen to be canonized, patron of immigrants. See St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (January 4): the first saint born in the United States, founder of Catholic schools. See the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton prayer.
- St. Kateri Tekakwitha (July 14): the first Native American saint. See the St. Kateri Tekakwitha prayer.
- St. Rose of Lima (August 23): the first saint of the Americas, patroness of the Americas. See the St. Rose of Lima prayer.
- The North American Martyrs (October 19): Sts. Isaac Jogues, John de Brébeuf and their companions, patrons of Canada, honored throughout North America.
Archbishop Carroll’s prayer for the nation
John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop of the United States, wrote a prayer for the Church and the civil authorities in 1791. Its prayer for all Americans:
We recommend likewise to Thy unbounded mercy all our brethren and fellow-citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world can not give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.
See the full text in the Catholic prayer for our country.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of the United States?
Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception, chosen by the U.S. bishops in 1846 and approved by Pius IX in 1847.
Who is the patron saint of America?
For the United States, the Immaculate Conception; for the whole American continent, Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Is December 8 a holy day of obligation?
Yes. The Immaculate Conception is a holy day of obligation in the United States, and the patronal feast of the country. See holy days of obligation.
More prayers for the nation
- Catholic prayer for our country
- Immaculate Conception
- Our Lady of Guadalupe novena
- Veterans Day prayer
- Patron saint of soldiers
- Patron saint of the Catholic Church
Texts and sources
- Immaculate Conception collect: The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), public domain (archive.org).
- Archbishop John Carroll, Prayer for the Church and the Civil Authorities (1791), in F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), public domain (Wikisource).