The saint most often named patron of overthinkers, of people with scruples and of those who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696–1787), the founder of the Redemptorists and a Doctor of the Church, who was tormented by scruples for much of his life and who became a gentle and wise guide for anxious consciences. St. Ignatius of Loyola, who went through a terrible period of scruples after his conversion, wrote rules for dealing with them, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux suffered from scruples as a girl. Below are their stories, Scripture against worry, and prayers for a peaceful mind. OCD is a real medical condition: alongside prayer, it is wise to seek help from a doctor or therapist and to keep a regular confessor.
A short prayer for an overthinking mind, written for this page:
Lord, my thoughts go round and round and will not let me rest.
I give you my worries, my doubts and my fears.
Quiet my mind, and help me to trust you. St. Alphonsus, pray for me. Amen.
St. Alphonsus Liguori, patron of the scrupulous
Alphonsus was born near Naples in 1696, became a doctor of law at sixteen, and was a successful lawyer until, after losing an important case, he left the courts to become a priest. He founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists) to preach to the poor of the countryside, became a bishop, and wrote more than a hundred books, including The Glories of Mary and Visits to the Blessed Sacrament.
All his life Alphonsus suffered from scruples, an anxious fear of having sinned when there was no sin, and in his old age he went through a dark period of anguish. Perhaps because of this, as a moral theologian and confessor he opposed harshness, taught confessors to be kind and patient, and advised scrupulous people to trust and obey their confessor rather than their fears. He is the patron of confessors, moral theologians and people suffering from scruples. He died in 1787 and was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1871. His feast day is August 1.
The prayer of his feast from the 1916 daily missal:
O God, who through the ardent zeal for souls of thy blessed Confessor and Bishop Alphonsus Mary didst enrich thy Church with a new order, we beseech thee that enlightened by his saving counsels and strengthened by his examples we may happily be enabled to come to thee. 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.
St. Ignatius and St. Thérèse
After his conversion, St. Ignatius of Loyola was so tormented by scruples at Manresa that he confessed the same sins again and again and was even tempted to despair. Out of this experience he wrote, in his Spiritual Exercises, some notes on scruples that are still used by spiritual directors. See the St. Ignatius of Loyola prayer.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux writes in her autobiography that for about a year and a half, at the age of twelve or thirteen, she suffered from scruples so much that she cried over every thought; she found peace by entrusting herself to her brothers and sisters in heaven. See the St. Thérèse prayer.
What Scripture says about worry
Matthew 6:34 (Douay-Rheims):
Be not therefore solicitous for tomorrow; for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.
1 Peter 5:7 (Douay-Rheims):
Casting all your care upon him, for he hath care of you.
Prayers for a peaceful mind
Written for this page.
When I cannot stop thinking
Jesus, I trust in you.
I cannot solve this tonight, so I place it in your hands.
Give me sleep, and let tomorrow take care of itself. Amen.
For scruples
St. Alphonsus, you knew the torment of scruples.
Pray that I may trust God’s mercy more than my fears,
obey my confessor, and live in the peace of God’s children. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of overthinking?
St. Alphonsus Liguori, who suffered from scruples, is the saint most often invoked by overthinkers.
Who is the patron saint of OCD?
St. Alphonsus Liguori is widely invoked as patron of people with scrupulosity and OCD. St. Dymphna is patron of mental illness.
What are scruples?
An anxious, persistent fear of having sinned when there is no sin, or of having confessed badly. A good confessor can help.
More prayers
- Patron saints of mental health
- Catholic prayer for anxiety
- St. Dymphna prayer
- Psalms for anxiety
- Patron saint of sleep
- Patron saints
Texts and sources
- Matthew 6:34 and 1 Peter 5:7 (Douay-Rheims).
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Alphonsus Liguori (August 2), Collect, public domain (archive.org).