St. Cyprian (about 200–258) was the bishop of Carthage in North Africa, one of the great Latin Fathers of the Church, and a martyr who was beheaded for Christ in 258, answering his death sentence with the words “Thanks be to God.” He wrote one of the earliest commentaries on the Our Father and taught that “he can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother.” He is named in the Roman Canon of the Mass, and his feast, with Pope St. Cornelius, is September 16. Below are his life, his teaching on prayer, a prayer to St. Cyprian, and a word about a different St. Cyprian, of Antioch, whose name is attached to many popular “prayers of St. Cyprian.”
A short prayer to St. Cyprian, written for this page:
St. Cyprian, faithful shepherd and martyr,
you taught your people to pray the Our Father with one heart.
Pray for the unity of the Church, for bishops and priests,
and for all who are tempted to give up their faith. Amen.
Who was St. Cyprian of Carthage?
Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus was a wealthy and brilliant teacher of rhetoric in Carthage who converted to Christianity in middle age, about 246, gave much of his property to the poor, and within a few years was chosen bishop of the city. During the persecution of the emperor Decius he went into hiding and guided his people by letters, and afterwards he faced the difficult question of how to receive back the many Christians who had denied the faith under torture, the “lapsed.” He insisted both on real repentance and on mercy, and worked closely with Pope St. Cornelius, defending the unity of the Church against schism.
When the emperor Valerian renewed the persecution, Cyprian was arrested. On September 14, 258, he was condemned to be beheaded; when the sentence was read, he answered, “Thanks be to God” (Deo gratias). He gave his executioner twenty-five gold pieces, blindfolded himself, and died before a crowd of his people.
St. Cyprian on prayer
In his treatise On the Lord’s Prayer, Cyprian explains why Jesus taught us to say “Our Father” and not “My Father” (ch. 8):
Before all things, the Teacher of peace and the Master of unity would not have prayer to be made singly and individually, as for one who prays to pray for himself alone. For we say not “My Father, which art in heaven,” nor “Give me this day my daily bread;” nor does each one ask that only his own debt should be forgiven him; nor does he request for himself alone that he may not be led into temptation, and delivered from evil. Our prayer is public and common; and when we pray, we pray not for one, but for the whole people, because we the whole people are one. The God of peace and the Teacher of concord, who taught unity, willed that one should thus pray for all, even as He Himself bore us all in one.
See the Our Father.
St. Cyprian on the Church
In On the Unity of the Catholic Church, written about 251, Cyprian compared the Church to a mother and to Noah’s ark, and wrote that “he can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother” (ch. 6). His teaching on the unity of the Church around her bishops and the See of Peter shaped all later Catholic thought.
St. Cyprian of Antioch and the “prayer of St. Cyprian”
Many popular prayers called the “prayer of St. Cyprian” (oración de San Cipriano), especially in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, refer to a different figure: St. Cyprian of Antioch. According to an ancient legend, he was a pagan magician who tried to use demons to seduce a Christian virgin, St. Justina; when she defeated them with the Sign of the Cross, he was converted, became a bishop, and was martyred with her about 304. The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia treats the story as a legend, and since 1969 Sts. Cyprian and Justina are no longer on the Church’s calendar.
Because of the legend, his name was later attached to books of spells and charms, some of which are sold as “the Book of St. Cyprian.” These have nothing to do with the Catholic faith, which forbids all magic and sorcery (CCC 2117). A Catholic who fears evil should turn instead to Christ, the sacraments and the protection of St. Michael. See the St. Michael prayer and the Catholic prayer for protection.
What is St. Cyprian the patron saint of?
St. Cyprian of Carthage is the patron saint of North Africa and Algeria, and is invoked for the unity of the Church and by those tempted to deny their faith.
Feast day
The memorial of Sts. Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, martyrs, is September 16.
Frequently asked questions
When is St. Cyprian’s feast day?
September 16, shared with Pope St. Cornelius.
What is St. Cyprian known for?
His leadership as bishop of Carthage during persecution, his writings on the Our Father and the unity of the Church, and his martyrdom in 258.
Is the “prayer of St. Cyprian” against witchcraft Catholic?
The popular “prayer of St. Cyprian” comes from the legend of St. Cyprian of Antioch, and many versions are tied to magic, which the Church rejects. Catholics seeking protection from evil should pray to God, use the sacraments and sacramentals, and ask the help of St. Michael.
More saints
- Sts. Perpetua and Felicity
- St. Ignatius of Antioch
- St. Augustine prayer
- Our Father
- St. Michael prayer
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- St. Cyprian, On the Lord’s Prayer, ch. 8, and On the Unity of the Church, ch. 6, trans. R. E. Wallis, Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 5 (1886), public domain (Wikisource).
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. Cyprian of Carthage” and “Sts. Cyprian and Justina,” public domain (Wikisource).
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2117.