St. John the Baptist, the forerunner who prepared the way for Jesus and baptized him in the Jordan, is one of only three persons, with Jesus and the Virgin Mary, whose birth the Church celebrates in its liturgy. “Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist,” Jesus said. Below are three traditional prayers to St. John the Baptist from The Raccolta, the prayer of his feast, Scripture in which he points to Christ, prayers of repentance and courage written for this page, and his life and feast days.
Three traditional prayers to St. John the Baptist
These three prayers honor John as a penitent, as a preacher and as a martyr. Pope St. Pius X indulgenced them, and each is followed by an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be. From The Raccolta (1910):
To St. John the penitent
Glorious St. John the Baptist, of those born of women the greatest of prophets (Luke vii, 28); thou, though sanctified from thy mother’s womb and most innocent, didst nevertheless will to retire into the desert, there to practise austerities and penance; obtain for us from our Lord the grace to be detached, at least in the affections of our hearts, from all earthly treasure, and to practise Christian mortification with interior recollection and a spirit of holy prayer.
To St. John the preacher
Most zealous Apostle, who, without working any miracle on others, but solely by the example of thy life of penance and the power of thy words, didst draw after thee crowds, in order to prepare them to worthily receive the Messiah, and listen to his heavenly teaching; grant that it may be given to us also, by the example of a holy life and the practice of good works, to lead many souls to God, and, above all, those who have been enveloped in the darkness of error and ignorance, and led astray by vice.
To St. John the martyr
Unconquered martyr, who for the honour of God and the salvation of souls, didst, with heroic constancy, and at the cost of life itself, withstand the impious Herod, reproving him openly for his bad and dissolute life; obtain for us a brave and generous heart, so that, overcoming all human respect, we may boldly profess our faith, and follow the teaching of our divine master Jesus Christ.
V. Pray for us, St. John the Baptist.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
The prayer of his feast
The collect that closes the devotion, also from The Raccolta:
O God, who hast made this day worthy of honour in the nativity (commemoration) of St John, grant to thy people the grace of spiritual joys, and direct the minds of all the faithful into the way of eternal salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
A prayer for repentance
Written for this page:
St. John the Baptist, you called the people to repent
and prepare the way of the Lord.
Help me to see my sins honestly, to turn away from them,
and to make straight the path for Jesus in my heart.
Lead me to a good confession and a new beginning. Amen.
A prayer for courage to speak the truth
St. John the Baptist, you told King Herod the truth
and paid for it with your life.
Give me courage to stand for what is right, gently but firmly,
and to point others always to Jesus, not to myself. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
A prayer for the newly baptized
St. John the Baptist, you baptized Jesus in the Jordan,
and the Holy Spirit came down upon him.
Pray for (name), newly baptized,
that he (she) may live as a child of God and grow in faith all his (her) life. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the Catholic baptism guide.
Scripture: “Behold the Lamb of God”
John’s words when he saw Jesus are repeated at every Mass before Holy Communion:
The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him, and he saith: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away the sin of the world.
His motto of humility:
He must increase, but I must decrease.
The life of St. John the Baptist
John was the son of the priest Zachary (Zechariah) and Elizabeth, a cousin of the Virgin Mary. The angel Gabriel announced his birth to Zachary in the Temple, and when Mary visited Elizabeth, the unborn John leaped for joy in his mother’s womb at the presence of Jesus. At his birth, Zachary’s tongue was loosed and he sang the Benedictus, the canticle the Church prays every morning.
John grew up in the desert, wearing camel’s hair and eating locusts and wild honey. Around the year 28 he began to preach by the Jordan River, calling the people to repentance and baptizing them as a sign of conversion. Crowds came to him, and some thought he was the Messiah, but he told them that one mightier than he was coming. When Jesus came to be baptized, John recognized him, and the Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus as a dove while the voice of the Father was heard from heaven.
John later rebuked King Herod Antipas for taking his brother’s wife, Herodias. Herod imprisoned him in the fortress of Machaerus and, at the request of Herodias’s daughter, had him beheaded. Jesus said of him that no one born of woman was greater.
Feast days and patronage
- The Nativity of St. John the Baptist: June 24, a solemnity, six months before Christmas.
- The Passion (Beheading) of St. John the Baptist: August 29, a memorial.
- Patron of: baptism and converts, Puerto Rico, French Canadians (Quebec’s national holiday on June 24), the Knights of Malta, and many places named San Juan.
- Symbols: a lamb, a shell for baptizing, a reed cross with a banner reading Ecce Agnus Dei, and camel’s hair.
Frequently asked questions
Why is St. John the Baptist’s birthday celebrated?
Because he was sanctified before birth, when he leaped in his mother’s womb at the presence of Jesus. Apart from Christ and the Virgin Mary, he is the only person whose birth the Church celebrates with a feast.
When is the feast of St. John the Baptist?
June 24 (his birth) and August 29 (his martyrdom).
What is St. John the Baptist the patron saint of?
Baptism, converts and many countries and cities, including Puerto Rico and French Canada.
Was John the Baptist related to Jesus?
Yes. His mother Elizabeth was a relative of the Virgin Mary, so John and Jesus were kinsmen.
More prayers
- Benedictus (Canticle of Zechariah)
- Lamb of God (Agnus Dei)
- Advent prayers and customs
- Catholic baptism guide
- St. Peter prayer
- Litany of the Saints
- Prayers to popular saints
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Prayers and collect: The Raccolta, or Collection of Indulgenced Prayers and Good Works (London: Burns and Oates, 1910), no. 389, public domain (archive.org).
- Scripture: John 1:29; John 3:30, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The other prayers were written for this page.