St. Peregrine Laziosi is the patron saint of people with cancer and other serious illnesses. A Servite friar of the fourteenth century, he suffered from a cancerous wound on his leg; on the night before it was to be amputated, he prayed before a crucifix and woke to find himself healed. Ever since, people facing cancer have turned to him for courage, healing and peace.
Below are prayers to St. Peregrine for yourself, for someone you love, before treatment or surgery, and for caregivers, with Scripture, his story and a simple novena.
A prayer to St. Peregrine for healing
Written for this page:
St. Peregrine, you knew the pain and fear of a serious illness,
and you placed your whole trust in Jesus crucified.
Pray for me as I face this cancer.
Ask the Lord, if it is his will, to heal me in body,
and to give me courage, patience and peace in every treatment.
Help me to unite my sufferings with those of Christ,
and to trust that nothing can separate me from his love.
St. Peregrine, pray for me. Amen.
A prayer for a loved one with cancer
St. Peregrine, I entrust to your prayers (name), who has cancer.
Ask Jesus to touch him (her) with his healing hand,
to guide the doctors and nurses,
and to give our family hope and strength for each day.
Let him (her) never feel alone. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
A prayer before treatment or surgery
Lord Jesus, through the prayers of St. Peregrine,
I place this treatment (surgery) in your hands.
Guide the hands and minds of everyone who cares for me,
take away my fear, and let this treatment work for my healing.
Whatever comes, I trust in you. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See also our prayer for the sick.
A prayer for caregivers
St. Peregrine, bless all who care for people with cancer:
families, nurses, doctors, researchers and chaplains.
Give them strength when they are tired, wisdom in hard decisions,
and the joy of knowing that they serve Christ in the sick. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
Scripture for those facing cancer
Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.
And he said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee; for power is made perfect in infirmity. Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
For which cause I please myself in my infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ. For when I am weak, then am I powerful.
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed: save me, and I shall be saved, for thou art my praise.
St. James asks the sick to call the priests of the Church for the Anointing of the Sick, a sacrament for anyone seriously ill:
Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man: and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Ask your parish for the sacrament; see our guides to last rites and the Anointing of the Sick and Catholic prayers for healing.
The story of St. Peregrine
Peregrine Laziosi was born around 1260 in Forlì, Italy, into a wealthy family. As a young man he joined the political party that opposed the Pope, and during a riot he struck St. Philip Benizi, a Servite friar sent as a peacemaker. Philip answered by offering him the other cheek. Moved by his meekness, Peregrine repented and later entered the Servants of Mary (Servites).
He became known for his penance, his preaching and his care for the poor and sick. In his sixties he developed a painful cancerous wound on his foot and leg, and the doctors decided to amputate. The night before the operation, he dragged himself to the chapter room and prayed before the crucifix; he fell asleep and saw Christ come down from the cross and touch his leg. In the morning the wound was healed. He lived about twenty more years and died on May 1, 1345, at around eighty-five. He was canonized in 1726.
A simple novena to St. Peregrine
For nine days, pray one of the prayers above, read one of the Scripture passages, and pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be. Many people pray the novena before a diagnosis, a treatment, or surgery, or from April 22 to 30, before his feast. Parishes of the Servite order often hold St. Peregrine devotions with a blessing of the sick.
Frequently asked questions
Why is St. Peregrine the patron saint of cancer?
Because he was healed of a cancerous wound on his leg after praying before a crucifix, on the night before it was to be amputated.
When is St. Peregrine’s feast day?
May 1, the day of his death; the Servite order keeps it on May 4, since May 1 is the memorial of St. Joseph the Worker.
Can I pray to St. Peregrine for someone who is not Catholic?
Yes. You can pray for anyone and ask St. Peregrine to intercede for them.
What other saints are patrons of the sick?
St. Raphael, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. John of God and St. Agatha (breast cancer). See patron saints for every need.
More prayers for the sick
- Prayer for good test results
- Prayer before surgery
- Patron saints of healing
- Catholic prayers for healing
- Prayer for the sick
- The St. Raphael prayer
- Prayers for the dying
- Catholic prayer for strength
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Isaias 53:4–5; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10; Jeremias 17:14; James 5:14–15, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- Life: the traditional Life of St. Peregrine of the Servite order, and the Roman Martyrology (May 1).
- The prayers on this page were written for this page.