25 Catholic Prayers for the Sick (For Every Person You Are Bringing Before God Tonight)
6. A Prayer for a Sick Sibling
Merciful Jesus,
my brother/sister is sick and the bond between us makes this particular — not only the love of a friend but the love of shared history, shared parents, shared childhood. I bring them to You with all of that attached. Heal them, Lord. Give them strength for what this illness asks of them. And let them know, in whatever way You choose to deliver it, that they are prayed for, that they are loved, and that You have not left them alone in this. In Your holy name, Amen.
Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Prayers for a Sick Child
The illness of a child carries a specific quality of suffering for the parent — the particular wrongness of a small body in pain, the instinct to take it away that has no outlet. The Church has always prayed especially for sick children. These prayers are for parents bringing their children before God with the fullness of parental love.
7. A Parent’s Prayer for a Sick Child
Lord Jesus,
my child is sick and I am experiencing the particular suffering of a parent who loves someone they cannot fully protect. You know this child — You formed them in the womb before I held them in my arms. I bring them to You as the only One whose love for them exceeds mine. Lay Your healing hand upon them. Comfort them in whatever pain or fear they are carrying. And strengthen me to be what they need me to be while they cannot be well. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Matthew 19:14 — “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
8. A Prayer to St. Gerard Majella for a Sick Child
St. Gerard Majella is the patron saint of children, expectant mothers, and the falsely accused. He has a particular tenderness in the Catholic tradition for children in need.
Good St. Gerard, who like the Saviour loved children with such tenderness — I come to you with a sick child in my arms and on my heart. You who obtained miraculous cures for children during your own life on earth — intercede now for this child before the Lord who told the children to come to Him. Ask Him to heal this little one, to ease their suffering, and to comfort the parents who love them beyond what words can hold. We trust your intercession. Amen.
9. A Prayer When a Child Is Seriously Ill
Faithful Father,
I am a parent with a seriously ill child and I need You to be what I cannot be. I need You to reach the places in my child that medicine is working to reach and that my love is reaching for and that still need something more. You are the God who raised Jairus’s daughter and healed the official’s son and had compassion on every child brought to You. Have compassion on mine. Restore them to health if it is Your will, and in all things, be near to them and to us. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Mark 5:41-42 — “He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ which means ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up!’ Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around.”
Prayers When Visiting the Sick
Visiting the sick is one of the seven corporal works of mercy in the Catholic tradition — one of the concrete acts of charity that the Church has always asked of its members. Jesus said, “I was sick and you visited me.” The person going to sit with someone in a hospital room, at home, or in a care facility is participating in something the Church has honoured for two thousand years. These prayers are for that visit — for the right presence, the right words, and the grace to witness well.
10. A Prayer Before Visiting Someone Who Is Sick
O’ Lord,
I am about to visit someone who is sick and I want to bring something real into that room. Give me the right words and the wisdom to know when silence is better than words. Give me the courage to stay present in the discomfort rather than filling it with nervous speech. Let me see Your face in theirs, as You promised I would. And let my presence carry something of Your presence — not because I am particularly holy, but because You go before me into every room I enter. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Matthew 25:36, 40 — “I was sick and you looked after me… whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
11. A Prayer to Pray With Someone Who Is Sick
God Almighty,
we come before You together — the one who is sick and the one who loves them. We bring this illness to You without trying to dress it up or minimise it. It is hard. It is frightening. It is not what either of us would have chosen. But we believe that You are present in this room and that nothing happening in this body or this heart is outside Your reach. Heal. Comfort. Strengthen. And let us both know today that we are held in the same hands. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Psalm 23:4 — “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
12. A Prayer When You Do Not Know What to Say to Someone Who Is Sick
Lord Jesus,
I am sitting with someone I love who is suffering, and I have run out of words that feel adequate — because there are no adequate words and I am finally honest enough to know it. I offer You my inadequacy and my presence. I ask You to speak what I cannot speak, to be what I cannot be, and to reach what my love is unable to reach. Let my being here mean something even when the saying nothing feels like failure. In Your holy name, Amen.
Romans 8:26 — “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
Prayers for Someone With a Serious or Terminal Diagnosis
When the diagnosis is serious — cancer, a progressive neurological illness, a condition that changes everything about the future — the prayer needed is different from the prayer for a recoverable illness. These prayers ask for what only God can give when the situation is beyond what medicine alone can manage.
13. A Prayer for Someone With a Serious Illness
Heavenly Father,
the diagnosis that has come to someone I love is serious and the fear that arrived with it is real. I bring both — the illness and the fear — to You tonight. You are the Lord over every cell of this body and every moment of this life. I ask for Your miraculous healing if it is Your will. And if it is Your will that this person carry this cross, then give them what You gave the martyrs and the saints: not the removal of the suffering but the grace to carry it without being destroyed by it. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
2 Corinthians 12:9 — “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
14. A Prayer for Someone With Cancer
O great St.
Peregrine, who bore cancer in your own body and were miraculously healed through the mercy of God
I ask your intercession for this person who now carries what you once carried.
Bring their petition before Our Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to do for them what He did for you: to visit them in their suffering and to restore what the illness has taken.
And if the healing is not yet His will, obtain for them the courage and the peace that makes suffering bearable. We entrust them to your care. Amen.
Isaiah 53:4 — “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering.”
15. A Prayer for Someone With Dementia
Lord God,
the person I love is losing themselves in a way that is different from any other illness — not the body failing but the memory, the recognition, the continuous self that I have known. I bring them to You tonight with the full confusion and grief of this. I trust that even when they cannot find You in their memory, You find them in theirs. You know who they are when they no longer know themselves. Hold them in the knowledge they can no longer hold. And hold those of us who love them through what this illness does to everyone it touches. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Isaiah 49:15-16 — “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast?… Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”
Prayers for the Dying
The Church has always prayed specifically for the dying — not as a separate and frightening category but as the final stage of the journey every Christian makes toward God. These prayers are for the person whose illness is approaching its end — and for those who love them and are learning to walk this last road alongside them.
16. A Prayer for Someone Who Is Dying
Lord Jesus,
who promised the good thief that he would be with You in paradise on the very day of his death — I bring to You someone whose life on this earth is approaching its end. Be with them in this passage. Remove any fear that does not belong to faith. Let Your mercy be the last and loudest thing they experience before they see You face to face. And grant them the grace of a holy death — at peace with You, with themselves, and with those they love. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
John 14:2-3 — “My Father’s house has many rooms… I am going there to prepare a place for you.”
17. The Prayer of St. Augustine at the Bedside of the Dying
This prayer draws from the ancient Catholic tradition of accompanying the dying — being present at the moment of passage with prayer and faith.
O God,
You gave us strength in weakness and hope in despair. We are Yours in life and death. Sustain us for the journey of walking our loved one home to You. Give us the graces You gave to those who walked with Your Son as He approached His Passion and death. Steady our hands, gentle our hearts, and sustain our spirits. May we see Your face in the people who love and care for our loved one. Give us the grace to travel this journey in Your peace, with patience, love, and trust. Amen.
Psalm 23:4 — “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
18. A Prayer for a Happy Death
O Mary, conceived without sin, Health of the Sick and Refuge of Sinners — at this hour when the one I love draws near to the end of their earthly life, I ask for your maternal intercession. Accompany them as they cross from this world to the next. Be the face of mercy they see in this final passage. And bring them safely to the Heart of your Son, who said that all who come to Him He will never drive away. We trust your intercession, O Lady of the dying. Amen.
John 6:37 — “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”
Short Prayers for the Sick Person Themselves
These four prayers are for the sick person who is reading this — brief enough to pray during the exhaustion of illness, honest enough to bring what illness actually feels like to God without pretending it is something other than what it is.
19. For the Sick Person: A Prayer in Pain
Lord Jesus,
the pain is real today and I will not pretend otherwise. You took a body like mine and You know from the inside what it costs. Be with me in this pain — not to observe it from a distance but to be in it with me the way You were in the Garden and the way You were on the Cross. Strengthen me for today. Just today. In Your holy name, Amen.
20. For the Sick Person: A Prayer in Fear
Ominipresent Father,
I am afraid and I am bringing the fear honestly to You. Not dressed up, not managed — just as it is. Take the fear and give me something to hold in its place. Not false confidence — real trust. The kind that does not require the outcome to be what I want before it takes root. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
21. For the Sick Person: A Prayer of Acceptance
Lord Jesus,
I receive this illness from Your hand — not as punishment but as the cross You have permitted me to carry at this time. I do not fully understand it. I do not have to. I only have to trust the One who allowed it. Not my will, but Yours be done. And if it is Your will that I recover, let it be for Your glory. And if it is Your will that I suffer longer — give me the grace to do so without bitterness and with my eyes on You. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Luke 22:42 — “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
22. For the Sick Person: A Short Prayer for Any Moment
Lord Jesus, stay with me. I need You in this. In Your holy name, Amen.
Prayers for Community Intercession
The Church prays for its sick together — at every Mass, in prayer groups, in parishes that gather around their suffering members. These prayers are for the community interceding together for those in their midst who are ill.
23. A Community Prayer for the Sick
God of all goodness,
look with mercy on all who suffer any kind of infirmity, sickness, or injury in our community today. When they are fearful, ease their fear. When they are alone, send them someone to listen and to care. When they are in pain, ease their suffering. When they despair, give them hope. May they experience Your healing presence in the comfort of those who love and care for them. And may our prayers, offered together, reach them with the power of the whole Church praying in one voice. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Matthew 18:19-20 — “If two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”
24. A Litany for the Sick
This litany can be prayed alone or in a group. The response to each petition is: Lord, hear our prayer.
For all who lie in pain, unable to rest — Lord, hear our prayer. For those whose illness is invisible to others but very real to them — Lord, hear our prayer. For those who are afraid of what the diagnosis means — Lord, hear our prayer.
For those facing surgery and the hands of those who will care for them — Lord, hear our prayer. For those in the loneliness that illness brings — Lord, hear our prayer. For those whose faith has been tested by suffering — Lord, hear our prayer.
For those who are dying and those who love them — Lord, hear our prayer. For those whose healing comes slowly and who need patience for the journey — Lord, hear our prayer. For all who care for the sick: doctors, nurses, families, and friends — Lord, hear our prayer. Through the intercession of Our Lady, Health of the Sick, and all the healing saints — Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.
25. A Prayer to Our Lady, Health of the Sick, for All the Sick
O Mary, Health of the Sick — you who stood at the foot of the Cross and learned suffering from the inside, who have been the refuge of the sick and suffering for two thousand years
I ask you to gather up tonight all those who are ill, all who are in pain, all who are afraid of what is happening in their bodies and uncertain of what comes next. Take them to your Son who healed all who came to Him. Bring their names and their needs before His Sacred Heart, which is never closed to the suffering. And let them feel, in whatever way You know will reach them, that they are loved by God and held by the Church. Amen.
John 2:3 — “When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.'”
Scripture for the Sick and Those Who Pray for Them
These passages have sustained the Catholic faithful through illness for two thousand years. Read them slowly over the sick person you love. Let the Word do what the words cannot.
Psalm 23 — “The Lord is my shepherd… Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” The psalm prayed at the bedside of the sick and dying since the beginning of the Church. God does not leave the valley — He walks through it with the person who trusts in Him.
James 5:14-15 — “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.” The foundation of the Church’s ministry to the sick. If you have not yet called a priest for the Anointing of the Sick — call one. Do not wait.
Psalm 103:2-3 — “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Healing is described here as an attribute of who God is — not something He does occasionally but something rooted in His nature. The prayer for healing is a prayer that asks God to be who He has always been.
Isaiah 41:10 — “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Three promises and one command: do not fear. The strength promised here does not come from improved circumstances — it comes from the God who holds the one who is suffering.
Matthew 11:28 — “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The invitation is unconditional — not “come when you are well enough” or “come when the fear is managed.” Come as you are. The rest that Christ offers is not the absence of illness but the presence of God in it.
Revelation 21:4 — “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” For the person whose illness is not resolving — the final word on all suffering. It will not always be this way. God Himself will wipe every tear. That is the promise at the end of every Catholic prayer for the sick.
The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick: What Every Catholic Should Know
Do not wait. The single most important practical note in this article. The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is not reserved for the moment of death — it is a sacrament for the seriously ill at any stage of their illness. If someone you love is seriously ill and has not received this sacrament, call your parish priest.
The grace it brings — strength, peace, the forgiveness of sins, and sometimes the restoration of physical health — belongs in the middle of the illness, not only at its end. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is explicit: “It is not a sacrament for those who are at the point of death only.” Call the priest.
Who should receive it. Any Catholic who is seriously ill due to sickness or old age. Those who are about to undergo serious surgery. The elderly who are weakened by advancing age even without specific illness. And those who have previously received the anointing and become seriously ill again — there is no limit on how many times a person may receive this sacrament.
What it does. The Catechism identifies five effects of the Anointing of the Sick: the uniting of the sick person to the Passion of Christ for their own good and that of the Church; the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure the sufferings of illness; the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance; the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of their soul; and the preparation for passing to eternal life. These are not small things. They are the Church’s greatest gifts brought directly to the bedside of the sick.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Catholic prayer for the sick?
The most honest and specific one available to you. The Memorare to Our Lady is among the most trusted — “never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection… was left unaided.” The prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes is particularly associated with healing intercession. And any prayer addressed directly to Christ as the Divine Physician carries the full tradition of Catholic healing prayer behind it.
Can I pray for a non-Catholic who is sick?
Yes, absolutely. God’s healing mercy is not restricted to Catholics. Pray for anyone who is sick without restriction. The prayers in this article can be offered for any sick person regardless of their faith tradition.
Should I ask for the Anointing of the Sick for someone who is seriously ill?
Yes — and sooner rather than later. The sacrament is not only for the moment of death and it brings significant grace when received earlier in a serious illness. Contact your parish priest. Many priests welcome the call and are glad to bring this sacrament to the sick at home or in the hospital.
Which saints are most powerful to pray to for healing?
St. Peregrine for cancer; St. Raphael the Archangel for healing generally; St. Jude for desperate or seemingly hopeless cases; St. Dymphna for mental illness and anxiety; St. Gerard Majella for children; Our Lady of Lourdes for any serious illness. Padre Pio (St. Pio of Pietrelcina) is also powerfully invoked for healing of all kinds.
What do I say when I visit someone who is sick?
Often, less than you think. Presence matters more than perfect words. Offer to pray with them — even a brief prayer said together is worth more than many well-chosen sentences. Ask how they are, genuinely. Do not feel you must fill the silence. And if you can bring a priest for the Anointing of the Sick, that is the greatest gift a visitor can arrange.
A Final Word
The person you are bringing before God tonight — the one whose illness brought you to this article — is already known. Known by the God who formed them before birth and has held every moment of their life since. Known by Our Lady who has been Health of the Sick for two thousand years and has never turned away from a suffering person brought to her. Known by the saints whose own experiences of illness and suffering give their intercession a particular weight before God.
You are not praying alone. Every prayer offered for the sick joins the prayer of the whole Church — at every Mass celebrated around the world today, the sick were prayed for. Your prayer tonight is part of that. It has more behind it than your single voice. It has the voice of the whole Body of Christ, which has never stopped praying for its suffering members.
Bring them back again tomorrow. Pray the same prayer again next week if they are still sick. The Church has never told its sick members or those who love them to pray once and wait. It has always said: pray persistently, pray specifically, bring the same person back to God as many times as the need continues. The door is never closed. The ear is never turned away. The God who healed all who came to Him still heals — in ways that sometimes look like miracles and sometimes look like grace sufficient to carry what has not yet been removed.
Keep praying. The person you love is worth every prayer you bring.
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them… The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” — James 5:14, 16
Your prayer for the sick is powerful. Bring them before God tonight and every night they need it.
There is a particular helplessness that comes with watching someone you love suffer through illness.
You cannot take the pain away. You cannot make the diagnosis different. You cannot do the hardest part for them, the endurance, the fear, the slow work of a body fighting to recover or learning to accept what will not change. You can be present. You can hold their hand. You can bring soup and sit quietly and say the things that feel inadequate because there are no adequate things to say. And you can pray.
These 25 Catholic prayers for the sick are for the full range of what caring for the sick requires — prayers for a sick family member, a sick child, a friend you are visiting, someone facing a serious diagnosis, someone who is dying, the parish or community interceding together, and the sick person themselves.
Find the prayer that names who you are bringing before God tonight. They are known and held by the same God your prayer is reaching for.
A Note Before You Pray
When Catholics pray for the sick, they do not pray alone. Every prayer offered for a suffering person joins with the prayers of the whole Church, the faithful living who intercede at every Mass for those who are ill, the saints in heaven who are powerful advocates before the throne of God, and Our Lady who has always been called Health of the Sick.
What the Catholic Church Teaches About Praying for the Sick
James 5:14-16 provides the biblical foundation for the Church’s entire ministry to the sick
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Every element of Catholic ministry to the sick is rooted here — the call to bring the sick before the community, the prayer offered over them, the anointing, the forgiveness of sins, and the confident assertion that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Your prayer for the sick person you love is not a gesture. It is a weapon.
25 Catholic Prayers for the Sick
These 25 Catholic prayers for the sick are organised by who you are and what the sick person is facing — prayers when you love someone who is ill, for a sick family member, for a sick child, when visiting the sick, for serious or terminal illness, for the dying, for the sick person themselves, for community intercession, and short prayers for any moment. Find the section that names your situation tonight.
Prayers When You Love Someone Who Is Sick
The helplessness of watching someone you love suffer through illness is one of the specific aches of love. You cannot do the hardest part for them. These prayers are for the person standing on the outside of someone else’s suffering, bringing them to God because that is the most real thing available to love that cannot fix what it loves.
1. A Prayer When Someone You Love Is Sick
Lord Jesus,
I bring to You someone I love who is ill. You know their name and their condition — every detail of what they are going through — better than any physician and better than I do. I cannot make this better for them. I cannot take the pain or the fear away. But I can bring them to You, and that is what I am doing right now. Heal them, Lord, according to Your mercy and Your will. Let them know that they are not alone in this. And be for them what I cannot be. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
James 5:16 — “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
2. A Prayer of Helpless Love
Heavenly Father,
I am experiencing one of the hardest forms of love tonight — the love that cannot fix what it loves, that cannot take away what is hurting the person it cares for most. I feel helpless. I bring that helplessness honestly to You, because I know it is not the end of what I can do. I can pray. I can place this person in Your hands and trust that Your hands are more capable than mine. Hold them tonight. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Romans 8:26 — “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us.”
3. A Prayer for the Peace of the Person Who Is Sick
Lord God,
I ask tonight not only for the healing of the person I love but for their peace — the peace that Your Word says surpasses all understanding. Whatever the outcome of this illness, guard their heart and their mind. Let them know that You are near them in this. Let the fear that naturally comes with illness be held at bay by the reality of Your presence. Be close to them in the particular darkness that illness brings. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Philippians 4:7 — “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayers for a Sick Family Member
When illness comes into a family, it comes to everyone — the sick person, and the people who love them and are living alongside the fear, the disruption, the grief of watching someone change. These prayers carry a sick family member before God with the specific weight of family love.
4. A Prayer for a Sick Parent
Lord Jesus,
my parent is ill and the reversal of roles that illness brings is something I am still learning to carry. I ask You to heal them — in whatever way You know is best. Restore their strength if it is Your will. Give them the dignity of care received graciously. And give me the wisdom to know how to love them well in this season, which asks different things of me than any season before it. Be with us both. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Sirach 3:12-13 — “My son, support your father in his old age, and do not cause him grief in his life. Even if he is lacking in understanding, show forbearance.”
5. A Prayer for a Sick Spouse
Gracious God,
the person I married is ill and I am carrying what it means to love someone through something I cannot cure. I bring my spouse to You by name and I ask You to be present in their suffering in the ways I cannot be — in the depth of what only You can reach. Heal what medicine is treating. Hold what medicine cannot touch. And give me the grace to be what my spouse needs me to be in this — patient, present, and faithful. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 — “Two are better than one… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”
6. A Prayer for a Sick Sibling
Merciful Jesus,
my brother/sister is sick and the bond between us makes this particular — not only the love of a friend but the love of shared history, shared parents, shared childhood. I bring them to You with all of that attached. Heal them, Lord. Give them strength for what this illness asks of them. And let them know, in whatever way You choose to deliver it, that they are prayed for, that they are loved, and that You have not left them alone in this. In Your holy name, Amen.
Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Prayers for a Sick Child
The illness of a child carries a specific quality of suffering for the parent — the particular wrongness of a small body in pain, the instinct to take it away that has no outlet. The Church has always prayed especially for sick children. These prayers are for parents bringing their children before God with the fullness of parental love.
7. A Parent’s Prayer for a Sick Child
Lord Jesus,
my child is sick and I am experiencing the particular suffering of a parent who loves someone they cannot fully protect. You know this child — You formed them in the womb before I held them in my arms. I bring them to You as the only One whose love for them exceeds mine. Lay Your healing hand upon them. Comfort them in whatever pain or fear they are carrying. And strengthen me to be what they need me to be while they cannot be well. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Matthew 19:14 — “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
8. A Prayer to St. Gerard Majella for a Sick Child
St. Gerard Majella is the patron saint of children, expectant mothers, and the falsely accused. He has a particular tenderness in the Catholic tradition for children in need.
Good St. Gerard, who like the Saviour loved children with such tenderness — I come to you with a sick child in my arms and on my heart. You who obtained miraculous cures for children during your own life on earth — intercede now for this child before the Lord who told the children to come to Him. Ask Him to heal this little one, to ease their suffering, and to comfort the parents who love them beyond what words can hold. We trust your intercession. Amen.
9. A Prayer When a Child Is Seriously Ill
Faithful Father,
I am a parent with a seriously ill child and I need You to be what I cannot be. I need You to reach the places in my child that medicine is working to reach and that my love is reaching for and that still need something more. You are the God who raised Jairus’s daughter and healed the official’s son and had compassion on every child brought to You. Have compassion on mine. Restore them to health if it is Your will, and in all things, be near to them and to us. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Mark 5:41-42 — “He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ which means ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up!’ Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around.”
Prayers When Visiting the Sick
Visiting the sick is one of the seven corporal works of mercy in the Catholic tradition — one of the concrete acts of charity that the Church has always asked of its members. Jesus said, “I was sick and you visited me.” The person going to sit with someone in a hospital room, at home, or in a care facility is participating in something the Church has honoured for two thousand years. These prayers are for that visit — for the right presence, the right words, and the grace to witness well.
10. A Prayer Before Visiting Someone Who Is Sick
O’ Lord,
I am about to visit someone who is sick and I want to bring something real into that room. Give me the right words and the wisdom to know when silence is better than words. Give me the courage to stay present in the discomfort rather than filling it with nervous speech. Let me see Your face in theirs, as You promised I would. And let my presence carry something of Your presence — not because I am particularly holy, but because You go before me into every room I enter. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Matthew 25:36, 40 — “I was sick and you looked after me… whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
11. A Prayer to Pray With Someone Who Is Sick
God Almighty,
we come before You together — the one who is sick and the one who loves them. We bring this illness to You without trying to dress it up or minimise it. It is hard. It is frightening. It is not what either of us would have chosen. But we believe that You are present in this room and that nothing happening in this body or this heart is outside Your reach. Heal. Comfort. Strengthen. And let us both know today that we are held in the same hands. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Psalm 23:4 — “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
12. A Prayer When You Do Not Know What to Say to Someone Who Is Sick
Lord Jesus,
I am sitting with someone I love who is suffering, and I have run out of words that feel adequate — because there are no adequate words and I am finally honest enough to know it. I offer You my inadequacy and my presence. I ask You to speak what I cannot speak, to be what I cannot be, and to reach what my love is unable to reach. Let my being here mean something even when the saying nothing feels like failure. In Your holy name, Amen.
Romans 8:26 — “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
Prayers for Someone With a Serious or Terminal Diagnosis
When the diagnosis is serious — cancer, a progressive neurological illness, a condition that changes everything about the future — the prayer needed is different from the prayer for a recoverable illness. These prayers ask for what only God can give when the situation is beyond what medicine alone can manage.
13. A Prayer for Someone With a Serious Illness
Heavenly Father,
the diagnosis that has come to someone I love is serious and the fear that arrived with it is real. I bring both — the illness and the fear — to You tonight. You are the Lord over every cell of this body and every moment of this life. I ask for Your miraculous healing if it is Your will. And if it is Your will that this person carry this cross, then give them what You gave the martyrs and the saints: not the removal of the suffering but the grace to carry it without being destroyed by it. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
2 Corinthians 12:9 — “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
14. A Prayer for Someone With Cancer
O great St.
Peregrine, who bore cancer in your own body and were miraculously healed through the mercy of God
I ask your intercession for this person who now carries what you once carried.
Bring their petition before Our Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to do for them what He did for you: to visit them in their suffering and to restore what the illness has taken.
And if the healing is not yet His will, obtain for them the courage and the peace that makes suffering bearable. We entrust them to your care. Amen.
Isaiah 53:4 — “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering.”
15. A Prayer for Someone With Dementia
Lord God,
the person I love is losing themselves in a way that is different from any other illness — not the body failing but the memory, the recognition, the continuous self that I have known. I bring them to You tonight with the full confusion and grief of this. I trust that even when they cannot find You in their memory, You find them in theirs. You know who they are when they no longer know themselves. Hold them in the knowledge they can no longer hold. And hold those of us who love them through what this illness does to everyone it touches. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Isaiah 49:15-16 — “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast?… Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”
Prayers for the Dying
The Church has always prayed specifically for the dying — not as a separate and frightening category but as the final stage of the journey every Christian makes toward God. These prayers are for the person whose illness is approaching its end — and for those who love them and are learning to walk this last road alongside them.
16. A Prayer for Someone Who Is Dying
Lord Jesus,
who promised the good thief that he would be with You in paradise on the very day of his death — I bring to You someone whose life on this earth is approaching its end. Be with them in this passage. Remove any fear that does not belong to faith. Let Your mercy be the last and loudest thing they experience before they see You face to face. And grant them the grace of a holy death — at peace with You, with themselves, and with those they love. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
John 14:2-3 — “My Father’s house has many rooms… I am going there to prepare a place for you.”
17. The Prayer of St. Augustine at the Bedside of the Dying
This prayer draws from the ancient Catholic tradition of accompanying the dying — being present at the moment of passage with prayer and faith.
O God,
You gave us strength in weakness and hope in despair. We are Yours in life and death. Sustain us for the journey of walking our loved one home to You. Give us the graces You gave to those who walked with Your Son as He approached His Passion and death. Steady our hands, gentle our hearts, and sustain our spirits. May we see Your face in the people who love and care for our loved one. Give us the grace to travel this journey in Your peace, with patience, love, and trust. Amen.
Psalm 23:4 — “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
18. A Prayer for a Happy Death
O Mary, conceived without sin, Health of the Sick and Refuge of Sinners — at this hour when the one I love draws near to the end of their earthly life, I ask for your maternal intercession. Accompany them as they cross from this world to the next. Be the face of mercy they see in this final passage. And bring them safely to the Heart of your Son, who said that all who come to Him He will never drive away. We trust your intercession, O Lady of the dying. Amen.
John 6:37 — “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”
Short Prayers for the Sick Person Themselves
These four prayers are for the sick person who is reading this — brief enough to pray during the exhaustion of illness, honest enough to bring what illness actually feels like to God without pretending it is something other than what it is.
19. For the Sick Person: A Prayer in Pain
Lord Jesus,
the pain is real today and I will not pretend otherwise. You took a body like mine and You know from the inside what it costs. Be with me in this pain — not to observe it from a distance but to be in it with me the way You were in the Garden and the way You were on the Cross. Strengthen me for today. Just today. In Your holy name, Amen.
20. For the Sick Person: A Prayer in Fear
Ominipresent Father,
I am afraid and I am bringing the fear honestly to You. Not dressed up, not managed — just as it is. Take the fear and give me something to hold in its place. Not false confidence — real trust. The kind that does not require the outcome to be what I want before it takes root. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
21. For the Sick Person: A Prayer of Acceptance
Lord Jesus,
I receive this illness from Your hand — not as punishment but as the cross You have permitted me to carry at this time. I do not fully understand it. I do not have to. I only have to trust the One who allowed it. Not my will, but Yours be done. And if it is Your will that I recover, let it be for Your glory. And if it is Your will that I suffer longer — give me the grace to do so without bitterness and with my eyes on You. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Luke 22:42 — “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
22. For the Sick Person: A Short Prayer for Any Moment
Lord Jesus, stay with me. I need You in this. In Your holy name, Amen.
Prayers for Community Intercession
The Church prays for its sick together — at every Mass, in prayer groups, in parishes that gather around their suffering members. These prayers are for the community interceding together for those in their midst who are ill.
23. A Community Prayer for the Sick
God of all goodness,
look with mercy on all who suffer any kind of infirmity, sickness, or injury in our community today. When they are fearful, ease their fear. When they are alone, send them someone to listen and to care. When they are in pain, ease their suffering. When they despair, give them hope. May they experience Your healing presence in the comfort of those who love and care for them. And may our prayers, offered together, reach them with the power of the whole Church praying in one voice. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Matthew 18:19-20 — “If two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”
24. A Litany for the Sick
This litany can be prayed alone or in a group. The response to each petition is: Lord, hear our prayer.
For all who lie in pain, unable to rest — Lord, hear our prayer. For those whose illness is invisible to others but very real to them — Lord, hear our prayer. For those who are afraid of what the diagnosis means — Lord, hear our prayer.
For those facing surgery and the hands of those who will care for them — Lord, hear our prayer. For those in the loneliness that illness brings — Lord, hear our prayer. For those whose faith has been tested by suffering — Lord, hear our prayer.
For those who are dying and those who love them — Lord, hear our prayer. For those whose healing comes slowly and who need patience for the journey — Lord, hear our prayer. For all who care for the sick: doctors, nurses, families, and friends — Lord, hear our prayer. Through the intercession of Our Lady, Health of the Sick, and all the healing saints — Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.
25. A Prayer to Our Lady, Health of the Sick, for All the Sick
O Mary, Health of the Sick — you who stood at the foot of the Cross and learned suffering from the inside, who have been the refuge of the sick and suffering for two thousand years
I ask you to gather up tonight all those who are ill, all who are in pain, all who are afraid of what is happening in their bodies and uncertain of what comes next. Take them to your Son who healed all who came to Him. Bring their names and their needs before His Sacred Heart, which is never closed to the suffering. And let them feel, in whatever way You know will reach them, that they are loved by God and held by the Church. Amen.
John 2:3 — “When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.'”
Scripture for the Sick and Those Who Pray for Them
These passages have sustained the Catholic faithful through illness for two thousand years. Read them slowly over the sick person you love. Let the Word do what the words cannot.
Psalm 23 — “The Lord is my shepherd… Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” The psalm prayed at the bedside of the sick and dying since the beginning of the Church. God does not leave the valley — He walks through it with the person who trusts in Him.
James 5:14-15 — “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.” The foundation of the Church’s ministry to the sick. If you have not yet called a priest for the Anointing of the Sick — call one. Do not wait.
Psalm 103:2-3 — “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Healing is described here as an attribute of who God is — not something He does occasionally but something rooted in His nature. The prayer for healing is a prayer that asks God to be who He has always been.
Isaiah 41:10 — “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Three promises and one command: do not fear. The strength promised here does not come from improved circumstances — it comes from the God who holds the one who is suffering.
Matthew 11:28 — “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The invitation is unconditional — not “come when you are well enough” or “come when the fear is managed.” Come as you are. The rest that Christ offers is not the absence of illness but the presence of God in it.
Revelation 21:4 — “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” For the person whose illness is not resolving — the final word on all suffering. It will not always be this way. God Himself will wipe every tear. That is the promise at the end of every Catholic prayer for the sick.
The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick: What Every Catholic Should Know
Do not wait. The single most important practical note in this article. The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is not reserved for the moment of death — it is a sacrament for the seriously ill at any stage of their illness. If someone you love is seriously ill and has not received this sacrament, call your parish priest.
The grace it brings — strength, peace, the forgiveness of sins, and sometimes the restoration of physical health — belongs in the middle of the illness, not only at its end. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is explicit: “It is not a sacrament for those who are at the point of death only.” Call the priest.
Who should receive it. Any Catholic who is seriously ill due to sickness or old age. Those who are about to undergo serious surgery. The elderly who are weakened by advancing age even without specific illness. And those who have previously received the anointing and become seriously ill again — there is no limit on how many times a person may receive this sacrament.
What it does. The Catechism identifies five effects of the Anointing of the Sick: the uniting of the sick person to the Passion of Christ for their own good and that of the Church; the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure the sufferings of illness; the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance; the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of their soul; and the preparation for passing to eternal life. These are not small things. They are the Church’s greatest gifts brought directly to the bedside of the sick.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Catholic prayer for the sick?
The most honest and specific one available to you. The Memorare to Our Lady is among the most trusted — “never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection… was left unaided.” The prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes is particularly associated with healing intercession. And any prayer addressed directly to Christ as the Divine Physician carries the full tradition of Catholic healing prayer behind it.
Can I pray for a non-Catholic who is sick?
Yes, absolutely. God’s healing mercy is not restricted to Catholics. Pray for anyone who is sick without restriction. The prayers in this article can be offered for any sick person regardless of their faith tradition.
Should I ask for the Anointing of the Sick for someone who is seriously ill?
Yes — and sooner rather than later. The sacrament is not only for the moment of death and it brings significant grace when received earlier in a serious illness. Contact your parish priest. Many priests welcome the call and are glad to bring this sacrament to the sick at home or in the hospital.
Which saints are most powerful to pray to for healing?
St. Peregrine for cancer; St. Raphael the Archangel for healing generally; St. Jude for desperate or seemingly hopeless cases; St. Dymphna for mental illness and anxiety; St. Gerard Majella for children; Our Lady of Lourdes for any serious illness. Padre Pio (St. Pio of Pietrelcina) is also powerfully invoked for healing of all kinds.
What do I say when I visit someone who is sick?
Often, less than you think. Presence matters more than perfect words. Offer to pray with them — even a brief prayer said together is worth more than many well-chosen sentences. Ask how they are, genuinely. Do not feel you must fill the silence. And if you can bring a priest for the Anointing of the Sick, that is the greatest gift a visitor can arrange.
A Final Word
The person you are bringing before God tonight — the one whose illness brought you to this article — is already known. Known by the God who formed them before birth and has held every moment of their life since. Known by Our Lady who has been Health of the Sick for two thousand years and has never turned away from a suffering person brought to her. Known by the saints whose own experiences of illness and suffering give their intercession a particular weight before God.
You are not praying alone. Every prayer offered for the sick joins the prayer of the whole Church — at every Mass celebrated around the world today, the sick were prayed for. Your prayer tonight is part of that. It has more behind it than your single voice. It has the voice of the whole Body of Christ, which has never stopped praying for its suffering members.
Bring them back again tomorrow. Pray the same prayer again next week if they are still sick. The Church has never told its sick members or those who love them to pray once and wait. It has always said: pray persistently, pray specifically, bring the same person back to God as many times as the need continues. The door is never closed. The ear is never turned away. The God who healed all who came to Him still heals — in ways that sometimes look like miracles and sometimes look like grace sufficient to carry what has not yet been removed.
Keep praying. The person you love is worth every prayer you bring.
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them… The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” — James 5:14, 16
Your prayer for the sick is powerful. Bring them before God tonight and every night they need it.
