Our Lady of Lourdes
Patron Saint of the sick
O Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, you are the refuge of sinners, the health of the sick, and the comfort of the afflicted. You know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings.
By your appearance to St Bernadette in Lourdes you made the grotto a privileged sanctuary where your favors are given to people streaming to it from the whole world. Over the years countless sufferers have obtained the cure for their infirmities-- whether of soul, mind, or body. Help me to be as you are: an instrument of Jesus’ healing grace.
In His name we pray,
Amen.
O Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, you are the refuge of sinners, the health of the sick, and the comfort of the afflicted. You know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings.
By your appearance to St Bernadette in Lourdes you made the grotto a privileged sanctuary where your favors are given to people streaming to it from the whole world. Over the years countless sufferers have obtained the cure for their infirmities-- whether of soul, mind, or body. Help me to be as you are: an instrument of Jesus’ healing grace.
In His name we pray,
Amen.
St. Raphael, the Archangel
Patron Saint of nurses, physicians, medical workers
St Raphael, you have been appointed by God to become our healer and to guide us in our earthly pilgrimage to our home in heaven. We beg you to assist us in all our undertakings and in all the trials and pains of this earthly life. We pray for constant good health both physically, mentally, and spiritually. We ask you to always guide our steps that we shall walk with confidence on our journey, and enlighten our doubts generated by intellectual pride and worldly ambitions. St Raphael, please present to God the following petitions:______________________.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
St Raphael, you have been appointed by God to become our healer and to guide us in our earthly pilgrimage to our home in heaven. We beg you to assist us in all our undertakings and in all the trials and pains of this earthly life. We pray for constant good health both physically, mentally, and spiritually. We ask you to always guide our steps that we shall walk with confidence on our journey, and enlighten our doubts generated by intellectual pride and worldly ambitions. St Raphael, please present to God the following petitions:______________________.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
St. Luke
Patron Saint of physicians, surgeons
Most saintly physician. You were animated by the heavenly Spirit of Love. In faithful detailing of the humanity of Jesus, you also showed His divinity and His genuine compassion for all human beings.
Please ask God for the grace to be sharers in your own profession of healing. We desire to model your professionalism and the divine compassion you had for your patients. Enable us to cure the ills of both body and spirit that afflict so many in our day.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
Most saintly physician. You were animated by the heavenly Spirit of Love. In faithful detailing of the humanity of Jesus, you also showed His divinity and His genuine compassion for all human beings.
Please ask God for the grace to be sharers in your own profession of healing. We desire to model your professionalism and the divine compassion you had for your patients. Enable us to cure the ills of both body and spirit that afflict so many in our day.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
St. Elizabeth Hesselblad, RN
American-trained Nurse
Saint Elizabeth, while serving as a home-care nurse in New York, was deeply touched by the steadfast devotion of many of her indigent patients. Born a Lutheran, she found herself strongly attracted to their Catholic Faith. She went on, not only to convert to Catholicism, but ultimately to become a nun. She then moved to Rome, where her hope was to revive the Swedish order of Bridgettine nuns and to bring about a resurgence of the Roman Catholic faith in her native Sweden. As a nun, Mother Maria Elizabeth continued her commitment to nursing. During World War II, while directing her order from Rome, she saved many Jews from the Nazis.
From the very beginning of her Foundation, she was particularly attentive to the formation of her spiritual daughters, for whom she was both a mother and a guide. She implored them to live in close union with God, to have a fervent desire to be conformed to our Divine Savior, to possess a great love for the Church and the Roman Pontiff, and to pray constantly that there be only one flock and one shepherd, adding, "This is the prime goal of our vocation."
Throughout her life she remained faithful to what she had written in 1904:
Dear Lord, I do not ask to see the path. In darkness, in anguish and in fear, I will hang on tightly to your hand and I will close my eyes, so that you know how much trust I place in you, Spouse of my soul.
Contemplating the infinite love of the Son of God, who sacrificed Himself for our salvation, she fed the flame of love in her heart, as manifested by the goodness of her works. Repeatedly to her daughters she said:
We must nourish a great love for God and our neighbors; a strong love, an ardent love, a love that burns away perfections, a love that gently bears an act of impatience, or a bitter word, a love that lets an inadvertence or act of neglect pass without comment, a love that lends itself readily to an act of charity.
Saint Elizabeth, while serving as a home-care nurse in New York, was deeply touched by the steadfast devotion of many of her indigent patients. Born a Lutheran, she found herself strongly attracted to their Catholic Faith. She went on, not only to convert to Catholicism, but ultimately to become a nun. She then moved to Rome, where her hope was to revive the Swedish order of Bridgettine nuns and to bring about a resurgence of the Roman Catholic faith in her native Sweden. As a nun, Mother Maria Elizabeth continued her commitment to nursing. During World War II, while directing her order from Rome, she saved many Jews from the Nazis.
From the very beginning of her Foundation, she was particularly attentive to the formation of her spiritual daughters, for whom she was both a mother and a guide. She implored them to live in close union with God, to have a fervent desire to be conformed to our Divine Savior, to possess a great love for the Church and the Roman Pontiff, and to pray constantly that there be only one flock and one shepherd, adding, "This is the prime goal of our vocation."
Throughout her life she remained faithful to what she had written in 1904:
Dear Lord, I do not ask to see the path. In darkness, in anguish and in fear, I will hang on tightly to your hand and I will close my eyes, so that you know how much trust I place in you, Spouse of my soul.
Contemplating the infinite love of the Son of God, who sacrificed Himself for our salvation, she fed the flame of love in her heart, as manifested by the goodness of her works. Repeatedly to her daughters she said:
We must nourish a great love for God and our neighbors; a strong love, an ardent love, a love that burns away perfections, a love that gently bears an act of impatience, or a bitter word, a love that lets an inadvertence or act of neglect pass without comment, a love that lends itself readily to an act of charity.
