Prayer:Prayer to St. Elizabeth of Hungary

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Stored: Prayer to St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Prayer to St. Elizabeth of Hungary
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Added on 2026-08-13

Prayer to St. Elizabeth of Hungary is a traditional Catholic intercessory prayer addressed to St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207–1231), the beloved princess of the Kingdom of Hungary who renounced worldly wealth to devote herself entirely to prayer and the service of the sick and the poor. This prayer calls upon her heavenly intercession, asking God to grant the faithful an imitation of her extraordinary charity and the comfort of her spiritual patronage. It belongs to a rich tradition of devotional prayers associated with the mendicant and Franciscan spiritual movements of the medieval Church.

St. Elizabeth, a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, is honored throughout the universal Church as a patron of the poor, of charitable workers, of hospitals, and of the sick. Her feast day is celebrated on November 17, and she is especially venerated in Germany, Hungary, and among Franciscan communities worldwide. Prayers invoking her intercession have been a part of Catholic piety since shortly after her canonization in 1235, just four years after her death at the age of twenty-four.

This particular prayer draws closely upon the language of the traditional Roman Rite Collect appointed for her feast, making it at once a personal devotion and an expression of the Church's own liturgical veneration of this remarkable saint.

The Prayer

O most charitable and merciful St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who, in the midst of earthly royalty, kept thy heart fixed upon the Kingdom of Heaven, and didst spend thyself in tender service to the poor and suffering, look kindly upon us who call upon thy intercession.

Thou who didst find Christ Himself in the faces of the hungry and the sick, obtain for us, we beseech thee, a living faith and a generous heart, that we may love God above all earthly things and see His image in our suffering brothers and sisters.

Intercede for us before the throne of Divine Mercy, that we may be strengthened in charity, comforted in our trials, and led by thy holy example ever closer to our Lord and Savior.

O God, who didst give blessed Elizabeth to Thy people as a glowing sign of mercy and charity, grant, we beseech Thee, that by her intercession we may imitate her virtues and be consoled by her patronage. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

History and Background

St. Elizabeth of Hungary was born in 1207, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary. She was betrothed in childhood to Ludwig IV, Landgrave of Thuringia, and raised at the court of Wartburg Castle. Despite her exalted station, from her earliest years Elizabeth displayed a profound attraction to prayer, penance, and the service of those in need. Under the spiritual direction of the Franciscan friar Conrad of Marburg, she embraced the Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis and, following the death of her husband during the Crusade of 1227, she renounced her wealth and royal privileges entirely.

Elizabeth established a hospital at Marburg dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, where she personally nursed the sick, often performing the most menial tasks herself. Contemporary accounts record her extraordinary tenderness toward lepers and the destitute. She died on November 17, 1231, at only twenty-four years of age, worn out by her austerities and her ceaseless labors of charity. So immediate and widespread was her reputation for holiness that Pope Gregory IX canonized her in 1235, just four years after her death — one of the most rapid canonizations in medieval Church history.

Intercessory prayers to St. Elizabeth began circulating shortly after her canonization, particularly within Franciscan communities and among the hospital and charitable institutions she inspired. The formal Collect of the Roman Rite encapsulates the theological essence of her sanctity: the union of interior contemplation with active mercy. Over the centuries, popular devotions expanded upon this liturgical text, giving rise to longer intercessory prayers of the kind preserved here.

The famous legend of the Miracle of the Roses — in which the bread Elizabeth was secretly carrying to the poor was transformed into roses when her husband demanded to see what she was hiding — became one of the most beloved images in medieval hagiography, and further deepened popular devotion to her. This miracle is frequently referenced in novena prayers and litanies composed in her honor.

How to Pray / Devotional Use

This prayer may be prayed individually or in a group setting as part of a novena, a chaplet of mercy, or a simple daily devotion. It is especially fitting to pray before undertaking works of charity, when visiting the sick, or when seeking help for those who are poor or suffering. Those who work in healthcare, social services, or any ministry of charitable service are encouraged to invoke St. Elizabeth as their patroness.

Suggested occasions for praying this prayer include:

  • On her feast day, November 17, as part of a day of charitable action or almsgiving
  • During the novena preceding her feast, beginning November 8
  • Before visiting hospitals, shelters, food pantries, or other works of mercy
  • In personal prayer when seeking strength to practice charity or overcome indifference toward the poor
  • As a closing prayer at meetings of charitable organizations, Franciscan fraternities, or Third Order communities

The prayer may be accompanied by a brief reading from the life of St. Elizabeth, a reflection on one of the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy, or the lighting of a candle before her image. A traditional image depicts her in the brown habit of the Third Order Franciscans, bearing a basket of roses or tending to the sick.

For those undertaking a novena to St. Elizabeth, this prayer may be recited once each day for nine consecutive days, together with the Litany of St. Elizabeth of Hungary and a specific petition entrusted to her intercession.

See Also

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