Catholic prayers for couples trying to conceive
Catholic teaching on family and fertility is rich, and Catholic teaching on the suffering of couples who want children and cannot have them is also rich. The prayers below are for the second part. They are not a Catholic version of pray harder. They are the prayers Catholic couples have prayed for centuries through years of waiting, and through the question of whether the waiting has an end.
What people pray when they don't know what to pray
From the PrayerTrain Catholic prayer library. Tap any prayer to see its full text and instructions.
Prayer for the Gift of a Child
Sts. Joachim and Anne
A direct Catholic prayer for the gift of children. Use it without the implicit pressure that praying it will produce a result on a timeline.
Prayer for Expectant Mothers
Our Lady
Often prayed alongside fertility prayer, especially when a pregnancy is hoped for or has begun and is fragile. Asks Mary's protection over the womb.
The Memorare
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Mary, the mother whose own conception was unusual and whose own son's conception was unprecedented, is the natural intercessor for couples whose family has not yet come into being.
Novena to St. Joseph
St. Joseph · 9 days
St. Joseph is the patron of families and of fathers in particular. The Novena to St. Joseph is the Catholic pattern for couples who are asking for the family they hope to start.
Surrender Novena
Don Dolindo Ruotolo · 9 days
Don Dolindo's Surrender Novena is for the couples who have prayed every other prayer and whose answer so far has been silence. The nine days are not about asking again. They are about handing it back to Christ, slowly, day by day.
What prayer is for
Catholic tradition does not promise that every couple who prays will conceive. Sarah waited until she was old. Hannah was barren for years before Samuel. The Church holds those stories as part of its scripture not because they are guaranteed outcomes but because they show that the prayer was not wasted in the waiting. Pray. Keep praying. Do not measure your faith by whether the prayer is answered the way you have asked.
More on this on our story.
Pray together with others
A PrayerTrain for a couple trying to conceive is often started by close family or friends, sometimes anonymously to protect the couple's privacy. The intercession runs quietly in the background. If you are the couple, you can also start one yourselves and invite people you trust.
Frequently asked
What is the best Catholic prayer for infertility?
The Prayer for Fertility and the Novena to St. Joseph are the most direct Catholic prayers for this situation. The Surrender Novena is the longer-arc prayer for couples who have prayed many other prayers and need to practice giving the situation back to Christ.
Should we tell people we are praying about fertility?
It depends on the couple. Some find that having close family pray with them is a relief; others want privacy. PrayerTrain supports both. If the couple wants their name kept private, the train can be set up anonymously.
Is it okay to keep praying after years of unanswered prayer?
Yes. Catholic tradition does not have a statute of limitations on intercession. Hannah prayed for Samuel until she was past hope; Sarah waited a lifetime for Isaac. The prayer is not wasted in the waiting, even when the outcome is not what you asked for.