Catholic prayers for a sick child
Watching a child suffer is one of the heaviest things a parent or godparent or grandparent can carry. The prayers below are not a way to bargain with God for an outcome. They are a way to stand alongside the parents, holding the child in front of the Father who held His own Son through the cross. Pray any of them. Pray all of them. Pray badly. Just keep showing up.
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.
Rosary for Healing
Our Lady of Lourdes
Mary, the mother of Christ, is given to us as the mother of every Christian. Praying the Rosary for a sick child puts that child in her arms.
Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque · 9 days
Christ said, Let the children come to me, do not hinder them. The Sacred Heart Novena is one of the most direct ways to bring a child to that voice.
The Memorare
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Short enough to pray over a sleeping child or in a hospital corridor between shift changes. Long enough to mean it.
Guardian Angel Prayer
Angel of God, my guardian dear. Catholic tradition holds that every child has a guardian angel; this prayer asks that angel to be present in a way the child needs.
Psalm 91 - Under the Shadow of the Almighty
He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Psalm 91 was one of the prayers our family prayed during three NICU stays. It does not promise outcomes. It promises presence.
What prayer is for
If you are the parents, you do not have to pray well. You barely have to pray at all. The prayers of others, gathered around your child, are part of the body of Christ doing what it does. Let people pray. Let them bring meals, watch your other kids, sit silent in the chapel. That is also prayer.
More on this on our story.
Pray together with others
A PrayerTrain for a sick child is one of the most concrete forms of help you can offer parents who are stretched too thin to organize anything themselves. You set it up, send the link to family and friends, and a calendar of prayer fills in around them without their needing to lift a finger.
Frequently asked
What is the best Catholic prayer for a child in the NICU?
Psalm 91 and the Memorare are short enough to pray at the isolette and weighty enough to carry the situation. The Rosary for Healing is the longer-form option for the parent or grandparent keeping vigil. Pray whichever one fits the moment you are in.
Is it okay to pray with the parents instead of for them?
Yes. Sometimes the most important thing is to sit on the hospital bed and pray a Hail Mary together, out loud, with the parents who do not have words of their own left. That is not lesser prayer. That is the body of Christ doing what it is supposed to do.
How do I help when I am far away and cannot bring meals or visit?
Start a PrayerTrain. Long-distance friends and family can sign up for specific days, and the parents end up with a record of every name that prayed for their child. The bouquet PDF at the end is something they can keep.