Saint Gerard Majella was an eighteenth-century Redemptorist lay brother known for his humility, obedience, charity, and reported miracles. Catholic devotion came to honor him especially as the patron of expectant mothers and safe childbirth. This traditional prayer recalls his patient endurance of false accusation and asks his intercession for a mother and the child she carries. Its petition for the child to receive Baptism reflects the Church’s care for both bodily safety and supernatural life. Mothers commonly pray it throughout pregnancy, especially as childbirth approaches. Relatives and friends may also pray it for expectant mothers. Saint Gerard’s feast is celebrated on October 16.
O great St. Gerard, beloved servant of Jesus Christ,
perfect imitator of your meek and humble Savior,
and devoted child of the Mother of God,
enkindle within my heart one spark of that heavenly fire of charity
which glowed in your heart and made you an angel of love.
O glorious St. Gerard, because when falsely accused of crime,
you did bear, like your Divine Master,
without murmur or complaint, the calumnies of wicked men,
you have been raised up by God as the patron and protector of expectant mothers.
Preserve me from danger and from the excessive pains accompanying childbirth,
and shield the child which I now carry,
that it may see the light of day
and receive the purifying and life-giving waters of Baptism,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
When to pray it: Pray this prayer throughout pregnancy and especially as the time of childbirth approaches.
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