separateurCreated with Sketch.

Pray to these 4 saints and 1 angel for the conclave

kardynał trzyma w dłoniach biret
whatsappfacebooktwitter-xemailnative
Kathleen N. Hattrup - published on 05/07/25
whatsappfacebooktwitter-xemailnative
Undoubtedly all of the saints and angels are already fervently praying for the cardinals. Nevertheless, it makes sense to call particularly on these five.

As the conclave gets underway, undoubtedly all of the saints and angels are already fervently praying for the Church.

Nevertheless, it makes sense to call particularly on four saints and an angel for this intention.

First, the angel:

According to tradition, and noted by St. Francis de Sales, God has given each diocese a guardian angel, similar to how he's given one to each of us.

St. Francis de Sales, in his Introduction to the Devout Life, highly praises the practice of conversing with your own guardian angel, as well as the guardian angels of your family, friends, and your local diocese:

Seek to be familiar with the Angels; learn to realize that they are continually present, although invisible. Specially love and revere the Guardian Angel of the Diocese in which you live, those of the friends who surround you, and your own. Commune with them frequently, join in their songs of praise, and seek their protection and help in all you do, spiritual or temporal.

Find out more about this here:

As the pope is the bishop of the Diocese of Rome, it seems particularly useful to pray to this angel, who is specially charged with protecting the diocese.

Principal patrons

Turning then to the saints, the first two that come to mind are the obvious choices: Pope St. Peter himself, and St. Paul.

These two are the co-patrons of Rome, and are buried at two of the papal basilicas. They are celebrated together on a joint feast day, June 29.

It's interesting that these two men, very different in background and character, would be co-patrons and pillars of the Church. But that is the way the Holy Spirit has handed them down to us for 2,000 years.

The mother

While we've already had more attention than usual on a particular image of Mary -- because it was Pope Francis' favorite, and he's now buried next to it -- now is the moment to redouble our petitions to her.

We are referring to the Salus Populi Romani: The Protectress of the Roman People, sometimes translated the Health or the Salvation of the Roman People

This image is housed in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and as her name indicates, she's a perfect patron for the Church as we select our next "Peter."

Another patron of Rome

While Peter and Paul are the principal patrons of Rome, another early saint and martyr is also called on for his intercession. This is St. Lawrence, the deacon, famous for his sense of humor.

Lawrence was from modern-day Spain but was a deacon precisely of the Church of Rome. He served under Pope St. Sixtus II (pope from 257 until his martyrdom in 258) -- the 24th pope.

Following the arrest of Pope Sixtus and a group of his fellow deacons, Lawrence was ordered to collect the Church’s treasure and to hand it over to the civil authorities. On the appointed day, Lawrence presented the poor — the Church’s true treasure — to the imperial prefect.

He was martyred for his trouble -- on August 10, 258, by being roasted to death on a gridiron.

St. Lawrence is a wonderful intercessor for the conclave for various reasons. Notable among them: As a deacon his ministry was to serve, and that is the truest mission of the Roman Pontiff.

Bonus: the brother

It makes good sense to pray to any of the apostles for their intercession -- they were the first ones to rally around Peter as pope, after all. But one in particular stands out: Andrew, the brother of St. Peter.

Andrew is the one who got Peter into the "mess" of following Jesus in the first place. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, and responded to Jesus' invitation "come and see."

Then, St. John tells us:

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

St. Andrew brought Peter to Jesus. We can ask him to do the same with all the cardinals, and with each of us.

Prayer

Holy Guardian Angel of the Diocese of Rome, pray for the cardinals and all of us.
Mary, Salus Populi Romani and Mother of the Church, pray for the cardinals and all of us.
Pope St. Peter, rock of the Church, pray for the cardinals and all of us.
St. Paul, apostle, martyr, and pillar of the Church, pray for the cardinals and all of us.
St. Lawrence, deacon and one who teaches us to 'serve, not to be served,' pray for the cardinals and all of us.
St. Andrew, who brings Peter and us to Jesus, pray for the cardinals and all of us.

Did you enjoy this article? Would you like to read more like this?

Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. It’s free!

Enjoying your time on Aleteia?

Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you. Please make a tax-deductible donation today!

Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more.