Prayers and Liturgics

This page is intended to be a simple compilation of different prayers that could be said after a miscarriage, as well as prayers for prevention of a miscarriage while you are pregnant. There is a blessing, a novena, links to various Saints connected to miscarriage, and more. And as we’ve stated many times on this site, please also know that we are praying for our visitors.

 

Blessing of Parents After a Miscarriage

This is a beautiful blessing that can be done by a priest, deacon, or layperson. A priest or deacon will already have it in their book of blessings. You may view it here.

 

Christian Miscarriage Prayer

Father, in the name of Jesus I come to you with a broken heart because of the loss of my baby. I know that your ears are open to my prayers. I am hurting and restless and feel overwhelmed. Please rescue me out of this pit of hopelessness and fear. You know the tears that I cry and my sleepless nights. Father, I give you all my hurts, worries, and cares. I thank you that you are not finished with me yet. I will chose not to be held down by a spirit of discouragement and grief. By your grace I will stand firm and trust you. Help me to remember that others are going through the same pain as me, help me to get strong, so that with the same comfort that you comfort me with, I will be able to comfort others.

by Patty Larsen; used with permission.

 

Order for the Naming and Commendation of an Infant Who Died Before Birth

The Archdiocese of  St. Louis has created a rite for parents who have miscarried a child, allowing them to name their child and commend him in faith to the loving mercy of God.  You can find a pdf of the rite here.

 

Chaplet of Hannah’s Tears

 

Novena to Saints Anne and Joachim for Faith and Perseverance in Marriage and Pregnancy

 

Prayer for Those Experiencing Miscarriage

God, We remember all babies who have died as a result of miscarriage. We remember all mothers and fathers whose hearts are aching and arms empty, who never had a chance to love or hold their babies. We ask God’s healing to fill the void and emptiness that has been left. Amen.

by Jane Parkinson; used with permission.

 

Prayer for Questions and Understanding

Dear God,
People ask me how I am coping.
I’ve learned to smile in company.
I’ve learned to appear calm and even relaxed.
But this is not the real me.
It is a person that I watch going through the motions of living.
Inside, I’m still screaming, or else I’m just numb.
Sometimes the ache is so strong that my whole body is racked with pain.
The pain and the questions are often bound up together.
Why did I have to miscarry (again)?
The questions chase around inside my mind.
I feel there ought to be answers.
I feel I am owed some explanations.
Yet no explanations come, and there seems to be nowhere to go to find any.
You alone know the reasons for our loss.
Help me to accept your mysterious ways and your divine plan for me, which may differ from my human hopes and dreams.
Help us to understand that at the very heart of the universe there is not despair but hope, not evil but a God of love.
Amen.

by Jane Parkinson; used with permission.

 

Miscarriage Prayer

My Lord, the baby is dead!

Why, my Lord—dare I ask why? It will not hear the whisper of the wind or see the beauty of its parents’ face—it will not see the beauty of Your creation or the flame of a sunrise. Why, my Lord?

“Why, My child—do you ask ‘why’? Well, I will tell you why.

 You see, the child lives. Instead of the wind he hears the sound of angels singing before My throne. Instead of the beauty that passes he sees everlasting Beauty—he sees My face. He was created and lived a short time so the image of his parents imprinted on his face may stand before Me as their personal intercessor. He knows secrets of heaven unknown to men on earth. He laughs with a special joy that only the innocent possess. My ways are not the ways of man. I create for My Kingdom and each creature fills a place in that Kingdom that could not be filled by another. He was created for My joy and his parents’ merits. He has never seen pain or sin. He has never felt hunger or pain. I breathed a soul into a seed, made it grow and called it forth.”

 I am humbled before you, my Lord, for questioning Your wisdom, goodness, and love. I speak as a fool—forgive me. I acknowledge Your sovereign rights over life and death. I thank You for the life that began for so short a time to enjoy so long an Eternity.

by Mother M. Angelica

©2012 EWTN. Used with permission.
For more Catholic prayers and additional resources, visit the EWTN website.

 

Prayer After the Death of a Child

 

Saints for Miscarriage Prevention and Healing

 

Prayer to St. Catherine of Siena to Avoid Miscarriage