St. Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist: Feast, Patronage & Prayers
Feast day: No separate feast on the General Roman Calendar; she is honored at the Visitation (May 31)
Patron of: Expectant mothers and women hoping for a child.
About St. Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist
St. Elizabeth was a kinswoman of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the wife of the priest Zechariah. St. Luke tells us that they were "both just before God, walking in all the commandments," yet they had no children and were already advanced in years. The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in the Temple and announced that Elizabeth would bear a son to be named John, the one who would prepare the way of the Lord.
When Mary, newly pregnant with Jesus, hurried into the hill country to visit her, the child leaped in Elizabeth's womb, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Her greeting, "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb," became part of the Hail Mary, and her humble question, "Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" has echoed in Christian prayer ever since. The Church honors this meeting at the feast of the Visitation on May 31. Women hoping for a child, and all who wait long for God's promises, find a gentle friend in St. Elizabeth.
Prayers to St. Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist on Daily Catholic Prayers
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