Which Saints help with fertility?

[Dust and Ashes]

My wife and I have been trying for years to have children we have had 4 miscarriages and 1 tubal pregnancy that had to be ended surgically. My wife is approaching 41 and is becoming very anxious. She loves children and is very good with them and I know she would be a wonderful mother. We have looked into adoption and are registered with an agency that places children who have been removed from abusive situations but so far nothing has happened there.

What Saints have a special appreciation for fertility and would take a particular interest in praying for us and helping us to have a child?

Also, I am looking for more information about a Saint Lucian who lived around 250 and was a powerful sorcerer who converted when his sorcery was defeated by a woman making the sign of the Cross.

Thanks for any and all help you can give. btw, I had my icon blessed this morning!

 

[Grand_Duchess-Elizaveta]

I hear that St.'s Anna and Joachim (msp?) are good to pray to about fertility issues (the parents of the Theotokos). There may be more, but I'm not knowledgable enough to know.

I haven't heard of St. Lucian, but I know there are other Saints who were sorcerers at one time. I'll do some looking.

 

[CyberSponge]

My wife and I have been trying for years to have children we have had 4 miscarriages and 1 tubal pregnancy that had to be ended surgically. My wife is approaching 41 and is becoming very anxious. She loves children and is very good with them and I know she would be a wonderful mother. We have looked into adoption and are registered with an agency that places children who have been removed from abusive situations but so far nothing has happened there.

What Saints have a special appreciation for fertility and would take a particular interest in praying for us and helping us to have a child?

Also, I am looking for more information about a Saint Lucian who lived around 250 and was a powerful sorcerer who converted when his sorcery was defeated by a woman making the sign of the Cross.

Thanks for any and all help you can give. btw, I had my icon blessed this morning!

heh, I don't know the answer to your question, but the way you titled your subject ("Which Saints help with fertility?"), I thought you were treating the Saints like the Greek gods (e.g. the god of fertility, the god for livestock, the god of not hitting your thumb with a hammer, etc.) God is who helps with everything (including fertility). Ask God for help, and ask any saint you like to intercede (plus your friends and family, of course). Just off the top of my head perhaps St. Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist). Couldn't have a child but she still became pregnant.

CyberSponge

 

[Cradle]

Sts Cyprian and Justina re your second question.

 

[Orthosdoxa]

ForgivenSinner, thank you for having the courage to post about this! We too struggle with this, due to my having a disease called PCOS. Even though we haven't been married long enough to have been trying very long, it has been a source of terrible pain and sadness for me, and sadness for my dear husband to see me hurting. I am currently on drug therapy to try to help my body be doing what it's supposed to be doing, but there are no guarantees.

As far as saints:
Sts. Joachim and Anna, of course - they were barren until they had the Theotokos.

The mother of Samuel, Hannah - is she considered an Orthodox saint? She had many struggles with fertility before he was born.

And, as someone else said, any saint - they all love us and pray for us.

Are you anywhere near a monastery? We know a couple that got a "kit" when he visited Mt. Athos, consisting of blessed oil and holy water, blessed bread, and a few other things. Of course, they got pregnant before they had the chance to use it. It's now in our possession and we will be using it at some point. I know of another lady that went to an old monk because of her years of infertility, and he gave her "the belt of the Theotokos". I don't know enough about what the rest of that was, but she was pregnant within the year. Our monastics devote their whole lives to fasting and prayer - and "the prayer of a righteous man availeth much!" It's not magic, but God does listen and have tender mercy on His children.

There is a couple in our parish - he's in his late 50's, she's in her late 40's - who had been trying for over 20 years to have children and had finally given up in despair - and boom boom! Had two boys within two years! And she was older than your wife is when she had them.

And - have you ever thought about foster parenting? There is a TREMENDOUS need for that, and even though it must be heart-wrenching to give the child back, many of them become available for adoption and desparately need good homes, so they can get out of the system, of being tossed from home to home.

LK

 

[Grand_Duchess-Elizaveta]

Sts Cyprian and Justina re your second question.

Hopefully it was St. Cyprian you were thinking of, because this was the only thing I could find on a St. Lucian that would even come close to the time period you referenced:
[font=Bookman Old Style, Arial, helvetica, san-serif]

[/font]
[font=Bookman Old Style, Arial, helvetica, san-serif][font=Bookman Old Style, Arial, helvetica, san-serif]Lucius I March 4
+ 254. He succeeded St Cornelius as Pope of Rome in 253 and was at once sent into exile. He was referred to as a martyr by St Cyprian. [/font]

That's all it said about him. There are other St. Lucians, but their background doesn't match what you described.[/font]

 

[Grand_Duchess-Elizaveta]

Are you anywhere near a monastery? We know a couple that got a "kit" when he visited Mt. Athos, consisting of blessed oil and holy water, blessed bread, and a few other things. Of course, they got pregnant before they had the chance to use it. It's now in our possession and we will be using it at some point.

Katherine, you just had to know that I would be the type to ask about this.............How does one "use" this blessed "kit" to concieve??? Do you just eat the bread and stuff, or is there...........something else.........that you do with it that an unmarried woman such as myself shouldn't ask about?

 

[Orthosdoxa]

Katherine, you just had to know that I would be the type to ask about this.............How does one "use" this blessed "kit" to concieve??? Do you just eat the bread and stuff, or is there...........something else.........that you do with it that an unmarried woman such as myself shouldn't ask about?

Actually, we don't know. No, there's nothing you should be embarrassed about, it has everything to do with praying and fasting and nothing to do with anything physical!

The couple that got it ended up not needing it, and doesn't know how to use it. Our next step would be asking a monk, or maybe having something prescribed by our priest. There's a service you pray, it involves 40 days of fasting, eating the blessed bread and being anointed with the healing oil. But we're not sure what goes in what order, so we need to get that figured out first.

LK

 

[Patristic]

I am not sure if this applies, but wouldn't Sarah, the wife of Abraham, also be a good intercessor in this case?

 

[Grand_Duchess-Elizaveta]

Actually, we don't know. No, there's nothing you should be embarrassed about, it has everything to do with praying and fasting and nothing to do with anything physical!

The couple that got it ended up not needing it, and doesn't know how to use it. Our next step would be asking a monk, or maybe having something prescribed by our priest. There's a service you pray, it involves 40 days of fasting, eating the blessed bread and being anointed with the healing oil. But we're not sure what goes in what order, so we need to get that figured out first.

LK

Well, that's good to know. My mind was conjuring up all sorts of strange rituals......

Hey, if you could get a hold of Frederica Matthews-Green she could pray for you. That book you sent me mentions that she seems to have a nack for having prayers for conception answered.

 

[ExOrienteLux]

Jeez, I leave for a few days, and people update about 100 threads. I'm not even trying to go through all of them...

Anyway, I think St. Nicholas might be a nice one to ask for prayers, seeing as he is the patron saint of children. As others have said, Ss. Joachim, Anna, Zechariah, and Elizabeth would be good, also. Not that I would know about infertility or anything, seeing as I don't even have a significant other and there's no possibility of me marrying until I get out of college, at the very earliest.

His sinful and unworthy servant,
Josh.

 

[Rick of Wessex]

Brad,

St. Lucian (the former sorcerer) is not mentioned at all in any Orthodox Calendar I've checked. He and his companions of martyrdom are only briefly mentioned in one Roman Catholic site, St. Patrick's Church in Washington DC. Here's what I've found:

Lucian, Marcian, Florius & Companions
Died c. 250. A group of martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia under Decius. Their acta were fancifully embellished at a later date. These relate that Lucian and Marcian were practitioners of the black arts, who were converted to Christianity when their magic had no effect on a Christian virgin and they saw evil spirits banished by the Sign of the Cross. After burning their books, they were baptized, distributed their wealth to the poor, and practiced mortification to subdue their untamed passions. After thus fortifying themselves in solitude, they began to evangelize in spite of the edicts published by Decius against Christians in Bithynia. They were arrested and brought before the proconsul, Sabinus. After questioning they were racked and tortured, during which they argued their incomprehension that they went unpunished while they committed many crimes with magic, but now that they were good citizens, they are tortured. En route to the place they were to be burned to death, they sang hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God (Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Husenbeth).

Their feastday is October 26th. And since these martyrs were canonized way before the Great Schism, there's nothing wrong about praying for them.

Hope this helps. In XC,
Rick

 

[Dust and Ashes]

heh, I don't know the answer to your question, but the way you titled your subject ("Which Saints help with fertility?"), I thought you were treating the Saints like the Greek gods (e.g. the god of fertility, the god for livestock, the god of not hitting your thumb with a hammer, etc.) God is who helps with everything (including fertility). Ask God for help, and ask any saint you like to intercede (plus your friends and family, of course). Just off the top of my head perhaps St. Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist). Couldn't have a child but she still became pregnant.

CyberSponge

Well, I'm glad now that I didn't go with my first impulse to name the thread simply "Fertility Saint?" But the reason I asked is I thought there might be a particular Saint who struggled with this or was known for their love of children who might have a particular interest in that area. I will tell my wife about St. Elizabeth, though. Thanks.

 

[prodromos]

Though we already had two daughters, my wife and I were keen to have another child (or two ), but were having no success. We then went to the Monastery of the Archangel Michael on the island of Thasos in Greece in order to visit a holy spring (Ayiasmos) near the monastery and it was through this and the intercessory prayers of the Archangel that we soon conceived and gave birth to a beautiful little boy.

With regards to the belt of the Theotokos, I believe part of it is held at the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos. White cotton ribbons are placed with the belt for a period of time (I think 40 days) and it is these ribbons which are then given to women experiencing fertility problems who then tie it around their waist while they are working or sleeping. You might ask your priest if he could request a ribbon from Vatopedi.

A saint who is very dear to us is Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia. He had great love, not only for the Orthodox villagers under his spiritual care, but also for the many Moslems who came to him for healing. He is known to have enabled many infertile couples to conceive.

 

[Matthias]

Awww. I'm so sorry to hear of your misfortunes. Your situation is not one I'd wish anyone to be in...

From what I can gather, there are many you can pray to for help in this. Keep up the faith.

 

[DoubleDutch]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Saint Stylianos yet! (Nov.26 is his feast day) Just look at the icon - it's inspiring by itself!

 

[Rick of Wessex]

Here it is

This icon of St. Stylianos was taken from http://www.goarch.org

Rick

 

[Dust and Ashes]

Awesome, thank you.

 

[Rilian]

I'm sorry to hear about this fs. We've known several people who have been in similar situations. My officemate and his wife tried the fertility drugs, literally spent thousands and thousands of dollars trying to get pregnant and it never happened. They ended up adopting two girls from China (at different times) and things have worked out really well for them.

 

[Orthosdoxa]

Just found this really old thread (and saw a lot of names I haven't seen in a few years!) and was marveling at God's grace for answered prayers. Amazing how things can change.

LK