The patron saint of cancer is Saint Peregrine Laziosi, a 13th-century Italian friar whose reported miraculous healing from leg cancer made him the Catholic Church’s primary intercessor for people battling the disease. His feast day is May 1, and he remains one of the most widely invoked saints among cancer patients and their families. He’s not the only saint associated with cancer, though. Saint Agatha is the patron of breast cancer specifically, and Saint Ezekiel Moreno is also recognized as a patron of cancer patients.
Saint Peregrine’s Early Life
Peregrine Laziosi was born in 1265 in Forlì, Italy, during a period of intense political conflict between the papacy and local Italian factions. As a young man, he was part of the anti-papal movement. When Pope Martin IV sent Philip Benizi of the Servite order as a peace ambassador, Peregrine reportedly struck him in the face during a confrontation. The encounter haunted him, and he eventually sought out the Servites, the very religious order Benizi led. Benizi personally welcomed him and clothed him in the religious habit.
After his ordination as a priest, Peregrine returned to Forlì and founded a Servite monastery. He spent decades in service there, known for his devotion and care for the sick. He lived to age 85, dying in 1345.
The Healing That Made Him the Cancer Saint
Late in his life, a cancerous growth appeared on Peregrine’s right foot. The pain eventually became so severe that doctors determined the foot needed to be amputated. The night before the scheduled surgery, Peregrine spent hours in prayer before falling asleep. He reported a vivid vision of Christ coming down from the cross and reaching out to touch his diseased foot.
When Peregrine woke, his foot, which had been carefully bandaged just hours earlier, showed no sign of the cancer. The surgeon confirmed the next morning that the growth had vanished, and the amputation was called off. This account became the cornerstone of his reputation and the reason the Church designated him patron of people with cancer, foot ailments, and incurable diseases.
Pope Paul V declared him blessed in 1609. On December 27, 1726, Pope Benedict XIII formally canonized him at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
How People Honor Saint Peregrine Today
The most common devotional practice is the Saint Peregrine novena, a nine-day cycle of prayer. The traditional prayer asks Peregrine to intercede for healing, referencing how he “endured the most painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand.” Those praying typically insert their own specific intention, whether for themselves or someone they love who is facing cancer or another serious illness.
The primary U.S. shrine dedicated to him is the National Shrine of Saint Peregrine, located at Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica in Chicago at 3121 W. Jackson Blvd. Many Catholic parishes also hold special Saint Peregrine healing Masses, particularly around his May 1 feast day, where cancer patients and survivors gather for communal prayer and anointing.
Saint Agatha: Patron of Breast Cancer
While Peregrine covers cancer broadly, Saint Agatha of Catania holds a distinct role as the patron saint of breast cancer. Agatha was a young Christian woman in third-century Sicily who refused the romantic advances of a Roman consul named Quintiliano. As punishment, she was subjected to a series of tortures, one of which involved having her breast cut off with iron shears. This detail became central to her iconography in medieval Christian art, where she is often depicted holding her severed breast on a plate.
Her feast day is February 5. The city of Catania in Sicily honors her as its patron, and those dedicated to the treatment and prevention of breast cancer are sometimes called “the soldiers of Saint Agatha.”
Saint Ezekiel Moreno: A Modern Cancer Patron
Saint Ezekiel Moreno (1848–1906) offers a more recent connection to the disease. A Spanish missionary who served as a bishop in Pasto, Colombia, Moreno was diagnosed in 1905 with a malignant tumor in his palate. After painful surgeries in Madrid, he chose to spend his final days in Monteagudo, near the Blessed Sacrament. He died on August 19, 1906, reportedly saying, “I am going to see God.”
Both miracles attributed to his intercession involved cancer. The first, recognized for his beatification in 1947, concerned a woman from Pasto who had been diagnosed with the exact same type of palatine-nasal cancer that killed Moreno. The second, recognized for his canonization in 1986, involved a Colombian woman whose cancer had spread from her right leg to her left breast. Both women recovered after prayers seeking his help. His feast day is August 19.
Which Saint Do People Pray To?
Saint Peregrine is by far the most widely recognized and invoked cancer saint. If someone mentions “the cancer saint” without further detail, they almost certainly mean Peregrine. His story resonates because he personally experienced the disease, faced a dire medical outcome, and the healing narrative is vivid and specific. For those dealing with breast cancer, Saint Agatha provides a patron whose suffering mirrors their own in a literal way. And Saint Ezekiel Moreno, though less well known internationally, holds particular significance in Latin American Catholic communities.
All three are formally recognized by the Catholic Church, and there are no rules about choosing one over another. Many people pray to more than one, or simply choose whichever saint’s story speaks to their situation.