Many saints were widows: St Elizabeth Ann Seton, widowed at twenty-nine with five children; St Jane Frances de Chantal, whose husband was killed in a hunting accident; St Rita of Cascia; St Frances of Rome. And in the Gospel of Luke, Anna, a widow for many decades, was among the first to recognize the infant Jesus in the temple.
Historical Context
A Widow’s Prayer
Lord, I lost my husband (my wife), and part of me went with them.
The house is too quiet. The bed is too big.
I don’t know who I am without them yet.
Hold me in this grief.
Give eternal rest to the one I love,
and give me strength for one day at a time.
Show me, slowly, how to live again.
Amen.
For the Nights Alone
Lord, nights are the hardest.
Stay with me until I fall asleep.
Amen.
On an Anniversary or Birthday
Lord, today would have been our day.
Thank you for the years we had.
Tell them I love them.
Amen.
For a Widow Raising Children
Father, I’m doing this alone now.
Be a father to my children and a husband to me.
Send us help, and give me patience.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer
- In the first weeks and months after a death.
- On anniversaries, birthdays and holidays.
- At the graveside.
- On 2 November, All Souls’ Day.
Scripture Connection
“A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.” — Psalm 68:5
Throughout Scripture, God names himself as the one who stands up for widows. In grief, you’re not forgotten. You’re one of the people he has promised to defend.
Related prayers
For grief and loneliness, see the Prayer for Loneliness, The Empty Chair Prayer and Crossing Over Prayer.