Very little is reliably known of his life, but two devotions have attached to him for centuries: sailors pray to him at sea, and people with stomach and abdominal pain pray to him because of the gruesome way legend says he died.
Historical Context
The Fourteen Holy Helpers were a group of saints popular in medieval Germany, each invoked for a particular need. Erasmus was the one for the stomach and the sea. His symbol in art is a windlass, the winch sailors used for raising anchors.
A Prayer to St Erasmus for Sailors
St Erasmus, patron of those at sea,
watch over the sailors and fishermen out tonight.
Keep their ships sound and their crews safe.
In storms, light the mast and bring them through,
and bring them home to harbour.
Amen.
A Prayer for Stomach and Abdominal Pain
St Erasmus, you suffered terribly in your body for Christ.
Pray for me in this pain.
Ask the Lord to ease it, to guide my doctors to the cause,
and to give me patience while I wait to get better.
Amen.
A Short Novena
To pray a novena, say one of the prayers above on nine days in a row, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, naming your intention each day. To end on his feast, begin on 25 May.
Best Times for This Prayer
- Before a voyage, a fishing trip or a deployment at sea.
- During a storm, for anyone on the water.
- With stomach pain, digestive illness or before abdominal surgery.
- On 2 June, his feast.
Scripture Connection
“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.” — Psalm 107:23–24
Psalm 107 describes sailors reeling in a storm, crying out to God, and being brought “unto their desired haven.” It is the sailor’s psalm, and St Erasmus’s prayer is built on it.
Related prayers
For fishermen, see the Fisherman Prayer and the Breton Fisherman’s Prayer. In a storm, the Catholic Prayer for Storms.