Saint Edward the Confessor

King of England | Patron of Kings, Difficult Marriages & the English Royal Family

Feast Day: October 13

Today, October 13, is the Feast of Saint Edward the Confessor. Light a candle, go to confession, and ask this holy king to intercede for your family, your leaders, and your nation.

Who Was Saint Edward the Confessor?

Edward the Confessor bears the title not of king, but of confessor — for he distinguished himself not for being a great king, but for being a good man who devotedly confessed the King of Kings.

Born in AD 1003 and dying on January 5, 1066, Edward was the son of Ethelred II and Emma, daughter of Duke Richard of Normandy — making him half-brother to King Edmund Ironside and King Hardicanute.

Born near the year 1000, he grew up in Normandy, where his father Ethelred had sent him to be safe from the Viking invaders who beleaguered England. Yet even in exile, in an environment of sin, he preserved innocence of life.

On Hardicanute’s sudden death in 1042, Edward was called by acclamation to the throne at about the age of forty, being welcomed even by the Danish settlers owing to his gentle and saintly character.

A King Devoted to His People

Being devoid of personal ambition, Edward’s one aim was the welfare of his people. He remitted the odious “Danegelt,” which had needlessly continued to be levied; and though profuse in alms to the poor and for religious purposes, he made his own royal patrimony suffice without imposing taxes.

Such was the contentment caused by “the good St. Edward’s laws” that their enactment was repeatedly demanded by later generations when they felt themselves oppressed.

As king, he was noted for his gentleness, humility, detachment, and angelic purity. He preserved perfect chastity in his wedded life. So little was his heart set on riches that he freely dispensed his goods at the palace gate to the sick and poor. His reign was one of almost continuous peace.

His Marriage: A Model of Consecrated Love

Yielding to the entreaty of his nobles, Edward accepted as his consort the virtuous Editha, Earl Godwin’s daughter. Having made a vow of chastity, he first required her agreement to live with him only as a sister. Their marriage stands as a witness to the possibility of consecrated love even within the bonds of matrimony.

Builder of Westminster Abbey

Edward the Confessor focused his attentions on a glorious church he was building over the Thames, Romanesque in style, just like the architecture Edward knew and loved in Normandy. Known today as Westminster Abbey, Edward’s project was the largest church — in fact, the largest structure — in all of Anglo-Saxon England at the time.

As he could not leave his kingdom without injury to his people, the making of a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s tomb, to which he had bound himself, was commuted by the pope into the rebuilding at Westminster of St. Peter’s abbey, the dedication of which took place but a week before his death, and in which he was buried.

Westminster Abbey eventually became the place where all royal affairs with the Lord were conducted, including coronations and burials.

Miracles & Signs of Holiness

The Ring and the Pilgrim One day the Beloved Disciple appeared to Edward in the form of a beggar and asked alms in the name of the fourth evangelist. As Edward had no ready money, he gave up the ring on his finger. Shortly thereafter, St. John returned the ring with the message that his death was near.

Healing Touch St. Edward was the first King of England to touch for the “king’s evil” — many sufferers from the disease were cured by him.

Incorrupt Body In 1102, the body was found to be incorrupt, the limbs flexible, and the cloths fresh and clean; several remarkable miracles took place at the tomb.

Canonization & Feast Day

He was canonized by Pope Alexander III in AD 1161. His feast is kept on the 13th of October, his incorrupt body having been solemnly translated on that day in 1163 by St. Thomas of Canterbury in the presence of King Henry II.

Edward was the first English king to be canonized by the Catholic Church.

A Pope Prays at His Tomb

Pope Benedict XVI made a pilgrimage to Westminster Abbey in 2010. In his own words: “I thank the Lord for allowing me, as the Successor of Saint Peter in the See of Rome, to make this pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Edward the Confessor. Edward, King of England, remains a model of Christian witness and an example of that true grandeur to which the Lord summons his disciples.”

Patronage & Symbols

St. Edward is the patron of difficult marriages, kings, separated spouses, and the English royal family.

Symbols associated with him include: An elderly king offering a ring to Saint John disguised as a beggar; a ring; a scepter surmounted by a dove; a purse; a crown; and the image of curing a leper.

A Prayer to Saint Edward the Confessor

O God, who didst call blessed Edward, King, to thine eternal kingdom, and didst enrich him with the gift of chastity and piety, grant, by his intercession, that we who venerate his memory may imitate his example and follow him into thy heavenly courts. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reflection for Today

Imitating St. Edward, reach out to the needy — both spiritually and physically. In a world that worships power, St. Edward’s life asks a searching question:

What does it mean to lead with humility rather than ambition — and are you willing to let your faith cost you something in the eyes of the world, just as it cost him?

Prayers to Saint Edward the Confessor

Daily Prayer to Saint Edward the Confessor

Most glorious Saint Edward, you showed your devotion to God with patience, gentleness, and generosity. Like you, may we serve to strengthen the Kingdom of God through patient prayer and charity. Amen.

Collect Prayer for His Feast Day

This prayer is drawn from the liturgical tradition of the Roman Rite and prayed on October 13, his feast:

Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to pardon what conscience dreads and to give what prayer does not dare to ask. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Traditional Prayer to Saint Edward the Confessor

O God, who didst call blessed Edward, King, to Thine eternal kingdom, and didst enrich him with the gift of chastity and piety, grant, by his intercession, that we who venerate his memory may imitate his example and follow him into Thy heavenly courts. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Rulers and Those in Authority

(Inspired by the virtues of Saint Edward)

O Saint Edward, holy king and confessor, you governed your people not with iron will but with a father’s heart, always seeking their good above your own glory.

Intercede for all those in authority — presidents, kings, governors, and leaders of every kind — that they may rule with justice, humility, and the fear of God.

May those who hold power over others remember that all authority comes from God, and that they are stewards, not masters, of the people entrusted to their care.

Saint Edward, patron of kings, pray for us. Amen.

A Prayer for Difficult Marriages

(Saint Edward is patron of difficult marriages)

O Saint Edward, you lived the mystery of consecrated love within the bonds of marriage, offering your union to God in purity and peace.

Intercede for all married couples who suffer — for those whose marriages are strained, broken, or filled with pain. Obtain for them the grace of patience, fidelity, and renewed love. Where hearts have grown cold, may God’s mercy warm them again.

May husbands and wives see in one another the image of God, and may they love one another as Christ loves His Church.

Saint Edward, patron of difficult marriages, pray for us. Amen.

A Prayer for England and All Nations

(Saint Edward is the patron of the English Royal Family)

O Saint Edward, your reign was marked by peace, justice, and generosity. You remitted burdensome taxes, gave freely to the poor, and built a great church to the glory of God.

Intercede for England and for all nations that have grown distant from the faith of their fathers. May the green tree, severed from its root, one day return and flourish again. May nations once more know the peace that only Christ can give.

Saint Edward the Confessor, pray for England. Pray for all nations. Amen.

A Short Invocation for Personal Use

Saint Edward the Confessor — King who chose God over glory, Husband who chose purity over pleasure, Builder who chose eternity over ambition — Pray for us.

Litany of Saint Edward the Confessor

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us. Saint Edward the Confessor, pray for us. Holy king and servant of God, pray for us. Model of humility and gentleness, pray for us. Friend of the poor and the sick, pray for us. Builder of Westminster Abbey, pray for us. Guardian of justice and peace, pray for us. Patron of kings and rulers, pray for us. Patron of difficult marriages, pray for us. Patron of the English Royal Family, pray for us. Vessel of angelic purity, pray for us. Mirror of Christian kingship, pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O Saint Edward the Confessor, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

O God, who raised up Saint Edward to govern his people in peace and justice, grant that we, inspired by his example of holiness and charity, may seek Your kingdom above all earthly things, and at the last be counted worthy to share in his eternal reward. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

These prayers are suitable for use in personal devotion, in bulletin inserts, on prayer cards, or on a webpage dedicated to Saint Edward. They flow from the Church’s Tradition and the witness of his holy life.

As Saint Edward spent his kingship asking what does God ask of me today? — the same question now falls to every visitor who reads these words:

In what area of your life is God calling you to lead with humility rather than self-interest — and what concrete step will you take this week to answer that call?