Category: Marginalized & Vulnerable
St. Benedict Joseph Labre, an 18th-century French pilgrim who lived as a wandering beggar for years, visiting the great shrines of Europe without fixed address, is the patron of the homeless, beggars, and those who live on the streets. He died in Rome in 1783 at about 35 years old, having chosen radical poverty as his vocation after repeated attempts to enter religious life were unsuccessful. He was canonized in 1881.
St. Vincent de Paul and Blessed Frédéric Ozanam — through the Vincentian tradition and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul — are also closely associated with ministry to the homeless and the materially poor.
Formally proclaimed patronage — sourced from canonized saints in the Roman Calendar.
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary is invoked as patron of the homeless. Elizabeth was born in 1207, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and Queen Gertrude of Merania. At age four she was betrothed to Ludwig, son and heir of the Landgrave of Thuringia, and sent to be raised at the Wartburg castle. Sources: https://www.usccb.org/resources/2026cal.pdf.
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary is the primary patron saint of homeless. Their feast day is November 17.
A patron saint is a holy man or woman canonized by the Church whose life and heavenly intercession are considered especially powerful for particular needs, groups, or situations. Catholics ask patron saints to intercede — to pray to God on their behalf — drawing on the doctrine of the Communion of Saints.
To ask for a patron saint's intercession, Catholics typically pray directly to the saint, saying something like: "Elizabeth of Hungary, pray for us." You may also light a candle, attend Mass on their feast day, or make a novena — nine days of consecutive prayer — asking for their help before a particular need.