Many turn to Mary under the title of Our Lady of La Leche to ask for her intercession for healthy pregnancies, for women longing to conceive, or for mothers facing difficult moments during pregnancy.
Below are three prayers to confidently entrust these intentions to her care.
Who is Our Lady of La Leche?
The title “Our Lady of the Milk”—Virgo Lactans in Latin—depicts Mary nursing the Child Jesus. This image has appeared since the earliest centuries of Christianity, including in the Roman catacombs of Priscilla, one of the oldest known places of devotion to her under this name.
Over the centuries, many women have turned to this tender Marian devotion when experiencing trials related to motherhood. One of the most symbolic places connected with it is the Milk Grotto, located near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. According to tradition, it was here that the Virgin Mary nursed the Child Jesus. When a drop of her milk touched the rock, it turned white.
Devotion to Our Lady of La Leche has inspired countless artistic representations over the years, highlighting Mary’s tenderness and maternal love. This love is also expressed in the establishment of the first Marian shrine in the United States, dedicated specifically to Our Lady of La Leche.
The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche y del Buen Parto was founded in 1609 at the Nombre de Dios Mission in St. Augustine, Florida.
In 2019, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops officially elevated it to the status of a National Shrine.
If you know a woman in one of these situations—or would like to pray for one—here are three prayers entrusted to Our Lady of La Leche:
1) Prayer for the Gift of Children
Beautiful Lady of La Leche, most beloved Mother of the Child Jesus and my Mother, hear my humble prayer. Your mother’s heart knows all my desires, all my needs. Only to you, Immaculate Virgin, has your Divine Son given the understanding of the feelings that fill my soul.
Yours was the sacred privilege of being the Mother of the Savior. Intercede with Him now, my most beloved Mother, so that, according to His will, I may be the mother of other children sent by Our Lord.
This I ask, O Lady of La Leche, in the name of your Divine Son, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen.
2) Prayer for a Healthy Pregnancy, Safe Delivery, and a Healthy Child
O Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of Your tender Mother, Our Lady of La Leche, who held You close to her heart during those long months before Your birth, I entrust myself into Your hands.
Free me, I implore You, from useless and consuming worries. Accept the sacrifice of my ills and pains, which I unite with Your sufferings on the Cross.
Above all, merciful and most beloved Jesus, protect this child You have given me from all evil, endowing him with the health and strength that every child needs.
Impress in my heart and on my lips the words and prayers of Your Mother and mine, Our Beautiful Lady of La Leche. All this I ask so that my child and I may live to eternally praise Your Holy Name. Amen.
3) Prayer for a Pregnant Woman
To you, Beautiful Lady of La Leche, and to your Divine Son, I now dedicate this child that our Lord has given me.
I ask that you obtain for me the physical and spiritual graces I need to fulfill my duties at every moment. Inspire me with the maternal feelings you felt during the time you spent at the side of the Child Jesus.
Grant that, imitating you, O Lady of La Leche, I may nourish my child in perfect health. In all things, help me to follow the example that you, the perfect model of all mothers, have given me.
Allow my family to reflect the virtues of your Holy Family in Nazareth. Finally, I commend to your loving care all the mothers of the earth, into whose hands He has entrusted the souls of His little ones. Amen.