This year, the United States of America has cause for great celebration as she approaches 250 years of freedom. Though it may not seem like such a long time to our European brothers and sisters, we still have plenty of Saints (Blesseds and Servants of God too!) who are connected to our fine country. Between fireworks, parades, and ice cream, let us remember to pray for our country, rooted in ideals but struggling to live up to them. Perhaps this litany can provide some inspiration for you as you ask these American (or American-connected) holy men and women to intercede for us and for our great country.  

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for those of us in unhappy marriages or struggling in our parenting.

St. John Neumann, pray for our dioceses and parishes that need an increase of vocations and for the perseverance and holiness of our priests and bishops.

St. Marianne Cope, pray for our doctors and nurses. 

St. Katharine Drexel, pray for those who are called to care for others but are unsure of how to go forth and give of themselves.

St. Damien of Molokai, pray for all Americans to be bold and brave in responding to the prompts of the Holy Spirit. 

St. Junípero Serra, pray for those who have been marginalized. 

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for those who are estranged from their family members, that those wounds might be healed and relationships restored through grace.

St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for our poor and needy and for those who minister to them.

St. Théodore Guérin, pray for our teachers, daycare workers, and all those who care for children who are away from home.

St. Isaac Jogues, pray for our friendships, that they may be strengthened and multiplied and that those of us who feel alone may find a kindred spirit. 

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for those who are facing obstacles in their path to immigration. 

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, pray that America may become a nation of constant prayer. 

Bl. Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, pray for those whose vocations are delayed or feel confused regarding God’s will in their lives. 

Bl. Stanley Rother, pray for the healing of the fractures in our nation’s politics and for restored peace in the places that have suffered from violence, mobs, and rioting. 

Bl. Solanus Casey, pray for our neighborhoods, that neighbors might know one another and be Christ to those neighbors who are in need physically, spiritually, or emotionally. 

Bl. Michael J. McGivney, pray for those parents who have lost children.

Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos, pray for our priests, that they may be holy and articulate in the Faith. 

Servant of God Fulton Sheen, pray for us. 

Servant of God Paul Wattson, pray for us.

Servant of God Martin de Porres Ward, pray for us.

Servant of God Adele Brise, pray for us.

Servant of God Michelle Duppong, pray for us. 

Servant of God Margaret Mary Healy Murphy, pray for us.

Servant of God Magín Catalá Guasch, pray for us.

Servant of God Gertrude Barber, pray for us.

Servant of God Theodore Foley, pray for us.

Servant of God Aloysius Ellacuria, pray for us.

Servants of God Isidore Quémarais, François LeVézouet, Louis Marie Gergaud, Jean Marie Biler, Jean Pierre, pray for us.

Servant of God Antonio Inija and Companion Martyrs of La Florida, pray for us.

Servant of God Irving Houle, pray for us. 

Servant of God George Willmann, pray for us.

Servant of God Francis Xavier Ford, pray for us.

Servant of God Ida Peterfy, pray for us. 

Servant of God Jean Martin Eyraud, pray for us.

Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk, pray for us.

Servant of God Gwen Coniker, pray for us.

Servant of God Walter Ciszek, pray for us.

Servant of God Rhoda Greer Wise, pray for us.

Servant of God Charlene Marie Richard, pray for us.

Servant of God Paul James Wattson, pray for us.

Servant of God John Joseph McKniff, pray for us.

Servant of God Terence James Cooke, pray for us.

Servant of God Julia Greeley, pray for us.

Servant of God Leo Heinrichs, pray for us.

Servant of God Felice de Andreis, pray for us. 

Servant of God Br. Columba O’Neill, pray for us. 

Servant of God Vincent Joseph McCauley, pray for us.

Servant of God Blandina Segale, pray for us.

Servant of God Bernard John Quinn, pray for us.

Servant of God Patrick Ryan, pray for us.

Servant of God Joseph Múzquiz, pray for us.

Servant of God Thea Bowman, pray for us.

Servant of God Joseph Cappel, pray for us.

Servant of God John Hardon, pray for us.

Servant of God Vincent Capodanno, pray for us.

Servant of God Paul Michael Murphy, pray for us.

Servant of God Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin, pray for us.

Servant of God Francis Joseph Parater, pray for us.

Servant of God Bill Atkinson, pray for us.

Servant of God Mary Virginia Merrick, pray for us.

Servant of God Joseph Walijewski, pray for us.

Servant of God Brother Marinus LaRue, pray for us.

Servant of God Dorothy Day, pray for us.

Servant of God Luis de Quirós, pray for us.

Servant of God Pedro Mingot Linares, pray for us.

Servant of God Cristóbal Redondo, pray for us.

Servant of God Sancho Zeballos, pray for us.

Servant of God Gabriel Gómez, pray for us.

Servant of God Juan Bautista de Segura, pray for us.

Servant of God Juan Bautista Méndez, pray for us.

Servant of God Gabriel de Solís, pray for us.

Servant of God Simon Bruté, pray for us.

Servant of God Maria Esperanza Medrano Parra de Bianchini, pray for us.

Servant of God Isaac Thomas Hecker, pray for us.

Servant of God Auguste Pelafigue, pray for us.

Servant of God William Slattery, pray for us.

Servant of God Ernó Tindira, pray for us.

Servant of God Stephen Eckert, pray for us.

Servant of God Patrick Brennan, pray for us.

Servant of God Joan Adelaide O’Sullivan, pray for us.

Servant of God Thomas Fredrick Price, pray for us.

Servant of God James Anthony Walsh, pray for us.

Servant of God Casimir Michael Cypher, pray for us.

Servant of God Joseph Dutton, pray for us.

Servant of God Joseph Verbis Lafleur, pray for us.

Servant of God William Evans, pray for us.

Servant of God Luis de Cáncer, pray for us.

Servant of God Anna Bentivoglio, pray for us.

Servant of God Anna Marie Lindenberg, pray for us.

Servant of God Cora Louise Evans, pray for us.

For more information on the American Saints and Blesseds, both here and here are excellent resources. St. Teresa of Calcutta is only included on the former list (as well as in this litany) because she was declared an honorary American citizen, but she was not linked to America in any other particularly significant way. Information on American Servants of God is less centralized, but this is an excellent place to start. May this Fourth of July be filled with family, fun, and blessings brought through the intercession of these holy men and women!