Litany Of The Saints In Latin
The Litany of the Saints (Latin: Litaniae Sanctorum) is a formal prayer of the Roman Catholic Church as well as the Old Catholic Church, Anglo-Catholic communities, and Western Rite Orthodox communities. It is a prayer to the Triune God, which also includes invocations for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and all the martyrs and saints upon whom Christianity was founded, and those recognised as saints through the subsequent history of the church. Following the invocation of the saints, the Litany concludes with a series of supplications to God to hear the prayers of the worshippers. It is most prominently sung during the Easter Vigil, All Saints' Day, and in the liturgy for conferring Holy Orders, the Consecration of a Virgin and reception of the perpetual vows of a religious or a diocesane hermit.
Litany Of The Saints In Latin
The litany is published in five sections. The first contains a short series of invocations of God, beginning with a threefold Kyrie, followed by invocations of God the Father of Heaven, the Son who redeemed the world, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Trinity.
The second section lists the saints who are to be included, given in the following order. Within each category, men are listed in chronological order, followed by women, also in chronological order. Distinctive names are given in brackets so the cantor knows which saint is intended,[clarification needed] but a directive notes that the bracketed names may be omitted when the Latin is sung. Additional saints, such as the patron of a place or the founder of a religious order, may be inserted in the appropriate place. The official list of recognized saints can be found in the Roman Martyrology.
Certain names are grouped together by the litany itself (e.g. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael; Francis and Dominic); in the list above, a semi-colon always indicates the next line of the litany. Some priests and religious who are also Doctors of the Church (Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Bernard of Clairvaux and Thomas Aquinas) are grouped with the "Priests and Religious", rather than with the "Bishops and Doctors". Strict chronological order is not followed in the case of the Jesuit, Francis Xavier (died 1552), who is placed after the founder of the Jesuits, Ignatius Loyola, who died in 1556.[3]
A severely abbreviated form of the litany is given in the official text for the Rite of Baptism of Children.[6] This consists only of the invocations of Mary Mother of God, St John the Baptist, St Joseph, St Peter and St Paul, and All holy men and women, with the addition of saints relevant to the circumstances of the baptism. In the rite the litany is immediately preceded by suggested or ad hoc prayers for the child(ren) being baptized and family members present, and immediately followed by a prayer of minor exorcism.
An extended form of the litany is also permitted for baptisms, beginning with a Kyrie, and followed by the same selection of saints used for the Easter Vigil (as listed above). The saints are followed by brief invocations of Christ and then petitions which include "Give new life to these chosen ones by the grace of baptism".
The Litany of Saints is also prescribed[3] for ordination (different saints are added corresponding to the different grades of ordained ministry), religious profession, the blessing of an abbot, and the dedication of churches and altars.[8]
In the Latin language version of the Litany, the names of one or more saints are chanted by a cantor or choir, and the congregants reply with either, Ora pro nobis (if one saint is addressed) or Orate pro nobis (using the plural imperative form of the verb, if more than one saint is addressed). Both responses translate to "Pray for us." However, it is permissible to personalize the Litany of Saints for a funeral rite or other Mass for the dead. When this was done during the Funeral of Pope John Paul II and recently the Funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the response was Ora[te] pro eo, or "Pray for him."[3][9]
The iBreviary website offers a text in English[11] of the full Litany of Saints expanded with many additional saints, drawn in part from the bespoke litanies for particular liturgical occasions. It includes a note that in ceremonies involving the Pope, the canonized Popes are moved from their usual place to form part of an expanded list of Popes prior to other bishops and doctors.
A commercially published setting of the Litany of Saints by John Becker includes the name of Origen among its additional saints. Although recognized[12] by Pope Benedict XVI as a significant theologian, Origen is not listed in the Roman Martyrology[13] and was anathematized in the year 553 for certain opinions he was alleged to have held.[14] Origen's inclusion in a published litany, albeit without the official sanction of Catholic authorities, has resulted in vigorous comment in the blogosphere.[15]
The form of the litany in use prior to the Council is given in the Roman Ritual, published in a Latin-English edition in 1952.[18] The Catholic Encyclopedia article available online[19] entirely reflects pre-Vatican II usage.
This Litany of the Saints begins with a threefold Kyrie, followed (as in the current version) by invocations of God the Father of Heaven, the Son who redeemed the world, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Trinity. The names of the saints follow:
The litany then twice pleads with God to be merciful, and this is followed by 21 invocations for which the response is Libera nos, Domine ("O Lord, deliver us"), then 17 petitions with the response Te rogamus, audi nos ("We beseech thee, hear us"). The final part of the litany consists of seven invocations of Christ, the first three under the title "Lamb of God".
If you arewanting to pray the Litany's responses withoutlooking at the text, the auditory cues relevant to the section thatinvokes the Saints are these: if the first word of the invocation is"Sancta" or "Sancte," use "ora"; if the first word of the invocation is"Sancti" or "Omnes," use "orate." Listen to the litany here:
Click here for an English translation. This is the traditional version of the Litany of the Saints, as it was heard in churches and monasteries before 1962. This is the version found in the 1962 edition of the Liber Usualis. Recently, at the funeral of John Paul II, a modernized version was sung (using the same melody). It was in Latin, but several parts were changed from the traditional version found here on this page (and on Chant Compendium 3). It was played again at the start of the Papal Conclave at which our current Pope, Benedict XVI, was elected. Even in its updated form, it is quite powerful because it uses the same centuries-old melody which is perfect for asking assistance from all the saints in heaven for our many needs. The substance, what is prayed for, is also the same— though many items were rephrased, combined or removed. This prayer is sublime and beautiful; The Church leaves out nothing as it places in our mouths exactly what we should be praying for. For the Church, for our country, for our fellow Catholics, for those outside the Faith, for earthly prosperity, for the faithful departed, it asks for God's mercy in general, it asks forgiveness for our sins. One could scarcely find an important subject that doesn't come under one of the many invocations found after the line, "Peccatores" (We, sinners). At this point in the Litany, the response becomes "Te rogamus, audi nos." (We beseech Thee, hear us.) This is found on the following CD(s): Chant Compendium 3.
Praying with the saints is a powerful thing. Learn more about the many saints of the Church: you might find your favorite one and ask for their intercession in the future! Join a novena to St. Michael the Archangel and ask for his protection for nine successive days. Discover a spiritual program with St. Ignatius of Loyola and learn to practice the beautiful Lectio Divina prayer.
The OCM material is incorporated into the Graduale Romanum, published in 1973, and the same information is in the 1979 Graduale Triplex. The list of saints is updated in Ordo Rituum Conclavis [Order for Rites in a Conclave] published in 2000.2 (An English translation of the OCM introduction is in Documents on the Liturgy [DOL] # 535.)
Saints and blesseds may be added because of their significance to various national, regional, and local Churches. Patron saints of significant groups of the faithful (e.g., ethnic groups, religious communities serving a local Church, as well as titular saints of a church, oratory, dedicated altar, or institution), and patron saints of candidates for baptism, confirmation or ordination may be added.
Varying forms of the Litany of Saints are to be found, with particular groupings of saints and specific petitions for the Easter Vigil Litany, and for ordinations of ministers of different ranks, such as bishops, priests and deacons (for example, some of the particular saints for episcopal ordinations differ from those listed for diaconate ordinations).
(i) Our Lady, (ii) Angels, (iii) Patriarchs and Prophets (the last of these is always Saint Joseph), (iv) Apostles and the Disciples of the Lord, (v) Martyrs, (vi) Bishops and Doctors of the Church, (vii) Priests and Religious, (viii) Laity. (Customarily, male saints are listed before female saints.)
1 Some newly composed (Gregorian) chants are given for newly composed Latin texts. Settings for the Order of the Mass both for the ministers and the people are provided. The one Appendix of the Ordo contains the full text and chants for the Litany of Saints. The introduction to the text and chant allows for the insertion of saints such as Patrons, Titulars of churches, Founders, etc., in their proper place and for the addition of supplications and invocations for various local necessities may be added. Where extra designations of saints such as surname, or place names (e.g., of Hungary) are provided in brackets, these extra designations may be omitted if opportune when the Litany is sung in Latin. 041b061a72