The Te Deum is the Church’s great hymn of praise and thanksgiving, named after its first words in Latin, Te Deum laudamus, “We praise thee, O God.” It has been sung for some sixteen centuries: at the end of the night office on Sundays and feasts, at coronations and papal elections, after victories and peace treaties, and on the last day of every year. Below is the Te Deum in English and Latin, its history and meaning, and when Catholics sing it.
The Te Deum in English
As printed in Father Lasance’s With God (1911):
We praise Thee, O God; we acknowledge Thee to be our Lord.
All the earth worships Thee, the Father everlasting.
To Thee all the angels cry aloud; the heavens, and all the heavenly powers.
To Thee the cherubim and seraphim continually do cry:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth.
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of Thy glory.
The glorious choir of the apostles praises Thee.
The admirable company of the prophets praises Thee.
The noble army of the martyrs praises Thee.
The holy Church throughout the world acknowledges Thee.
The Father of infinite majesty;
Thy adorable, true, and only Son;
Also, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.
Thou, O Christ, art the King of glory.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When Thou didst take upon Thee to deliver man, Thou didst not disdain the Virgin’s womb.
Having overcome the sting of death, Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that Thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray Thee to help Thy servants, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting.
Save Thy people, O Lord, and bless Thy inheritance.
Govern them and raise them up forever.
Every day we bless Thee.
And we praise Thy name forever; yea, forever and ever.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, this day, to keep us from sin.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.
Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in Thee.
In Thee, O Lord, I have hoped; let me never be confounded.
The Te Deum in Latin
Te Deum laudámus:
te Dóminum confitémur.
Te ætérnum Patrem,
omnis terra venerátur.
Tibi omnes ángeli,
tibi cæli
et univérsæ potestátes:
tibi chérubim et séraphim
incessábili voce proclámant:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dóminus Deus Sábaoth.
Pleni sunt cæli et terra
maiestátis glóriæ tuæ.
Te gloriósus
apostolòrum chorus,
te prophetárum
laudábilis númerus,
te mártyrum candidátus
laudat exércitus.
Te per orbem terrárum
sancta confitétur Ecclésia,
Patrem imménsæ maiestátis;
venerándum tuum verum
et únicum Fílium;
Sanctum quoque
Paráclitum Spíritum.
Tu rex glóriæ, Christe.
Tu Patris sempitérnus es Filius.
Tu, ad liberándum susceptúrus hóminem,
non horrúisti Virginis úterum.
Tu, devícto mortis acúleo,
aperuísti credéntibus regna cælórum.
Tu ad déxteram Dei sedes,
in glória Patris.
Iudex créderis esse ventúrus.
Te ergo quǽsumus,
tuis fámulis súbveni,
quos pretióso sánguine redemísti.
Ætérna fac cum sanctis tuis
in glória numerári.
Salvum fac pópulum tuum, Dómine,
et bénedic hereditáti tuæ.
Et rege eos, et extólle illos
usque in ætérnum.
Per síngulos dies benedícimus te;
et laudámus nomen tuum
in sǽculum, et in sǽculum sǽculi.
Dignáre, Dómine,
die isto sine peccáto nos custodíre.
Miserére nostri, Dómine, miserére nostri.
Fiat misericórdia tua,
Dómine, super nos,
quemádmodum sperávimus in te.
In te, Dómine, sperávi:
non confúndar in ætérnum.
History
A beautiful legend says that St. Ambrose and St. Augustine composed the Te Deum together, verse by verse, at Augustine’s baptism in Milan in 387, which is why it is sometimes called the “Ambrosian Hymn.” Many scholars today attribute it to Nicetas of Remesiana, a bishop of the late fourth and early fifth centuries. By the sixth century it was already sung in the Rule of St. Benedict at the end of the night office.
The structure and meaning
The Te Deum has three parts:
- Praise of the Holy Trinity. All creation, the angels, the cherubim and seraphim crying “Holy, holy, holy,” the apostles, prophets and martyrs, and the Church throughout the world praise the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. See Holy, Holy, Holy.
- Praise of Christ the Redeemer. Christ is the King of glory, who took flesh of the Virgin, overcame death, opened heaven to believers and will come as judge.
- Petitions. The hymn ends with verses from the Psalms asking God to save his people, keep us from sin this day, and have mercy on us, ending “In Thee, O Lord, I have hoped; let me never be confounded.”
When is the Te Deum sung?
- In the Liturgy of the Hours, at the end of the Office of Readings on Sundays outside Lent, on solemnities and on feasts.
- On December 31, in thanksgiving for the year that is ending. A plenary indulgence may be gained, under the usual conditions, by those who take part in the public singing or recitation of the Te Deum on the last day of the year (and of the Veni Creator on January 1). See the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
- At great moments of thanksgiving: after the election of a pope, at ordinations and religious professions, at jubilees and anniversaries, and after deliverance from war or disaster.
- At Benediction and other thanksgiving services. See Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Te Deum in music
Besides the Gregorian chant melody, the Te Deum has been set by many composers: Marc-Antoine Charpentier (whose prelude became the theme of the Eurovision broadcasts), George Frideric Handel, Joseph Haydn, Hector Berlioz, Anton Bruckner and Giuseppe Verdi. The German hymn Grosser Gott, wir loben dich, known in English as “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name,” is a paraphrase of the Te Deum.
Frequently asked questions
What does Te Deum mean?
“Thee, God,” from the opening words Te Deum laudamus, “We praise thee, O God.”
Who wrote the Te Deum?
Tradition credits St. Ambrose and St. Augustine; many scholars think it was written by Nicetas of Remesiana around the year 400.
When do Catholics sing the Te Deum?
At the Office of Readings on Sundays and feasts, on December 31 in thanksgiving for the year, and on special occasions of thanksgiving.
More prayers of praise and thanksgiving
- Canticle of Daniel (Benedicite)
- Psalm 28 (The Lord is my strength and shield)
- Psalm 33 (Rejoice in the Lord, O you just)
- Psalm 31 (Into your hands I commend my spirit)
- Catholic hymns: lyrics and meaning
- Psalm 150 (Praise the Lord in his holy places)
- Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
- Catholic New Year prayer
- Catholic prayers of gratitude
- Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
- The Magnificat
- Divine Praises
- Glory Be
- Liturgy of the Hours
Texts and sources
- English: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Te Deum, public domain (Wikisource).
- Latin: Latin Wikisource, “Te Deum,” public domain.
- Manual of Indulgences (Enchiridion Indulgentiarum), grant on the Te Deum and the Veni Creator.