Veni Creator Spiritus (“Come, Creator Spirit”) is the Church’s great hymn to the Holy Spirit, sung for more than a thousand years at Pentecost, Confirmation, ordinations, and the conclave that elects a pope. In English it is best known as “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come.” Below are the Latin text, an English version, the history of the hymn, when the Church sings it, and the indulgence attached to it.
Veni Creator Spiritus in Latin
Veni, Creator Spiritus,
Mentes tuorum visita,
Imple superna gratia,
Quæ tu creasti pectora.
Qui diceris Paraclitus,
Altissimi donum Dei,
Fons vivus, ignis, charitas,
Et spiritalis unctio.
Tu septiformis munere,
Digitus Paternæ dexteræ,
Tu rite promissum Patris,
Sermone ditans guttura.
Accende lumen sensibus,
Infunde amorem cordibus,
Infirma nostri corporis
Virtute firmans perpeti.
Hostem repellas longius,
Pacemque dones protinus:
Ductore sic te prævio
Vitemus omne noxium.
Per te sciamus da Patrem,
Noscamus atque Filium;
Teque utriusque Spiritum
Credamus omni tempore.
Deo Patri sit gloria
Et Filio qui a mortuis
Surrexit, ac Paraclito,
In sæculorum sæcula.
In English: “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come”
The English version most often sung in American parishes, as printed in F. X. Lasance’s With God (1911):
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come,
From Thy bright, heavenly throne;
Come, take possession of our souls.
And make them all Thine own.
Thou Who art called the Paraclete,
Best gift of God above;
The living spring, the living fire.
Sweet unction and true love.
Thou Who art sevenfold in Thy grace,
Finger of God’s right hand,
His promise, teaching little ones
To speak and understand.
Oh! guide our minds with Thy blest light.
With love our hearts inflame;
And with Thy strength, which ne’er decays,
Confirm our mortal frame.
Far from us drive our hellish foe,
True peace unto us bring;
And through all perils lead us safe
Beneath Thy sacred wing.
Through Thee may we the Father know,
Through Thee, th’ eternal Son,
And Thee, the Spirit of them both —
Thrice-blessed Three in one.
All glory to the Father be,
And to His risen Son,
The like to Thee, great Paraclete.
While endless ages run.
Amen.
The history of the hymn
The hymn is usually attributed to Rabanus Maurus (about 780–856), a Benedictine monk, abbot of Fulda and archbishop of Mainz, one of the great teachers of the Carolingian age. Older books credited it to the emperor Charlemagne. It entered the Divine Office for Pentecost and spread through the whole Latin Church, and it has inspired translations by poets such as John Dryden and musical settings from Gregorian chant to Gustav Mahler’s Eighth Symphony.
What the hymn means
- Creator Spirit: the Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation now comes to recreate our hearts.
- Paraclete: “Comforter” or “Advocate,” the name Jesus gave the Spirit (John 14:16).
- “Fons vivus, ignis, charitas”: the Spirit is a living spring, fire and love.
- Sevenfold in his gifts: the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaias 11:2–3). See the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
- “Digitus Paternae dexterae”: the “finger of God’s right hand” (compare Luke 11:20), by which God works his wonders.
- Light, love and strength: “Accende lumen sensibus, infunde amorem cordibus”: enlighten our minds and pour love into our hearts.
- Knowing the Trinity: “Per te sciamus da Patrem, noscamus atque Filium”: through the Spirit we come to know the Father and the Son.
When the Church sings it
- At Pentecost, in the Liturgy of the Hours. See Pentecost.
- At Confirmation and at the ordination of bishops, priests and deacons. See the seven sacraments.
- At the conclave, when the cardinals process into the Sistine Chapel to elect a pope.
- At the beginning of councils, synods, retreats and school years, to ask the Spirit’s guidance.
- On January 1, to begin the new year. See the Catholic New Year prayer.
The indulgence
The Church grants a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, to the faithful who take part in the public recitation or singing of the Veni Creator on January 1 or on the Solemnity of Pentecost, and a partial indulgence for praying it devoutly at other times.
Frequently asked questions
What does Veni Creator Spiritus mean?
“Come, Creator Spirit,” the first words of the hymn in Latin.
Who wrote Veni Creator Spiritus?
It is attributed to Rabanus Maurus, archbishop of Mainz, in the ninth century.
What is the difference between Veni Creator Spiritus and Veni Sancte Spiritus?
Veni Creator Spiritus is a hymn of the Divine Office, sung on many occasions. Veni Sancte Spiritus (“Come, Holy Spirit”) is the sequence sung at Mass on Pentecost Sunday.
When is Veni Creator Spiritus sung?
At Pentecost, Confirmation, ordinations, the papal conclave, and on January 1.
More prayers to the Holy Spirit
- Psalm 104 (Send forth your Spirit)
- Come, Holy Spirit prayer
- Chaplet of the Holy Spirit
- Gifts of the Holy Spirit
- Pentecost
- Catholic hymns
Texts and sources
- Latin: Charles Cooper Nott, The Seven Great Hymns of the Mediaeval Church (1902), public domain (Latin Wikisource); long s modernized.
- English: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), Devotions to the Holy Ghost, public domain (Wikisource).
- Scripture references: John 14:16; Isaias 11:2–3; Luke 11:20.
- Indulgence: Enchiridion of Indulgences (1999), grant 26.