Catholic hymns carry the faith of the Church in words and music: hymns to the Blessed Sacrament by St. Thomas Aquinas, Marian hymns sung for a thousand years, the great Latin sequences, and beloved English hymns of the nineteenth century. St. Augustine is often credited with the saying that “he who sings prays twice,” and the Church has always prayed in song. This guide gathers the traditional hymns on our site, each with its full public-domain text, its history and its meaning.
Hymns to the Blessed Sacrament
Sung at Mass, at Benediction, on Holy Thursday and on Corpus Christi:
- Pange Lingua: St. Thomas Aquinas’s hymn for Corpus Christi and Holy Thursday.
- Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris: the two hymns of Benediction.
- Adoro Te Devote: “Godhead here in hiding,” Aquinas’s prayer of adoration.
- Ave Verum Corpus: the medieval hymn set by Mozart.
- Panis Angelicus: “Bread of Angels,” famous in César Franck’s setting.
See also Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and Eucharistic adoration prayers.
Hymns to Mary
- Ave Maria: the Hail Mary in Latin, as sung to Schubert’s and Gounod’s melodies.
- Ave Maris Stella: “Hail, thou star of ocean.”
- Hail, Holy Queen, Enthroned Above: the English hymn based on the Salve Regina.
- Regina Caeli: the Easter anthem to Mary.
- Stabat Mater: Mary at the foot of the Cross.
- Magnificat: Mary’s own song of praise.
Hymns to the Holy Spirit
- Veni Creator Spiritus: “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come.”
- Come, Holy Spirit: the prayer and the Pentecost sequence.
Hymns of praise
- Te Deum: “We praise thee, O God,” the Church’s great hymn of thanksgiving.
- Holy God, We Praise Thy Name: the English version of the German Grosser Gott.
- Holy, Holy, Holy: the Sanctus and Heber’s hymn to the Trinity.
- Crown Him with Many Crowns: a hymn to Christ the King.
- Faith of Our Fathers: Frederick Faber’s hymn of fidelity.
- Psalm 150: the last psalm, all praise.
Hymns for the seasons
- Advent: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
- Christmas: see our guide to Christmas carols, including O Come, All Ye Faithful and Silent Night.
- Lent and Holy Week: Stabat Mater and Pange Lingua.
- Easter: the Exsultet, Victimae Paschali Laudes and Regina Caeli.
- Funerals and November: Dies Irae and Catholic funeral hymns.
Why Catholics sing
Music is part of the liturgy itself, not decoration. The Second Vatican Council called the Church’s musical tradition “a treasure of inestimable value” and gave Gregorian chant “pride of place” in the Roman liturgy, while welcoming other sacred music that helps the faithful pray. Singing unites the voices of a congregation into one prayer, fixes the words of faith in memory, and lifts the heart to God.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most popular traditional Catholic hymns?
Among the best known are Holy God, We Praise Thy Name, Hail, Holy Queen, Enthroned Above, Tantum Ergo, Ave Maria, Faith of Our Fathers, O Come, All Ye Faithful and Silent Night.
What is the difference between a hymn and a chant?
Chant is a sung form of prayer, such as Gregorian chant, usually in Latin and without a regular beat. A hymn is a poem in regular verses, sung to a repeating melody.
Are these hymn texts free to use?
The texts on our hymn pages are in the public domain. Many modern hymns are still under copyright, which is why we do not reproduce them.
More prayers in song and Latin
- Lauda Sion
- The four Marian antiphons
- Catholic prayers in Latin
- Christmas carols
- Catholic funeral hymns
- How many psalms are there?
Sources
- Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963), 112 and 116 (vatican.va).
- Hymn texts and sources are given on each hymn’s page.