Adoro Te Devote: Latin and English Lyrics and Meaning

The Adoro Te Devote (“Devoutly I adore Thee”) is a hymn of adoration to Jesus Christ hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, traditionally attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas. In seven short stanzas it moves from faith in the Real Presence to the longing to see Christ face to face in heaven. It is one of the Church’s best-loved prayers for adoration and for thanksgiving after Communion. Below is the hymn in Latin and in a classic English translation, its meaning, and when to pray it.

The Adoro Te Devote in Latin

Adoro te devote, latens Deitas,
Quae sub his figuris vere latitas:
Tibi se cor meum totum subiicit,
Quia te contemplans totum deficit.
Visus, tactus, gustus in te fallitur,
Sed auditu solo tuto creditur.
Credo quidquid dixit Dei Filius:
Nil hoc verbo Veritatis verius.
In cruce latebat sola Deitas,
At hic latet simul et humanitas;
Ambo tamen credens atque confitens,
Peto quod petivit latro paenitens.
Plagas, sicut Thomas, non intueor;
Deum tamen meum te confiteor.
Fac me tibi semper magis credere,
In te spem habere, te diligere.
O memoriale mortis Domini!
Panis vivus, vitam praestans homini!
Praesta meae menti de te vivere
Et te illi semper dulce sapere.
Pie pellicane, Iesu Domine,
Me immundum munda tuo sanguine.
Cuius una stilla salvum facere
Totum mundum quit ab omni scelere.
Iesu, quem velatum nunc aspicio,
Oro fiat illud quod tam sitio;
Ut te revelata cernens facie,
Visu sim beatus tuae gloriae.
Amen

The Adoro Te Devote in English

The translation of Judge John O’Hagan, as printed in Father Lasance’s With God (1911):

Hidden God, devoutly I adore Thee,
Truly present underneath these veils:
All my heart subdues itself before Thee,
Since it all before Thee faints and fails.

Not to sight, or taste, or touch be credit;
Hearing only do we trust secure;
I believe, for God the Son hath said it —
Word of Truth that ever shall endure.

On the cross was veiled Thy Godhead’s splendor,
Here Thy manhood lieth hidden too;
Unto both alike my faith I render,
And as sued the contrite thief, I sue.

Though I look not on Thy wounds with Thomas,
Thee, my Lord, and Thee, my God I call:
Make me more and more believe Thy promise,
Hope in Thee, and love Thee over all.

O memorial of my Saviour dying,
Living Bread that givest life to man;
May my soul, its life from Thee supplying,
Taste Thy sweetness, as on earth it can.

Deign, O Jesus, Pelican of heaven,
Me, a sinner, in Thy blood to lave,
To a single drop of which is given
All the world from all its sin to save.

Contemplating, Lord, Thy hidden presence,
Grant me what I thirst for and implore.
In the revelation of Thine essence
To behold Thy glory evermore.

The meaning, stanza by stanza

Adoration. Christ is truly present, hidden under the appearances of bread and wine; the heart surrenders before him.
Faith. Sight, touch and taste are deceived, because they perceive only bread; but we believe what we hear from the Son of God, the Word of Truth.
The Cross and the altar. On the Cross only his divinity was hidden; here his humanity is hidden too. Believing both, we ask what the good thief asked: “Remember me.”
Thomas. We do not see his wounds as St. Thomas did, yet we confess, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28), and ask to believe, hope and love more.
The memorial. The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ’s death and the living Bread that gives life (John 6:51).
The pelican. Jesus is called the “Pelican of heaven,” after the old legend of the pelican that feeds its young with its own blood; one drop of his Blood could save the whole world.
The vision of God. We long to see, face to face, the One now hidden, and to rejoice in his glory for ever.

I am the living bread which came down from heaven.
If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world.

When to pray the Adoro Te

During Eucharistic adoration and holy hours. See how to make a holy hour.
After Holy Communion, in thanksgiving. The Roman Missal includes it among the prayers of thanksgiving after Mass.
On Corpus Christi and on Holy Thursday.
In visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote the Adoro Te Devote?

It is traditionally attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), who also wrote the hymns for the feast of Corpus Christi, including the Pange Lingua and Tantum Ergo. See the Pange Lingua.

What does “Adoro te devote” mean?

“I devoutly adore Thee.” The next words, latens Deitas, mean “hidden Godhead.”

Why is Jesus called a pelican?

In medieval legend the pelican fed its young with its own blood, so it became a symbol of Christ, who feeds us with his Body and Blood.

More Eucharistic prayers

Texts and sources

Latin: Latin Wikisource, “Adoro te devote,” public domain.
English: John O’Hagan’s translation, as printed in F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), public domain (Wikisource).
Scripture: John 6:51–52; John 20:28, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.