Litany of Peace (Great Litany): In Peace Let Us Pray to the Lord

The Litany of Peace, also called the Great Litany or Great Ektene, is the series of petitions that opens the Divine Liturgy and Vespers in the Byzantine Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches: the deacon calls out “In peace let us pray to the Lord,” and the people answer each petition with “Lord, have mercy.” It prays for peace from above, for the whole world, for the Church and its clergy, for those who govern, for travelers, the sick and prisoners, and for deliverance from all danger. Below is the full Litany of Peace with its responses, from an English translation published in 1884, followed by its meaning and how it compares with the Prayer of the Faithful in the Roman Mass.

The Litany of Peace

From the Vespers of the Byzantine rite, as translated in Nicholas Bjerring, The Offices of the Oriental Church (1884). The deacon (or priest) says each petition and the people answer.

In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the peace that is from above and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the peace of the whole world, the stability of the Holy Churches of God, and the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For this Holy Temple, and them that in faith, piety and the fear of God enter into it, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For our Bishop N., the honorable Presbytery, the Diaconate in Christ, and for all the clergy and the laity, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For those who govern us, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For this city, for every city and country, and all the faithful who inhabit them, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For healthfulness of the air, for plentiful fruits of the earth and peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For them that travel by water and land, the sick, the suffering, prisoners and captives, and their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

Help, save, have mercy and guard us, O God, by Thy grace.
Lord, have mercy.

Commemorating our all-holy, spotless, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life to Christ, our God.
To Thee, O Lord.

For all glory, honor and worship are due to Thee, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages and ages.
Amen.

What the Litany of Peace means

“In peace”: prayer begins with peace of heart, reconciled with God and neighbor (Matthew 5:23–24).
“For the peace that is from above”: true peace is a gift of God, not only the absence of war.
“The union of all”: the Eastern Churches pray constantly for the unity of Christians.
“Lord, have mercy”: in Greek, Kyrie eleison, the same cry that opens the Roman Mass.
“Commemorating… the Mother of God… with all the Saints”: we entrust ourselves to Christ together with Mary and the saints.

The Litany of Peace and the Prayer of the Faithful

The Roman Mass has its own litany of intercession, the Universal Prayer or Prayer of the Faithful, after the homily: petitions for the Church, the world, those in need and the local community, each answered with “Lord, hear our prayer.” Both come from the ancient Christian custom of praying for all people (1 Timothy 2:1–2, Douay-Rheims):

I desire therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men:
For kings, and for all that are in high station: that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all piety and chastity.

See prayers of the faithful and the prayers of the faithful for peace.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Litany of Peace?

The opening litany of the Byzantine Divine Liturgy and of Vespers, beginning “In peace let us pray to the Lord,” with the response “Lord, have mercy.”

Do Catholics use the Litany of Peace?

Yes. Byzantine (Eastern) Catholics, such as Ukrainian, Ruthenian and Melkite Catholics, pray it at every Divine Liturgy. Roman Catholics have a similar prayer in the Prayer of the Faithful.

Is there also a “Litany of Peace” song?

Several modern hymns have that title. The traditional Litany of Peace is the Byzantine Great Litany given on this page.

More litanies and prayers

Texts and sources

Great Ektene at Vespers, Nicholas Bjerring, The Offices of the Oriental Church (New York, 1884), public domain (archive.org). The response is written out after each petition; the petition for the 19th-century monarch is summarized as “those who govern us.”
1 Timothy 2:1–2 (Douay-Rheims).