A litany is a form of prayer made of a series of short invocations, each followed by the same response, such as “have mercy on us” or “pray for us.” The word comes from the Greek litaneia, “supplication.” Because the response repeats, a litany is easy to pray together: one person leads the invocations and everyone answers.
Below: how a litany is structured, a short history, the six litanies the Church approves for public use (with links to their full texts), and how to pray a litany alone or with others.
How a litany is structured
Most Catholic litanies follow the same pattern:
- Kyrie. “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.”
- Invocation of the Trinity. “God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us…”
- The invocations proper. A long list of titles or names, each with its response: “Holy Mary, pray for us“; “Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.”
- Agnus Dei. “Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord…”
- Versicle and closing prayer. A short verse and response, and a collect that sums up the whole litany.
The repeated response is the heart of a litany: it turns a list of names into a rhythm of trust, like a heartbeat of prayer.
The six litanies approved for public use
The Church approves six litanies for public, liturgical use. All six can be prayed privately, and many others may be prayed privately as well.
| Litany | Addressed to | Approved | Full text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Litany of the Saints | God, Mary and the saints | The oldest; used at the Easter Vigil, ordinations and in times of need | Litany of the Saints |
| Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Loreto) | Mary | 1587 (Sixtus V) | Litany of Loreto |
| Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus | Jesus | 1886 (Leo XIII) | Litany of the Holy Name |
| Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus | Jesus | 1899 (Leo XIII) | Litany of the Sacred Heart |
| Litany of St. Joseph | St. Joseph | 1909 (Pius X); new invocations 2021 | Litany of St. Joseph |
| Litany of the Most Precious Blood | Jesus | 1960 (John XXIII) |
A short history of litanies
Repeated short petitions with a common response go back to the Psalms (Psalm 135 in the Douay, “for his mercy endureth for ever”) and to the early Christian liturgy, where the deacon announced intentions and the people answered Kyrie eleison. In Rome, processions with litanies were held in times of plague and on the Rogation Days; in 590 Pope St. Gregory the Great organized a great sevenfold litany procession to end a plague.
The Litany of the Saints developed from these processions. The Litany of Loreto grew up at the Marian shrine of Loreto in the sixteenth century. Later centuries added litanies to the Holy Name, the Sacred Heart, St. Joseph and the Precious Blood, each approved by the popes for public prayer. Popes have also added new invocations, such as “Mother of mercy,” “Mother of hope” and “Solace of migrants” to the Litany of Loreto in 2020.
How to pray a litany
- With others: one person reads each invocation; everyone answers with the response (have mercy on us, pray for us). Many families pray the Litany of Loreto after the Rosary on Saturdays.
- Alone: pray it slowly, letting each title speak to you. Stop at an invocation that touches your heart.
- At church: litanies are sung at processions, at the Easter Vigil (the Litany of the Saints before baptism), at ordinations and at Benediction.
- For a need: many people pray a litany as a novena, once a day for nine days.
Other popular litanies
Many litanies are approved for private devotion, among them the Litany of Humility, the Litany of Trust, the Litany of the Holy Spirit, the Litany for the Faithful Departed and the Litany for a Happy Death. They follow the same pattern but are not used in the public liturgy.
Frequently asked questions
What is the purpose of a litany?
To ask God’s mercy and the prayers of the saints by meditating on the names and titles of Jesus, Mary and the saints. The repetition helps the mind to rest in prayer.
What is the oldest litany?
The Litany of the Saints, which developed from the processional litanies of the early Church in Rome.
What does “Kyrie eleison” mean?
It is Greek for “Lord, have mercy.” The opening of litanies keeps these words from the earliest Christian liturgy.
Can I write my own litany?
For private prayer, yes. A family can make a litany of its patron saints, for example. Only approved litanies may be used in the public liturgy.
More litanies and prayers
- Litany of the Blessed Sacrament
- Litany of Trust
- Litany of the Precious Blood
- Litany of Humility
- Litany of the Holy Spirit
- The Litany of the Saints
- The Litany of Loreto
- The Litany of the Sacred Heart
- The Litany of St. Joseph
- Chaplets: what they are and how to pray them
- Novenas: how to pray a novena
Sources
- Congregation for Divine Worship, letter of June 20, 2020, adding three invocations to the Litany of Loreto; Apostolic Penitentiary and Congregation for Divine Worship, May 1, 2021, new invocations of the Litany of St. Joseph.
- Herbert Thurston, “Litany,” Catholic Encyclopedia (1910).
- Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (2001), on litanies in popular devotion.