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The Litany of the Saints (Latin: Litaniæ Sanctorum) is a formal prayer of the Roman Catholic Church and Western Rite Orthodox communities. It is a prayer to the Triune God, which also includes invocations for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and all the martyrs and saints upon whom Christianity was founded, and those recognised as saints through the subsequent history of the church. Following the invocation of the saints, the Litany concludes with a series of supplications to God to hear the prayers of the worshippers. It is most prominently sung during the Easter Vigil, All Saints' Day, and in the liturgy for conferring Holy Orders.
Contents
Catholic practice
The definitive version of the Roman Catholic Litany of the Saints is a Latin text published in the Roman Gradual. The current edition was published in 1979, and contains a statement of approval from the Congregation for Divine Worship issued 24 June 1972.
The litany is published in five sections. The first contains a short series of invocations of God, beginning with a threefold Kyrie, followed by invocations of God the Father of Heaven, the Son who redeemed the world, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Trinity.
The second section lists the saints who are to be included, given in the following order. Within each category, men are listed in chronological order, followed by women, also in chronological order. Distinctive names are given in brackets so the cantor knows which saint is intended, but a directive notes that the bracketed names may be omitted when the Latin is sung. Additional saints, such as the patron of a place or the founder of a religious order, may be inserted in the appropriate place. The official list of recognized saints can be found in the Roman Martyrology.
Note that certain names are grouped together by the litany itself (e.g. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael; Francis and Dominic); in the list above, a semi-colon always indicates the next line of the litany. Note also that some priests and religious who are also Doctors of the Church (Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Bernard of Clairvaux and Thomas Aquinas) are grouped with the "Priests and Religious", rather than with the "Bishops and Doctors". Strict chronological order is not followed in the case of the Jesuit, Francis Xavier (died 1552), who is placed after the founder of the Jesuits, Ignatius Loyola, who died in 1556.
Part three of the litany is a series of petitions to Christ, the first 15 having the response, "free us O Lord", with a further 10 petitions ending "Have Mercy on us."
The fourth section includes a list of petitions ending te rogamus audi nos (we beseech you to hear us) from which the appropriate prayers can be chosen for a particular occasion, but always ending with petitions for the whole church, for the ministers of the Church, for the lay faithful and for all humanity. The rubrics printed before the litany indicate that other petitions “suitable to the occasion” and in the form proper to the Litany may be added “at the proper place”.
The final part of the litany consists of a brief invocation calling on Christ to hear the prayers, and a closing collect.
At the Easter Vigil
The Litany of Saints is used prominently at the Easter Vigil, the Mass celebrated on the night before Easter Day. At this Mass, adults who have chosen to become Catholic receive the Sacraments of Initiation in the form of Baptism, or simple Reception, with Confirmation and Holy Communion. Following the readings from Scripture and just before the actual rite of baptism or confirmation, the Litany of Saints is sung. Even if there is no-one to be baptized, the Litany may be sung for the blessing of holy water in the font. But if the font is not blessed (i.e. holy water is blessed in a simple container on the sanctuary), the Litany is not used.
The Litany given for the Easter Vigil in the Roman Missal contains a shortened list of saints:
At Infant Baptisms
A severely abbreviated form of the litany is given in the official text for the Rite of Baptism of Children. This consists only of the invocations of Mary Mother of God, St John the Baptist, St Joseph, St Peter and St Paul, and All Holy Men and Women, with the addition of saints relevant to the circumstances of the baptism. In the rite the litany is immediately preceded by suggested or ad hoc prayers for the child(ren) being baptized and family members present, and immediately followed by a prayer of minor exorcism. A similar rite together with a prayer of minor exorcism is used in the Catholic Church.
An extended form of the litany is also permitted for baptisms, beginning with a Kyrie, and followed by the same selection of saints used for the Easter Vigil (as listed above). The saints are followed by brief invocations of Christ and then petitions which include "Give new life to these chosen ones by the grace of baptism".
At the election of a pope
An expanded list is also specified in the ritual Ordo Rituum Conclavis for use during the conclave for the election of a new pope. The additional saints are, in italics:
In other ceremonies
The Litany of Saints is also prescribed for ordination (different saints are added corresponding to the different grades of ordained ministry), religious profession, the blessing of an abbot, and the dedication of churches and altars.
In the Latin language version of the Litany, the names of one or more saints are chanted by a cantor or choir, and the congregants reply with either, Ora pro nobis (if one saint is addressed) or Orate pro nobis (using the plural imperative form of the verb, if more than one saint is addressed). Both responses translate to "Pray for us." However, it is permissible to personalize the Litany of Saints for a funeral rite or other Mass for the dead. When this was done during the Funeral of Pope John Paul II, the response was Ora[te] pro eo, or "Pray for him."
A Vatican recommendation issued in 1988 proposes that the Litany can be appropriately used for the beginning of the Mass of the First Sunday of Lent, to offer a distinguishing mark for the beginning of Lent.
The iBreviary website offers a text in English of the full Litany of Saints expanded with many additional saints, drawn in part from the bespoke litanies for particular liturgical occasions. It includes a note that in ceremonies involving the Pope, the canonized Popes are moved from their usual place to form part of an expanded list of Popes prior to other bishops and doctors.
Origen Controversy
A commercially published setting of the Litany of Saints by John Becker includes the name of Origen among its additional saints. Although recognized by Pope Benedict XVI as a significant theologian, Origen is not listed in the Roman Martyrology and was anathematized in the year 553 for certain opinions he was alleged to have held. Origen's inclusion in a published litany, albeit without the official sanction of Catholic authorities, has resulted in vigorous comment in the blogosphere.
Traditionalist Catholic practice
In the late 1960s, Roman Catholic liturgical texts were changed according to the directives of Sacrosanctum Concilium, a key document of the Second Vatican Council. The texts in use immediately prior to the Council, those of 1962, may still be used today by priests of the Latin Church, freely if celebrating without the people, under the conditions indicated in article 5 of the 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum if with the people.
The form of the litany in use prior to the Council is given in the Roman Ritual, published in a Latin-English edition in 1952. Note that the Catholic Encyclopedia article available online entirely reflects pre-Vatican II usage.
This Litany of the Saints begins with a threefold Kyrie, followed (as in the current version) by invocations of God the Father of Heaven, the Son who redeemed the world, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Trinity. The names of the saints follow:
The litany then twice pleads with God to be merciful, and this is followed by 21 invocations for which the response is libera ("O Lord, deliver us"), then 17 petitions with the response Te rogamus audi nos (we beseech thee, hear us). The final part of the litany consists of seven invocations of Christ, the first three under the title "Lamb of God".
Pre-Vatican II text
The Latin text given below is the same as that published by Weller but the English text differs. Weller does not include Psalm 69 and the text which follows below.