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The Litany of Loreto

Marian Litanies

Verified official text: Archdiocese of Madrid, Church of Cristo de la Victoria — PDF “Holy Rosary — Litany of Loreto with the additions of Pope Francis 2020”. It matches the text on the official site vatican.va.

1. What are litanies?

From the Greek litaneía (supplication). A responsorial prayer: the celebrant or leader says an invocation, and the assembly responds. An ancient structure of Christian worship, already present in the processions of the fourth century.

An important distinction:

  • Official liturgical litanies: approved by the Church for public use. Only five are recognized for public worship and may be included in blessings, processions and other liturgical celebrations: of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, of the Sacred Heart, of the Most Precious Blood, of Loreto (to the Virgin) and of Saint Joseph.
  • Private devotional litanies: popular piety, the domestic setting or small communities. Many of them (Immaculate Heart, Assumption, Our Lady of the Rosary, local titles).

The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (Congregation for Divine Worship, 2002), n. 203, recalls that Marian litanies belong to the devotional heritage, but “must not replace, but rather lead to, the Liturgy”.

2. Litany of Loreto — complete official text

Origin and history

  • Shrine of Loreto (Italy, the house of Nazareth translated according to tradition). Its primitive form is attested in the sixteenth century.
  • Official approval: the bull Reddituri of Sixtus V, 11 July 1587.
  • Additions throughout the centuries (the principal ones):
    • Auxilium Christianorum — Help of Christians: added by Pius V after the victory of Lepanto (1571), although the canonical formulation is dated to the late sixteenth century.
    • Mater Immaculata / Regina sine labe originali concepta — Queen conceived without original sin: after the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (Pius IX, 1854).
    • Mater Boni Consilii — Mother of Good Counsel: added by Leo XIII in 1903.
    • Regina Sanctissimi Rosarii — Queen of the Most Holy Rosary: approved by Leo XIII in 1883.
    • Regina Pacis — Queen of Peace: introduced by Benedict XV in 1917, during the First World War.
    • Regina assumpta in caelum — Queen assumed into Heaven: added by Pius XII after the dogmatic definition of the Assumption in 1950.
    • Mater Ecclesiae — Mother of the Church: added by Saint John Paul II in 1980, taking up the title proclaimed by Paul VI in 1964.
    • Regina familiae — Queen of the family: added by Saint John Paul II in 1995.
    • Mater misericordiae, Mater spei, Solacium migrantium — Mother of mercy, Mother of hope, Solace of migrants: added by Pope Francis, decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship of 20 June 2020 (letter of Cardinal Robert Sarah to the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences).

Complete English text (Litany of Loreto with the additions of Pope Francis 2020)

V. Lord, have mercy. R. Lord, have mercy. V. Christ, have mercy. R. Christ, have mercy. V. Lord, have mercy. R. Lord, have mercy.

V. Christ, hear us. R. Christ, hear us. V. Christ, graciously hear us. R. Christ, graciously hear us.

V. God the Father of heaven, R. have mercy on us. V. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, R. have mercy on us. V. God the Holy Spirit, R. have mercy on us. V. Holy Trinity, one God, R. have mercy on us.

(To each invocation that follows, the response is: “pray for us”.)

  • Holy Mary,
  • Holy Mother of God,
  • Holy Virgin of virgins,
  • Mother of Christ,
  • Mother of the Church,
  • Mother of Mercy, (added in 2020)
  • Mother of divine grace,
  • Mother of Hope, (added in 2020)
  • Mother most pure,
  • Mother most chaste,
  • Mother inviolate,
  • Mother undefiled,
  • Mother most amiable,
  • Mother most admirable,
  • Mother of good counsel,
  • Mother of our Creator,
  • Mother of our Savior,
  • Virgin most prudent,
  • Virgin most venerable,
  • Virgin most renowned,
  • Virgin most powerful,
  • Virgin most merciful,
  • Virgin most faithful,
  • Mirror of justice,
  • Seat of wisdom,
  • Cause of our joy,
  • Spiritual vessel,
  • Vessel of honor,
  • Singular vessel of devotion,
  • Mystical Rose,
  • Tower of David,
  • Tower of ivory,
  • House of gold,
  • Ark of the Covenant,
  • Gate of heaven,
  • Morning star,
  • Health of the sick,
  • Refuge of sinners,
  • Solace of migrants, (added in 2020)
  • Comforter of the afflicted,
  • Help of Christians,
  • Queen of Angels,
  • Queen of Patriarchs,
  • Queen of Prophets,
  • Queen of Apostles,
  • Queen of Martyrs,
  • Queen of Confessors,
  • Queen of Virgins,
  • Queen of all Saints,
  • Queen conceived without original sin,
  • Queen assumed into Heaven,
  • Queen of the most holy Rosary,
  • Queen of the family,
  • Queen of peace.

V. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, R. spare us, O Lord. V. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, R. graciously hear us, O Lord. V. Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, R. have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Concluding prayer

Grant, we beseech you, O Lord God, that we your servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body, and, by the glorious intercession of the Blessed ever-Virgin Mary, be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy eternal gladness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

3. Commentary on some invocations

Causa nostrae laetitiae — Cause of our joy. A medieval invocation. Mary is the cause of joy because she brought the Savior into the world. Saint Bede the Venerable linked Gabriel’s greeting “Ave, gratia plena” with the prophetic cry of Zephaniah 3:14: “Rejoice, O daughter of Zion!”. Christian joy is not sentimental optimism: it is the certainty of salvation, and Mary embodied it first.

Mater divinae gratiae — Mother of divine grace. By giving the world Christ, the source of all grace, Mary is called Mother of grace. Saint Thomas Aquinas explains it in III, q. 27, a. 5: “The fullness of grace was owed to the Blessed Virgin because she conceived the very Author of grace”.

Speculum iustitiae — Mirror of justice. Biblical justice is the uprightness that unites man with God. Mary reflected perfectly the holiness of her Son. Saint Bernard: “Speculum sine macula”, a spotless mirror. It takes up Wisdom 7:26 applied to Wisdom: “a spotless mirror of the working of God”.

Sedes sapientiae — Seat of Wisdom. A medieval Roman image: the Virgin seated with the Child-Wisdom on her knees. Christ is the eternal Wisdom of the Father (1 Cor 1:24); Mary is the living throne that bears him.

Rosa mystica — Mystical Rose. A medieval symbol. The rose, queen of flowers, alludes to Mary’s unique beauty among creatures. The “mystical rose” also refers to the “rosary”, a crown of spiritual roses.

Stella matutina — Morning star. She who announces the Sun, Christ. Saint Bernard in his sermon “De aquaeductu”: “Respice stellam, voca Mariam” (look at the star, call upon Mary).

Solacium migrantium — Solace of migrants. Added by Francis in 2020. Mary fled to Egypt with Joseph and the Child (Mt 2:13-15): every forced migration finds refuge in her. The universal Church invokes her for those who leave their land.

4. Other traditional Marian litanies

Biblical litanies to the Virgin Mary

A modern devotional composition that gathers Marian titles drawn directly from Sacred Scripture. Approved for private use, widely spread among Bible study groups. Some invocations:

  • Daughter of Zion (Zeph 3:14)
  • Handmaid of the Lord (Lk 1:38)
  • Full of grace (Lk 1:28)
  • Blessed among women (Lk 1:42)
  • Woman of the Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55)
  • Mother of the Savior (Lk 2:11)
  • Woman of the wedding at Cana (Jn 2:1-11)
  • Woman at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19:25)
  • Mother of the beloved disciple (Jn 19:27)
  • Woman in the Upper Room (Acts 1:14)
  • Woman clothed with the sun (Rev 12:1)

Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Approved by Pius XII in 1942 after the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart (31 October 1942). Private and devotional use. They include invocations such as: Immaculate Heart of Mary, sanctuary of the Word made flesh / ark of the new covenant / summit of holiness / our refuge and that of sinners…

Litany of the Immaculate Conception

A Spanish and Hispanic-American tradition, particularly rooted after the dogma of 1854. Devotional use.

Litany of Our Lady of Guadalupe

An American devotion. It combines Loreto titles with invocations proper to Tepeyac: Star of evangelization / Mother of Juan Diego / Dawn of salvation for America…

5. When the litanies are prayed

  • At the end of the Holy Rosary (the most widespread use).
  • Marian processions, especially in May (the month of Mary) and October (the month of the Rosary).
  • Novenas and Marian triduums.
  • Votive Mass of Our Lady, as a devotional conclusion after the celebration (not within the eucharistic Liturgy).
  • Blessings of the Ritual that provide for them.

The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (n. 195) specifies: the litanies “do not replace the Liturgy, but rather prolong it in domestic and communal piety”.

Źródła

  • Official text of the Litany of Loreto with the 2020 additions — Archdiocese of Madrid, parish of Cristo de la Victoria — downloadable PDF at cristodelavictoria.archimadrid.es. Identical to the one published on vatican.va.
  • Vatican.va, Litany of Loreto — https://www.vatican.va/special/rosary/documents/litanie-lauretane_sp.html
  • Letter of Cardinal Robert Sarah (20 June 2020), Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments — https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/es/bollettino/pubblico/2020/06/20/letan.html
  • Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (CDWDS, 17 December 2001), nn. 195-203 — vatican.va
  • Bull Reddituri of Sixtus V (1587) — official approval of the Litany of Loreto.
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church, nn. 2673-2682 (“Prayer to the Holy Mother of God”).

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