Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of

prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...

used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

litania Litania is the Latin term for litany, the plural is litaniae. Litania may also refer to: ;Books *''Litania'' (1952), collection of poems by Werner Aspenström ;Music *''Litaniae'', compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart *''Litania'', composition ...

'' from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

λιτανεία (''litaneía''), which in turn comes from λιτή (''litḗ''), meaning " supplication".

Christianity

Western Christianity

This form of prayer finds its model in Psalm 136: "Praise the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever. Praise ye the God of gods . . . the Lord of lords . . . Who alone doth great wonders . . . Who made the heavens", etc., with the concluding words in each verse, "for his mercy endures for ever." The Litany originated in Antioch in the fourth century and from there was taken to Constantinople and through it to the rest of the East...From Constantinople the Litany was taken to Rome and the West."Litany of Loreto in Context", Marian Library, University of Dayton
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Josef Andreas Jungmann Josef Andreas Jungmann (16 November 1889 – 26 January 1975) was a prominent Jesuit priest and liturgist. He was an influential advocate of the Liturgical Movement, and is known for his 2-volume history ''Mass of the Roman Rite'', which contribu ...

explains how the ''Kyrie'' in the Roman Mass is best seen as a vestige of a litany at the beginning of the Mass, like that of some Eastern churches. Public Christian devotions became common by the fifth century and processions were frequently held. These processions were called "litanies", and in them pictures and other religious emblems were carried. In Rome, pope and people would go in procession each day, especially in

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

, to a different church, to celebrate the Sacred Mysteries. Thus originated the Roman "Stations", and what was called the "Litania Maior", " Major Rogation", was held on 25 April. The word ''rogation'' comes from the

verb ''rogare'', meaning "to ask", which reflects the beseeching of God for the appeasement of his anger and for protection from calamities. In 590, when an

epidemic An epidemic (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics ...

caused by an overflow of the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...

was ravaging Rome, Gregory the Great commanded a litany; on the preceding day he exhorted the people to fervent prayer, and arranged the order to be observed in the procession, during which the Litany of the Saints was prayed. The "Litania Minor", also called Minor Rogations or "Gallicana", the Rogation Days before Ascension, was introduced (477) by

St. Mamertus Mamertus (died c. 475) was the bishop of Vienne in Gaul, venerated as a saint. His primary contribution to ecclesiastical practice was the introduction of litanies prior to Ascension Day as an intercession against earthquakes and other disasters, ...

, Bishop of Vienne, on account of the earthquakes and other calamities then prevalent. It was prescribed for the whole of Frankish Gaul, in 511, by the First Council of Orléans. For Rome it was ordered by

Leo III Leo III, Leon III, or Levon III may refer to: ; People * Leo III the Isaurian (685-741), Byzantine emperor 717-741 * Pope Leo III (d. 816), Pope 795-816 * Leon III of Abkhazia, King of Abkhazia 960–969 * Leo II, King of Armenia (c. 1236–1289), ...

, in 799. In the

Ambrosian Rite The Ambrosian Rite is a Catholic Western liturgical rite, named after Saint Ambrose, a bishop of Milan in the fourth century, which differs from the Roman Rite. It is used by some five million Catholics in the greater part of the Archdiocese o ...

this litany was celebrated on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday after Ascension. In Spain we find a similar litany from Thursday to Saturday after

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

. In England the Litany of

Rogation Days Rogation days are days of prayer and fasting in Western Christianity. They are observed with processions and the Litany of the Saints. The so-called ''major'' rogation is held on 25 April; the ''minor'' rogations are held on Monday to Wednesday ...

was known in the earliest periods. In Germany it was ordered by a Synod of Mainz in 813. Because the Mass Litany became popular through its use in processions, numberless varieties were soon made, especially in the Middle Ages. Litanies appeared in honour of God the Father, of God the Son, of God the Holy Spirit, of the Precious Blood, of the Blessed Virgin, of the Immaculate Conception, of each of the saints honoured in different countries, for the souls in Purgatory, etc. In 1601 Baronius wrote that about eighty forms were in circulation. To prevent abuse,

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII ( la, Clemens VIII; it, Clemente VIII; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born ...

, by decree of 6 September 1601, forbade the publication of any litany, except that of the saints as found in the liturgical books and that of Loreto.Mershman, Francis. "Litany." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 4 February 2021

Anglican litanies

The

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

also has a ''Litany'' in the 1662 ''Book of Common Prayer''. This is substantially the same as Thomas Cranmer's original English vernacular service from 1544, ''

Exhortation and Litany The ''Exhortation and Litany'', published in 1544, is the earliest officially authorized vernacular service in English. The same rite survives, in modified form, in the ''Book of Common Prayer''. Background Before the English Reformation, processi ...

''.MacCulloch, Diarmaid. ''Thomas Cranmer'' Yale University Press (1996) pp.328 & 326 respectively Cranmer drew on a variety of sources, chiefly two medieval litanies from the

Sarum rite The Use of Sarum (or Use of Salisbury, also known as the Sarum Rite) is the Latin liturgical rite developed at Salisbury Cathedral and used from the late eleventh century until the English Reformation. It is largely identical to the Roman rite, ...

, but also the German Litany of Martin Luther. He originally retained the invocation of the Saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary in very shortened form, but these were omitted in 1549, and he made a notable change in the style of the service by expanding and grouping together said by the priest and provided but a single response to the whole group. An anti-papal clause was omitted in 1559. The processional aspect was soon eliminated and the service said or sung kneeling in the church.Procter, Francis & Frere, Walter Howard. ''A New History of the Book of Common Prayer'' Macmillan (1902) pp. 422f & 394 respectively The term "the Lesser Litany" is sometimes used to refer to the versicles and responses, with the

Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

, that follow the Apostles' Creed at Morning Prayer (or Matins) and Evening Prayer (or Evensong). Many other litanies are used in private prayer. A

Marian litany In Christian worship, Marian litany is a form of prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary used in church services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. In the Eastern Church litanies are always a part of the official liturgy, and the ...

is one dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary; only one is authorised for public recitation (mentioned above). The

Litany of humility The Litany of Humility is a Catholic prayer that the penitent be granted the virtue of humility. A litany is a form of prayer with a repeated responsive petition; it is not used in public liturgical services of the Catholic Church, but in private de ...

is another well-known prayer.

Catholic litanies

In the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, six litanies are approved for public recitation: *

The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus (Latin: ) is a formal prayer in the Catholic Church dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. It is one of six formal prayers approved by the Catholic Church for public and private use. This Litany carries a partia ...

The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a formal prayer in the Catholic Church dedicated to Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is one of six approved litanies for public use. History The litany is made up of portions of earlier litanies dating to t ...

The Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus The Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus is a litany of the Roman Catholic Church, usually prayed in devotion to the Eucharist. The Litany was drawn up by the Sacred Congregation of Rites and promulgated by Pope John XXIII on February 24, 19 ...

* The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (also known as the Litany of Loreto) * The Litany of Saint Joseph * The Litany of the Saints While others are approved merely for private devotion such as The Litany of the Blessed Sacrament and The Litany of the Passion.

Lutheran litanies

Much of the historic Litany was retained by the

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...

hailed it as one of the greatest Christian prayers ever. When faced with the Turkish armies at the gates of

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

in 1528/29, Luther exhorted pastors to call their Christian people to repentance and prayer. He recommended the use of the Litany during the Sunday mass or Vespers. In 1529, he, after modifying the traditional Litany of the Saints (mostly by removing the invocation of saints and prayers for the pope), began using the Litany at Wittenberg in Latin and German.

Thomas Cranmer Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry' ...

used Luther's revised Litany as one of his main sources in the preparation of the Litany in the ''Book of Common Prayer''. Today, a form of the Litany continues to be used in the various

es around the world.Cf. J. T. Pless, "Daily Prayer", in ''Lutheran Worship and Practice'', ed. F. L. Precht (Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, 1993), 465–468.

Methodist litanies

The Methodist '' The Book of Worship for Church and Home'' (1965) contains the following litanies: *The Litany of Recollection of Jesus *The Litany on the

Will of God The will of God or divine will is a concept found in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament and the Quran, according to which God's will is the first cause of everything that exists. See also * Destiny * ''Deus vult'', a Latin expression meaning ...

*The Litany of the Divine Will *The Litany of Self-Examination *The Litany of Confession *The Litany of Supplication *The Litany of Remembrance *The Litany of Commemoration *The Litany of

Intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of praying to a deity on behalf of others, or Intercession of saints, asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Saint Timothy, Timothy sp ...

*The Litany for

Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

Eastern Christianity

In the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...

and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

churches, a litany is referred to as an ''ektenia''. There are numerous ektenias during the Byzantine divine services: the

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of C ...

Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern), Lutheranism, Lutheran, and Anglican ...

Matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated by ...

, the

Sacred Mysteries Sacred mysteries are the areas of supernatural phenomena associated with a divinity or a religious belief and praxis. Sacred mysteries may be either: # Religious beliefs, rituals or practices which are kept secret from the uninitiated. # Beliefs ...

(Sacraments), and numerous other services. The petitions of the ektenias are usually chanted by a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

(but if there is no deacon the

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

will say the petitions), to each of which the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

(

chanter The chanter is the part of the bagpipe upon which the player creates the melody. It consists of a number of finger-holes, and in its simpler forms looks similar to a recorder. On more elaborate bagpipes, such as the Northumbrian bagpipes or the ...

s) or congregation will respond. The response is usually '' Kyrie eleison'' ("Lord, have mercy"), but other responses are used at different ektenias. After the final petition, the

makes the ekphonesis (exclamation) which summarizes the ektenia, and always involves an invocation of the

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

Judaism

Although used to a much lesser extent in Jewish worship, litanies do appear in Jewish liturgy. The most notable examples are the '' Hoshanot'' recited in the additional (''musaf'') service during all seven days of the

Sukkot or ("Booths, Tabernacles") , observedby = Jews, Samaritans, a few Protestant denominations, Messianic Jews, Semitic Neopagans , type = Jewish, Samaritan , begins = 15th day of Tishrei , ends = 21st day of Tishre ...

festival. These are mostly alphabetical acrostics to which the refrain at the end of each line is "'' Hoshanah''"!, a contraction of the biblical ''Hoshi'a na'' ( Psalm 118:25), "Save us, please!" These are recited in a procession around the sanctuary, with congregants holding the ''

lulav ''Lulav'' (; he, לולב) is a closed frond of the date palm tree. It is one of the Four Species used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The other Species are the ''hadass'' (Myrtus, myrtle), '' aravah'' (willow), and ''etrog'' (citron). Wh ...

'' and ''

etrog Etrog ( he, אֶתְרוֹג, plural: '; Ashkenazi Hebrew: ', plural: ') is the yellow citron or ''Citrus medica'' used by Jews during the week-long holiday of Sukkot as one of the four species. Together with the ''lulav'', ''hadass'', and '' ...

'' (the biblical " Four Species" of Leviticus 23:40). They are essentially prayers for rain. Litanies are also recited during the Ten Days of Repentance. The most famous of these "supplicatory" prayers is '' Avinu Malkeinu'' ("Our Father, Our King"), which is recited during

Rosh Hashanah Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

and

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day's ...

liturgies. Certain Selichot prayers also take the form of a litany during the month of Elul, as do some prayers recited on fast days.

Mandaeism

Litanies are often recited in

Mandaeism Mandaeism (Classical Mandaic: ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡉࡀ ; Arabic: المندائيّة ), sometimes also known as Nasoraeanism or Sabianism, is a Gnostic, monotheistic and ethnic religion. Its adherents, the Mandaeans, revere Adam, Abel, S ...

. The most commonly recited Mandaean litanies are the '' Asiet Malkia'' and ''

Tabahatan The ''Ṭabahatan'' ( myz, ࡈࡀࡁࡀࡕࡀࡄࡀࡍ, lit=Our Ancestors) is one of the most commonly recited prayers in Mandaeism, in which the reciter asks for the forgiveness of sins. As a commemoration prayer with a long list of names, the pra ...

''.Drower, Ethel Stefana. 1937. ''The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran''. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.

Islam

Musical settings

* Marc-Antoine Charpentier, ''Litany of Loreto, 9 settings,'' H.82 (1680), H.83 (1683-85), H.84 (1690), H.85 (1688-90), H.86 (1690), H.87 (1690), H.88 (1690), H.89 (1690), H.90 (1690). * Henry Dumont, ''Litany of Loreto (1652)'' *František Ignac Tuma, Lytaniae Lauretanae (18. century) *

Karol Szymanowski Karol Maciej Szymanowski (; 6 October 188229 March 1937) was a Polish composer and pianist. He was a member of the modernist Young Poland movement that flourished in the late 19th and early 20th century. Szymanowski's early works show the inf ...

, ''Litany to the Virgin Mary'' Op.59 (1933) *

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...

, ''Litanies de la Vierge noir.'' He wrote in 1936 ''

Litanies à la Vierge Noire ' (; "Litany to the Black Virgin"), FP (Poulenc), FP 82, is a piece of sacred music composed by Francis Poulenc in 1936 for a three-part choir of women (or children) and organ, setting a French litany recited at the pilgrimage site Rocamadour which ...

'' (Litanies to the Black Virgin) after a pilgrimage to the shrine of Rocamadour, setting a French local pilgrimage litany. * American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

composed a litany in his song ''

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

'' released on October 25, 2019. ViergeNoire

Notes

{{Authority control Litanies Lutheran liturgy and worship Christian processions