The Litany of the Saints is the Church’s ancient prayer of intercession – one of the public litanies approved for use in the liturgy. In it we call on the whole company of heaven, from Our Lady and the angels to the apostles, martyrs and virgins. In private devotion, you may add your own patron saints in the appropriate place.
Pray Along with the Video
Press play and pray along – the full traditional text is below.
Full Text of the Litany
Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
The response to each of the following invocations is: pray for us.
Holy Mary,
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of Virgins,
St. Michael,
St. Gabriel,
St. Raphael,
All you Holy Angels and Archangels,
St. John the Baptist,
St. Joseph,
All you Holy Patriarchs and Prophets,
St. Peter,
St. Paul,
St. Andrew,
St. James,
St. John,
St. Thomas,
St. James,
St. Philip,
St. Bartholomew,
St. Matthew,
St. Simon,
St. Jude,
St. Matthias,
St. Barnabas,
St. Luke,
St. Mark,
All you Holy Apostles and Evangelists,
All you Holy Disciples of the Lord,
All you Holy Innocents,
St. Stephen,
St. Lawrence,
St. Vincent,
Sts. Fabian and Sebastian,
Sts. John and Paul,
Sts. Cosmas and Damian,
All you Holy Martyrs,
St. Sylvester,
St. Gregory,
St. Ambrose,
St. Augustine,
St. Jerome,
St. Martin,
St. Nicholas,
All you Holy Bishops and Confessors,
All you Holy Doctors,
St. Anthony,
St. Benedict,
St. Bernard,
St. Dominic,
St. Francis,
All you Holy Priests and Levites,
All you Holy Monks and Hermits,
St. Mary Magdalene,
St. Agatha,
St. Lucy,
St. Agnes,
St. Cecilia,
St. Anastasia,
St. Catherine,
St. Clare,
All you Holy Virgins and Widows,
All you Holy Saints of God,
The response to each of the following is: Lord, save your people.
Lord, be merciful,
From all evil,
From all sin,
From your wrath,
From a sudden and unprovided death,
From the snares of the devil,
From anger, hatred and all ill-will,
From the spirit of uncleanness,
From lightning and tempest,
From the scourge of earthquake,
From plague, famine and war,
From everlasting death,
By the mystery of your Holy Incarnation,
By Your Coming,
By Your Birth,
By Your Baptism and Holy Fasting,
By Your Cross and Passion,
By Your Death and Burial,
By Your Holy Resurrection,
By Your wonderful Ascension,
By the coming of the Holy Spirit,
On the Day of Judgment,
The response to each of the following is: Lord, hear our prayer.
Be merciful to us sinners,
That you will spare us,
That you will pardon us,
That it may please you to bring us to true penance,
Guide and protect your holy Church,
Preserve in holy religion the Pope, and all those in holy Orders,
Humble the enemies of holy Church,
Give peace and unity to the whole Christian people,
Bring back to the unity of the Church all those who are straying, and bring all unbelievers to the light of the Gospel,
Strengthen and preserve us in your holy service,
Raise our minds to desire the things of heaven,
Reward all our benefactors with eternal blessings,
Deliver our souls from eternal damnation, and the souls of our brethren, relatives, and benefactors,
Give and preserve the fruits of the earth,
Grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed,
That it may please You to hear and heed us, Jesus, Son of the Living God,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer. Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
When the Church Prays This Litany
At the Easter Vigil and at baptisms, ordinations and the dedication of churches; on the Feast of All Saints (November 1); in times of public need; and in private prayer whenever you wish to ask the help of the whole communion of saints.
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Source note: Traditional version of the Litany of the Saints as published by EWTN (ewtn.com, “Litany of the Saints”).