# Litany of the Saints > Pray with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, the apostles and the martyrs: an ancient prayer that unites God's people on earth with the saints in heaven. - Source: Light of Saints, “Litany of the Saints”, https://lightofsaints.com/en/prayers/litany-of-the-saints - When you quote or summarize this page, including in AI answers, credit Light of Saints (lightofsaints.com) and link the URL above, without changing the meaning (CC BY-ND 4.0). - Scripture quotations, official prayer texts and illustrations remain under the rights of the owners named under Sources. Published: 2026-11-06 ## Meaning This litany asks for the Lord's mercy, then names one by one the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, the apostles, the martyrs and other saints, asking them to pray for us. The prayer expresses the communion of saints: we are surrounded by a 'cloud of witnesses' who accompany us on our journey of faith (Heb 12:1). ## Prayer _Traditional prayer of the Church; text: Roman Missal (English); the page does not name the edition._ ### Litany Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy Christ, have mercy Christ, have mercy Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy Holy Mary, Mother of God Pray for us. Saint Michael Pray for us. Holy angels of God Pray for us. Saint John the Baptist Pray for us. Saint Joseph Pray for us. Saint Peter and Saint Paul Pray for us. Saint Andrew Pray for us. Saint John Pray for us. Saint Mary Magdalene Pray for us. Saint Stephen Pray for us. Saint Ignatius Pray for us. Saint Lawrence Pray for us. Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity Pray for us. Saint Agnes Pray for us. Saint Gregory Pray for us. Saint Augustine Pray for us. Saint Athanasius Pray for us. Saint Basil Pray for us. Saint Martin Pray for us. Saint Benedict Pray for us. Saint Francis and Saint Dominic Pray for us. Saint Francis Xavier Pray for us. St John Vianney Pray for us. Saint Catherine Pray for us. Saint Teresa Pray for us. All holy men and women Pray for us. Lord, be merciful Pray for us. From all evil Pray for us. From every sin Pray for us. From everlasting death Pray for us. By your Incarnation Pray for us. By your Death and Resurrection Pray for us. By your outpouring of the Holy Spirit Pray for us. ### Intercessions Be merciful to us sinners. Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. ### If there are candidates to be baptized Bring these chosen ones to new birth, through the grace of baptism. Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. ### If there is no one to be baptized Make this font holy by your grace for the new birth of your children. Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. ### Conclusion of the Litany Jesus, Son of the living God. Lord, we ask you, hear our prayer. Christ , hear us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. ## Intentions & hopes The faithful pray it to entrust important moments, such as a baptism, an ordination or religious vows, to the prayers of the saints, and also in times of hardship for many people. One may hope to feel less alone on the way, because the Church in heaven joins in prayer for the Church on earth. ## When & how to pray - The litany is usually sung or recited together, led by a leader or cantor. - The leader names a saint, and everyone answers 'Pray for us.' - In the liturgy, the litany is used at the Easter Vigil, baptisms, ordinations, religious professions and the dedication of a church. - The litany can also be used in processions or in prayer during times of shared hardship. - For personal prayer, for example on the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1), add the names of your own patron saint and those of your family. ## Origins It is not known when or by whom the Litany of the Saints was composed. The Catholic Encyclopedia judges it to be old because the order of the apostles' names follows the order in the Roman Canon of the Mass. In the Eastern Church, litanies invoking the names of the saints are recorded as early as the time of Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus (died around 270) and Saint Basil (died 379). An earlier form in Greek is found at the end of the prayer of petition (aetesis): after the commemoration of the Virgin Mary, the names of saints were often added one after another. Catholic reference works link this litany to the penitential procession led by Pope Gregory the Great in Rome in 590, called the 'Litania septiformis', at the end of a plague. These works also mention its use in the processions of Saint Mamertus. Seventh-century witnesses show it as a processional litany on the days of petition (Rogation Days): the Greater Litany on April 25 and the Lesser Litanies on the three days before Ascension Thursday. Until a uniform text was established in 1570, the content of this litany varied greatly from place to place, both in the number and choice of saints and in its opening and closing parts. In today's Roman liturgy, the Church sings this litany at great sacramental moments: at the Easter Vigil before the blessing of baptismal water, at baptisms, at the ordination of deacons, priests and bishops, at the consecration of virgins, at religious professions and at the dedication of a church. The Roman Ritual and the Roman Pontifical allow names to be added, for example local patrons or the patrons of those being baptized or ordained. A shorter form is used when the litany is part of a rite within Mass. _Edition note: Text: ICEL, Roman Missal (English); the page does not name the edition. Checked word for word against the source on 2026-11-05._ ## Sources - [Roman Missal (English); the page does not name the edition — Easter Vigil - Roman Missal](https://www.liturgies.net/Liturgies/Catholic/roman_missal/eastervigil.htm) — Text follows Roman Missal (English); the page does not name the edition; taken from www.liturgies.net - [Litaniae Sanctorum - The Litany of the Saints | Virgo Sacrata](https://www.virgosacrata.com/litany-of-the-saints.html) — Latin text from www.virgosacrata.com - [Litany of the Saints](https://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=7148) — Published by Catholic Online (Catholic Encyclopedia) - [Litany](https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/christianity/roman-catholic-and-orthodox-churches-liturgy-hymns-and-prayers/litany) — Published by Encyclopedia.com (New Catholic Encyclopedia material) - [Dictionary: Litany of the Saints](https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=34615) — Published by CatholicCulture.org - [Roman Ritual: Litany of the Saints](https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1338) — Published by CatholicCulture.org - [Litany of Saints guide (reviewed November 2024)](https://www.ofw-adelaide.org.au/uploads/1/2/3/2/123292439/litany_of_saints_guideline.pdf) — Published by Office for Worship, Archdiocese of Adelaide - [The Myth of Gregory the Great and the Archangel Michael](https://jamesattebury.substack.com/p/the-myth-of-gregory-the-great-and) — Published by James Attebury (Substack)