# Te Deum

> Join the angels, apostles, prophets and martyrs in the Church's hymn of thanksgiving, sung since the first centuries.

- Source: Light of Saints, “Te Deum”, https://lightofsaints.com/en/prayers/te-deum
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Published: 2026-11-06

## Meaning

The Te Deum praises God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit together with all of heaven and the Church, echoing the cry "Holy, holy, holy" from Isaiah 6:3. The hymn then proclaims Christ's work of redemption and asks him to help his people, redeemed by his blood.

## Prayer

_Traditional prayer of the Church._

### The Te Deum

You are God: we praise you;
You are God: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
And the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
The eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
You did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death,
And opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come, and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
Bought with the price of your own blood,
And bring us with your saints
To glory everlasting.
Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
Govern and uphold them now and always.
Day by day we bless you.
We praise your name forever.
Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
Lord, show us your love and mercy;
For we put our trust in you.
In you, Lord, is our hope:
And we shall never hope in vain

## Intentions & hopes

The faithful pray or sing the Te Deum to give thanks for God's blessings, for example at the end of the year, after an important event, or at great celebrations of the Church. What one may hope for is a heart that grows better at praising God and noticing his goodness in everyday life.

## When & how to pray

- Pray or sing the Te Deum as an act of thanksgiving, alone or with others; standing is the usual posture when it is sung together.
- In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Te Deum is prayed at the end of the Office of Readings on Sundays outside Lent, on solemnities and feasts, and during the octaves of Easter and Christmas.
- By Church custom, the Te Deum is sung on December 31 to give thanks for the year that is ending, often at Evening Prayer I of the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.
- Recite it calmly and slowly, paying attention to the part that praises the Holy Trinity and to the petitions at the end.

## Origins

The Te Deum is a Latin hymn. It is not a translation from Greek; the Greek text is in fact a translation made in the West in the 9th century.

About a dozen ancient manuscripts from Ireland name a "Bishop Nicet" as its author. The scholars G. Morin and A. Burn identified him with Nicetas of Remesiana. His is the name most often given, but the attribution is still debated, and some scholars place the hymn in the early 5th century.

The earliest recorded liturgical use of the Te Deum is in southeastern Gaul, Milan and central Italy. From the 6th century, it was sung at the end of Sunday Matins, on the days when the Gloria was sung at Mass.

One of the oldest manuscripts containing the Te Deum is the Antiphonary of Bangor, now kept in the Ambrosian Library in Milan. In 1958, Ernst Kähler argued that the hymn originally belonged to the Easter Vigil, at the close of the baptismal rite. This is a scholarly hypothesis, not a certainty.

_Edition note: Text: ICEL (1975 Liturgy of the Hours / ICET text); the page does not state this. Checked word for word against the source on 2026-11-05._

## Sources

- [The Te Deum - Prayers - Vatican News](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/prayers/the-te-deum.html) — Text taken from www.vaticannews.va
- [Te Deum Laudamus](https://www.apostoliviae.org/resources/46100/te-deum-laudamus) — Latin text from www.apostoliviae.org
- [Te Deum](https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/christianity/christianity-general/te-deum) — Published by Encyclopedia.com (New Catholic Encyclopedia entry)
- [Te Deum laudamus](https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/te-deum-laudamus) — Published by Hymnology Archive
- [Te Deum Laudamus](https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/T/te-deum-laudamus.html) — Published by McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia