Litany of the Saints

The Litany of the Saints asks God for mercy and calls upon the saints to pray for us. Below is the litany as the Knights of the Holy Eucharist sing it, with the saints of the Franciscan family.

Litany of the Saints

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us. Christ, 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.

Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us.
St. Michael, pray for us.
St. Gabriel, pray for us.
St. Raphael, pray for us.
All you holy angels and archangels, pray for us.
St. John the Baptist, pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Sts. Joachim and Anne, pray for us.
All you holy patriarchs and prophets, pray for us.

St. Peter, pray for us.
St. Paul, pray for us.
St. Andrew, pray for us.
St. James, pray for us.
St. John, pray for us.
St. Thomas, pray for us.
St. James, pray for us.
St. Philip, pray for us.
St. Bartholomew, pray for us.
St. Matthew, pray for us.
St. Simon, pray for us.
St. Thaddeus, pray for us.
St. Matthias, pray for us.
St. Barnabas, pray for us.
St. Luke, pray for us.
St. Mark, pray for us.
All you holy apostles and evangelists, pray for us.
All you holy disciples of the Lord, pray for us.
All you holy Innocents, pray for us.

St. Stephen, pray for us.
St. Lawrence, pray for us.
Sts. Cosmas and Damian, pray for us.
St. Berard and Companions, pray for us.
St. Fidelis, pray for us.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.
All you holy martyrs, pray for us.

St. Sylvester, pray for us.
St. Gregory, pray for us.
St. Ambrose, pray for us.
St. Augustine, pray for us.
St. Jerome, pray for us.
St. Martin, pray for us.
St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us.
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.
St. Bonaventure, pray for us.
St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us.
St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us.
St. John of the Cross, pray for us.
St. Lawrence of Brindisi, pray for us.
St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us.
All you holy bishops and confessors, pray for us.
All you holy doctors, pray for us.

St. Anthony, pray for us.
St. Benedict, pray for us.
St. Bernard, pray for us.
St. Dominic, pray for us.
Our Holy Father St. Francis, pray for us.
St. Louis IX, King of France, pray for us.
St. Bernardine of Siena, pray for us.
St. Thomas More, pray for us.
St. Francis Xavier, pray for us.
St. Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.
St. Peter of Alcantara, pray for us.
St. Paschal Baylon, pray for us.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us.
St. Louis Marie de Montfort, pray for us.
St. Leonard of Port Maurice, pray for us.
St. John Vianney, pray for us.
St. Conrad of Parzham, pray for us.
St. Leopold Mandic, pray for us.
St. Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for us.
All you holy priests and levites, pray for us.
All you monks and hermits, pray for us.

St. Mary Magdalen, pray for us.
St. Agatha, pray for us.
St. Lucy, pray for us.
St. Agnes, pray for us.
St. Cecilia, pray for us.
St. Anastasia, pray for us.
Holy Mother St. Clare, pray for us.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, pray for us.
St. Margaret of Cortona, pray for us.
St. Joan of Arc, pray for us.
St. Colette, pray for us.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, pray for us.
St. Faustina Kowalska, pray for us.
All you holy virgins and widows, pray for us.

All you holy saints of the Franciscan Order, pray for us.
All you holy saints of God, pray for us.

Lord, be merciful, Lord, save your people.
From all evil, Lord, save your people.
From every sin, Lord, save your people.
From everlasting death, Lord, save your people.
By your coming as man, Lord, save your people.
By your death and rising to new life, Lord, save your people.
By your gift of the Holy Spirit, Lord, save your people.

Be merciful to us sinners, Lord, hear our prayer.
By the self-offering of your servants and their apostolic work, make the life of your Church ever more fruitful, Lord, hear our prayer.
Give in ever greater abundance the gifts of the Holy Spirit to your servant, Pope N, and to all his brother bishops, Lord, hear our prayer.
By the life and labor of all religious promote the welfare of all mankind, Lord, hear our prayer.
Join more fully to the work of redemption all who profess the Gospel counsels, Lord, hear our prayer.
Reward the parents of these servants with blessings from heaven for the sacrifice they have made for you, Lord, hear our prayer.
Make these servants more and more like Christ, the firstborn of many brothers, Lord, hear our prayer.
Jesus, Son of the living God, Lord, hear our prayer.

Christ, hear us. Christ, hear us.
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer. Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

The Litany of the Saints as sung by the Knights of the Holy Eucharist at religious profession. The final petitions pray for those making their profession.

Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Ghent Altarpiece, Jan van Eyck. Public domain. Image record and license

When and How to Pray the Litany of the Saints

Pray the invocations slowly, allowing time for the response. When praying together, one person may lead and the others answer. You can pray it privately before a difficult decision, for the Church, or around All Saints’ Day on November 1. In a liturgical celebration, follow the approved text and directions supplied by the parish.

How Do You Pray the Litany of the Saints?

Ask God for mercy first, then join each saint’s name to “pray for us.” The requests that follow turn directly to the Lord. When the litany is sung, a cantor sings each line of the opening and closing and everyone repeats it; those repetitions are written out above. The two invocations of St. James refer to different apostles; they are not a duplicated typing error.

Is This the Same Litany Used at the Easter Vigil?

The Easter Vigil uses the version in the current Roman Missal. The form on this page is the litany from the rite of religious profession, as the Knights of the Holy Eucharist sing it, with saints of the Franciscan family added. Its final petitions pray for religious, for those making their profession and for their parents; you may offer them for all consecrated men and women. Use your parish’s booklet when attending the liturgy.

Why Do Catholics Ask the Saints to Pray for Them?

Catholics ask the saints to intercede with God, just as we ask fellow Christians to pray for us. The saints’ prayer is united to Christ’s intercession; worship belongs to God alone (CCC 2683). EWTN’s traditional litany provides another devotional English form.

Why Are There So Many Franciscan Saints?

The litany belongs to the Roman tradition, and the list of saints is adapted for particular celebrations. New Advent explains the litany’s history and its different forms. Religious communities add their own saints, which is why St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Bonaventure and many other Franciscans appear here alongside the apostles, martyrs and doctors of the Church.

Litany of the Saints