Litanies

Litanies are prayers characterised by the chanted repetition of intercessory requests. These intercessory requests are generally addressed to the Virgin Mary, the Sacred Heart or the Saints and are intended to solicit their intercession with God.

When to recite the litanies and what are they for?

The litanies are generally recited individually, depending on the difficulty for which help is desired, in groups (in families or in prayer groups) and in certain solemn liturgical ceremonies of the Catholic Church.

The Litanies of the Saints for example, are sung during the Easter Vigil, during baptism ceremonies, priestly or episcopal ordinations and on the feast of the Saints (All Saints).

The prayer of the Litany is foreseen, in particular, during the Easter Vigil, before the blessing of the baptismal water, and also during the celebration of baptism and ordinations to the sacred order of the episcopate, presbyterate and diaconate, as well as in the rite of the consecration of virgins and of religious profession in the rite of dedication of a church and an altar, during rogations, during Masses with stations and during penitential processions, to order the Evil One away in exorcisms, and finally to recommend the dying to the mercy of God.

The Litany of the Saints, which contains elements from both liturgical tradition and popular piety, illustrates the Church's trust in the intercession of the Saints, and highlights her experience of the communion that unites the Church in the heavenly Jerusalem and the Church still on pilgrimage on earth. It is permitted to invoke in the Litany of the Saints the names of those listed in the liturgical calendars of dioceses and religious institutes. 

It is evident that it is forbidden to insert in the Litanies the names of persons whose cult is not recognised.

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. His action is in perfect unity with the Father (GOD) and the Son (Jesus Christ). When we are in a state where we deserve to receive Him, He enlightens us, guides us, protects us from all dangers (spiritual and physical).

In the Bible, several symbols are used to designate the Holy Spirit: breath that makes you breathe; wind that pushes you out; oil that gives strength to athletes; fire that warms and purifies; dove that descends from heaven.

We can pray to the Holy Spirit to implore his gifts which are :

• Wisdom: it makes us taste the presence of God, in a greater companionship with him, and a greater missionary dynamism. It is the contemplative gift par excellence.
• Intelligence: it helps us to enter into the mystery of God, to understand the faith and the Scriptures from within, and to distinguish error from truth. Through this gift, every Christian can become an authentic theologian.
• Science: it allows us to recognise God at work in nature and in history, to receive the world as a gift from God. It gives a sense of the precariousness of the universe.
• Strength: it gives perseverance in times of trial, the courage to bear witness. It supports the martyrs, but also helps in the day-to-day fulfilment of one's duties as a state and in the spiritual struggle. It is the heroism of lowliness.
• Counsel: this is the gift of spiritual discernment. It adjusts what to do or avoid, to say or not to say. It enables us to see clearly in ourselves and in others.
• Piety: it allows us to experience God's fatherhood, his closeness, his tenderness. It gives us the confidence of a child. It also brings us close to others.
• Fear: this is not the fear of God but the sense of his greatness. Awareness of the infinite distance between the Almighty and us, his creatures. This gift gives rise to an attitude of humility and wonder.

Prayers at random:

Discover all the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church :

• 

  Urbain VIII
  (235e Pape)
• 

  Jean XVII
  (140e Pape)
• 

  Séverin
  (71e Pape)
• 

  Télesphore
  (8e Pape)
• 

  Eugène III
  (167e Pape)
• 

  Léon XII
  (252e Pape)
• 

  Libère ou Liberius
  (36e Pape)
• 

  Denys
  (25e Pape)
• 

  Martin 1er
  (74e Pape)
• 

  Marcellin
  (29e Pape)
• 

  Pie III
  (215e Pape)
• 

  Alexandre VIII
  (241e Pape)
• 

  Marin II
  (128e Pape)
• 

  Innocent VI
  (199e Pape)
• 

  Sabinien
  (65e Pape)
• 

  Silvère
  (58e Pape)
• 

  Innocent VII
  (204e Pape)
• 

  Nicolas III
  (188e Pape)
• 

  Célestin III
  (175e Pape)
• 

  Sixte III
  (44e Pape)
• 

  Jean XVIII
  (141e Pape)
• 

  Grégoire II
  (89e Pape)
• 

  Pie II
  (210e Pape)
• 

  Boniface V
  (69e Pape)
• 

  Zacharie
  (91e Pape)