Traditional Roman Catholic Practice
In the late 1960s, Roman Catholic liturgical texts were updated according to the directives of Sacrosanctum Concilium, a key document of the Second Vatican Council. The texts in use prior to the Council may still be used today by Roman Catholics who worship in the Extraordinary Form, following the prescriptions of Summorum Pontificum, and also by those Traditional Catholics who do not recognise the leadership of the current Pope in Rome.
The form of the litany in use prior to the Council is given in the Roman Ritual, published in a Latin-English edition in 1952. Note that the Catholic Encyclopedia article available online entirely reflects pre-Vatican II usage.
This Litany of the Saints begins with a threefold Kyrie, followed (as in the current version) by invocations of God the Father of Heaven, the Son who redeemed the world, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Trinity. The names of the saints follow:
- The Virgin Mary is invoked three times, as Holy Mary, as Holy Mother of God and as Holy Virgin of Virgins; then Saints Michael; Gabriel; Raphael; all holy angels and archangels; all the holy order of blessed spirits.
- Patriarchs and Prophets: beginning with Saint John the Baptist and always ending with Saint Joseph; all holy patriarchs and prophets.
- Apostles and disciples: Peter; Paul; Andrew; James; John; Thomas; James; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Simon; Thaddeus; Matthias; Barnabas; Luke; Mark; all holy apostles and evangelists; all holy disciples of the Lord; all the Holy Innocents.
- Martyrs: Stephen; Laurence; Vincent; Fabian and Sebastian; John and Paul; Cosmas and Damian; Gervasius and Protasius; All holy martyrs.
- Bishops and Doctors of the Church: Sylvester; Gregory; Ambrose; Augustine; Jerome; Martin; Nicholas; all holy Bishops and Confessors; all holy Doctors.
- Priests and male Religious : Anthony; Benedict; Bernard; Dominic; Francis; All ye holy Priests and Levites; All ye holy Monks and Hermits.
- Female saints, ordered as the men were above: Mary Magdalene; Agatha; Lucy; Agnes; Cecilia; Catherine (of Alexandria); Anastasia; all holy Virgins and Widows; all holy Saints of God.
The litany then twice pleads with God to be merciful, and this is followed by 21 invocations for which the response is libera ("O Lord, deliver us"), then 17 petitions with the response te rogamus audi nos (we beseech thee, hear us). The final part of the litany consists of seven invocations of Christ, the first three under the title "Lamb of God".
Read more about this topic: Litany Of The Saints
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