λιτανεία
Litany
LIT-uh-nee
A prayer of short invocations with a repeated response — “pray for us,” “have mercy on us,” “deliver us, O Lord” — such as the Litany of the Saints or the Litany of Loreto.
an entreaty; a supplication
A litany is prayer by call and response: a leader names a title of God or a saint, and all answer with the same short plea. The Litany of the Saints is among the Church's oldest litanies, sung at the Easter Vigil and at ordinations; the Litany of Loreto honours Mary under dozens of titles; others address the Sacred Heart, the Precious Blood and St Joseph. The rhythm makes them easy to pray in a crowd or a procession. The Catechism notes the litany as a form of prayer in the East and mentions the Litany of the Saints as the Church's prayer for a good death.
Sources checked 29 September 2026