Portal:Litany

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Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Judaic worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a series of petitions, usually in call-and-response form.

Christian litanies

  • Kyrie, one of the earliest forms of Christian litany.
  • Agnus Dei, another early Christian litany.

Catholic Church

In the Catholic Church, six litanies are approved for public recitation:

Other litanies are used in private devotion, including:

  • The Litany for Humility

Catholics who follow the Byzantine Rite or the Anglican Use may also use litanies listed under #Eastern Orthodox Church or #Anglican Communion as well.

Eastern Orthodox Church

In the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, a litany is referred to as an ektenia. The main forms of the litany are:

  • The Great Litany
  • The Litany of Supplication
  • The Litany of Fervent Supplication
  • The Little Litany
  • The Litany of the Catechumens
  • The Litany of the Faithful

Anglican Communion

Methodist Church

The Methodist Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965) contains the following litanies:

  • The Litany of Recollection of Jesus
  • The Litany on the Will of God
  • The Litany of the Divine Will
  • The Litany of Self-Examination
  • The Litany of Confession
  • The Litany of Supplication
  • The Litany of Remembrance
  • The Litany of Commemoration
  • The Litany of Intercession
  • The Litany for Peace

Jewish litanies

Although used to a much lesser extent in Jewish worship, litanies do appear in Jewish liturgy. The most famous of these "supplicatory" prayers is Avinu Malkeinu, which is recited during the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgies. Certain Selichot prayers also take the form of a litany during the month of Elul.

Literary works

Literary works inspired by or in the form of a litany include:

Hymns

Poetry

Reference works

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