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

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

Catholic Church

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

Other litanies are used in private devotion, including:

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

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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:

Anglican Communion

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Methodist Church

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

Jewish litanies

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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

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

Hymns

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Poetry

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Reference works

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