New invocations to be included in the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Jul 11, 2020

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei

To the Clergy, Religious and the Lay Faithful,

Greetings in the Lord!

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, through the Presidents of Bishops’ Conferences has introduced three additional titles and invocations to be included into the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary called “The Litany of Loreto”.

His Holiness Pope Francis, upon discerning the signs of the times and considering the deep affection and trust of the People of God in their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, wishes to include the desires expressed through these invocations to the Blessed  Virgin Mary in the Litany of Loreto, which is fondly known locally as the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and is usually recited at the end of the Rosary.

Attached to this letter is the new formula of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the additional invocations in the order in which they are to be placed. The three new invocations are: Mater misericordiae, the Latin for “Mother of mercy”; Mater spei, or “Mother of hope”; and Solacium migrantium, or “Solace of migrants”.

This letter, given on the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary dated June 20, 2020, is a response to the realities of the time that we are living in.

May the recitation of the Holy Rosary  draw us closer in contemplating the face of Christ with the heart of Mary our Mother, through her maternal intercession.

In communion of prayers,
I remain, yours faithfully in Christ

Rt Rev Sebastian Francis D.D.
President Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia,
Singapore and Brunei (CBCMSB)

July 3, 2020
Feast of St Thomas

                         Litaniae Lauretanae (Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of Virgins, pray for us.
Mother of Christ, pray for us.
Mother of the Church, pray for us.
Mother of Mercy, pray for us.

Mother of Divine Grace, pray for us.
Mother of Hope, pray for us.

Mother Most Pure, pray for us.
Mother Most Chaste, pray for us.
Mother Inviolate, pray for us.
Mother Undefiled, pray for us.
Mother Most Amiable, pray for us.
Mother Most Admirable, pray for us.
Mother of Good Counsel, pray for us.
Mother of our Creator, pray for us.
Mother of our Saviour, pray for us.
Virgin Most Prudent, pray for us.
Virgin Most Venerable, pray for us.
Virgin Most Renowned, pray for us.
Virgin Most Powerful, pray for us.
Virgin Most Merciful, pray for us.
Virgin Most Faithful, pray for us.
Mirror of Justice, pray for us.
Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.
Cause of Our Joy, pray for us.
Spiritual Vessel, pray for us.
Vessel of Honour, pray for us.
Singular Vessel of Devotion, pray for us.
Mystical Rose, pray for us.
Tower of David, pray for us.
Tower of Ivory, pray for us.
House of Gold, pray for us.
Ark of the Covenant, pray for us.
Gate of Heaven, pray for us.
Morning Star, pray for us.
Health of the Sick, pray for us.
Refuge of Sinners, pray for us.
Solace of Migrants, pray for us.

Comforter of the Afflicted, pray for us.
Help of Christians, pray for us.
Queen of Angels, pray for us.
Queen of Patriarchs, pray for us.
Queen of Prophets, pray for us.
Queen of Apostles, pray for us.
Queen of Martyrs, pray for us.
Queen of Confessors, pray for us.
Queen of Virgins, pray for us.
Queen of all Saints, pray for us.
Queen Conceived without Original Sin, pray for us.
Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us.
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us.
Queen of Families, pray for us.
Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord!.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

The Litany of Loretto
The Litany of Loreto, so called because of its use in the sanctuary of Loreto (Italy) since at least as far back as 1531, was officially approved in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V. Its origin is believed to be a medieval rhymed litany influenced by Eastern Marian devotion, in particular by the famous Hymnos Akathistos. 

Contrasting with the older Litany of All Saints, the components of the Loreto Litany are purely ad- or invocational prayers. It is the only approved Marian litany. As can be observed, for example, in the so called Officia Mariana, many more Marian litanies were and are in use but designated for private devotion.

Modern Invocations
The 1587 version of the Litany of Loreto was subsequently enriched with new advocations.

1675 Queen of the most Holy Rosary (for the confraternities of the Holy Rosary)

1883 Queen Conceived without Original Sin (Leo XIII for the whole Church)

1903 Mother of Good Counsel (Leo XIII)

1917 Queen of Peace (Benedict XV)

1950 Queen Assumed into Heaven (Pius XII)

1980 Mother of the Church (John Paul II) 1995 Queen of Families (John Paul II)

2020 Mother of Mercy, Mother of Hope, Solace of Migrants (Francis)

Composition and meaning of the Litany
The Litanies of Loreto are structured as follows:

1. Mary’s Holiness - Three introductory advocations highlight Mary’s sanctity as person (Sancta Maria), her role as mother of Jesus Christ (Sancta Dei Genitrix), and her vocation as virgin (Sancta Virgo Virginum).

2. Mary, the Mother - Fourteen advocations refer to Mary as Mother to highlight the various facets of Mary’s role as mother. (four are highlighted) (i) Mother of Christ (Mater Christi) (ii) Mother of the Church (Mater Ecclesiae) (iii) Mother of Mercy (Mater misericordiae) (iv) Mother of Hope (Mater spei)

3. Mary, the Virgin - The advocations of Mary Mother are followed by six titles extolling her as Virgin. They stress not only the merit of her virginity: Virgin Most Prudent (Virgo prudentissima), Virgin Most Venerable (Virgo veneranda), Virgin Most Renowned (Virgo praedicanda), but also the “efficacy” of virginity. Mary is : Virgin Most Powerful (Virgo potens), Virgin Most Merciful (Virgo clemens), and Virgin Most Faithful (Virgo fidelis).

4. Symbols of Mary - We then have 13 symbolic avocations, mostly taken from the Old Testament and applied to Mary which highlight her virtues and her eminent role in salvation history: (two are highlighted) (i) Mirror of Justice (Speculum justitiaé) (ii) Seat of Wisdom (Sedes sapientiae)

5. Mary, the Helper - The group of five advocations that follows extol Mary’s role as advocate for spiritual and corporal works of mercy. She is: Health of the Sick (Salus infirmorum),  Refuge of Sinners (Refugium peccatorum), Solace of Migrants (Solacium migrantium)  Comforter of the Afflicted (Consolatrix afflictorum) and Help of Christians (Auxilium christianorum)

6. Mary, the Queen - The last part of the Marian advocations is composed of a series of 13 titles referring to Mary as Queen. Mary is Queen of Saints and inhabitants of heaven: (two are highlighted) (i) Queen of Angels (Regina Angelorum) (ii) Queen of Patriarchs (Regina Patriarcharum)

Source: University of Dayton