The Litany of the Virgin Mary

They are formally known as the litanies of Loreto. They are a series of invocations, titles of honor and ordered supplications that are addressed to the Virgin Mary to praise her and ask for his spiritual intercession. The word litany comes from the Greek litanéia, which it means supplication or supplication. Although they can be prayed individually, they are Designed with a call-response structure, ideal for communal prayer in which a guide mentions the title and the faithful respond "pray for us."

They are called "loretans" because their earliest documented use comes from the Sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto in Italy (c. 1558), and were approved officially for the entire Catholic Church by Pope Sixtus V in 1587.

They are generally prayed at the end of the Holy Rosary or on Marian feasts. Despite From being a Marian prayer, it maintains a strict theological order centered on God: it begins by asking for mercy directly from the Holy Trinity. Then the titles dedicated to Mary, responding to each one "Pray for us."

Over the centuries, different Popes have added new titles to the litanies to reflect historical or doctrinal realities, such as "Queen of Peace" (added by Benedict XV during World War I) or "Mother of Mercy" (added recently by Pope Francis).

Fr. Claudio