Litany of the Sacred Heart

Litany of the Sacred Heart

(Express Love and Reparation to Jesus)

TO THE Litany of the Sacred Heart

The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus originated as a 17th- and early 18th-century compilation of earlier private devotions to the Sacred Heart, which were later standardized and officially approved for public use by the Catholic Church.

Its roots lie in the broader devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which gained prominence in the 17th century through the visions of St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), a French Visitation nun. Several early litanies contributed to the final form: Jesuit priest Fr Jean Croiset, St Margaret Mary’s spiritual director, composed one version around 1680.

Sr Madeleine Joly of Dijon wrote additional invocations in 1686.

Venerable Anne-Madeleine Remuzat (a Visitation nun in Marseille) composed her litany in 1718. She incorporated 17 invocations from Croiset’s work and added 10 of her own, for a total of 27.

In 1899, the Sacred Congregation for Rites reviewed and refined the text for universal use. It incorporated six more invocations from Sr Madeleine Joly’s earlier litany, bringing the total to 33 invocations—one for each year of Jesus’ earthly life.

Pope Leo XIII then formally approved the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for public recitation in the universal Church in 1899 (the same year he issued the encyclical Annum Sacrum, consecrating the world to the Sacred Heart).

This makes it one of only six litanies officially approved for public worship in the Catholic Church. The invocations draw on Scripture, tradition, and the theology of the Sacred Heart as a symbol of Christ’s love, mercy, and divinity. It is commonly prayed on First Fridays, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, or anytime as a private devotion.

SYMBOLS

[℣] Leader  [℟] Response  [Ⱥ] All together

SIGN OF THE CROSS

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

IF YOU HAVE, MENTION YOUR SPECIAL INTENTIONS HERE

  • Lord have mercy. [℟] Lord have mercy.
  • Christ have mercy [℟] Christ have mercy
  • Lord have mercy. [℟] Lord have mercy.
  • Christ hear us. [℟] Christ graciously hear us.
● ● ●

[℟] = have mercy on us.

  • God, the Father of heaven, [℟]
  • God the Son, Redeemer of the world, [℟]
  • God the Holy Spirit, [℟]
  • Holy Trinity, one God, [℟]
♦ ♦ ♦
  • Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, one with the Eternal Word, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, infinite in majesty, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, aflame with love for us, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, source of justice and love, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, well-spring of all virtue, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, worthy of all praise, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, treasure-house of wisdom and knowledge, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, in whom there dwells the fullness of God, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, from whose fullness we have all received, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, desire of the eternal hills, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, patient and full of mercy, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, generous to all who turn to you, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, atonement for our sins, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with insults, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, broken for our sins, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, obedient even to death, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, pierced by a lance, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, victim of our sins, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, salvation of all who trust in you, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, hope of all who die in you, [℟]
  • Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints, [℟]
● ● ●
  • Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world [℟] Spare us, O Lord.
  • Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world [℟] Graciously hear us, O Lord.
  • Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world [℟] Have mercy on us.

[℣] Jesus, meek and humble of heart. [℟] Touch our hearts and make them like your own.

[℣] Let us pray.

[Ⱥ] Grant, we pray, Almighty Father, that we, who glory in the Heart of your beloved Son and recall the wonders of his love for us, may be made worthy to receive an overflowing measure of grace from that fount of heavenly gifts. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[℣] May the divine assistance remain always with us, [℟] and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

SIGN OF THE CROSS

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.