At the beginning of every month, I update myself about the focus the local Church has for the Catholic faithful. I was pleasantly surprised to read about gaining a plenary indulgence or partial indulgence daily in October (See the comments section for the meaning of indulgence).
I read from the Metropolitan See of Southwark’s Catholic Directory 2022: Rosary in October: those who recite five decades of the Rosary in church, or as a family, a religious community, or as a group of faithful may gain a plenary indulgence daily; in other circumstances a partial indulgence.
And the following line offered another opportunity for the faithful to seek the graces by praying just two additional favourite prayers. It read: A partial indulgence may be obtained daily by reciting the Litany of Loreto and the prayer to Saint Joseph.
You may need to check in your local church if this is applicable or announced and you have missed it or if it is there and no one is promoting it.
Litany of Loreto?
I knew the litany but did not know its name when I first heard about it. Did you know there is more than one litany to the Blessed Virgin Mary? Even I presumed that there was only one litany. The litany of Loreto, composed in the Middle Ages, is the most popular. It holds a place of honour in the life of the Church as the Litany of Loreto was approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1587, and all other Marian Litanies were suppressed for public use. The litany set before us Mary’s exalted privileges, her holiness of life, her amiability and power, her mother spirit and queenly majesty.
How many Litanies have Church’s approval?
Catholic Church has approved six litanies for public recitation. The other litanies are approved for private devotion, such as The Litany of the Blessed Sacrament and The Litany of the Passion. But you will also discover a lot of famous litanies are used for private devotion. Even the Christian churches have their own approved litanies alongside the ones used for personal prayer.
Six litanies approved by the Catholic Church are as follows:
- The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus.
- The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
- The Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus.
- The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (also known as the Litany of Loreto)
- The Litany of Saint Joseph.
- The Litany of Saints
The Updated Litany of Loreto
I am not sure, but you can update the latest titles added by Pope Francis while praying the litany of Loreto. Pope Francis, in June 202) added three new invocations to the litany *Mother of Mercy, *Mother of hope, and *Solace of Migrants. When you pray this litany, I am sure you have the updated version of the Litany of Loreto. If not, use the one below.
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.
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 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.
Mother of mercy, 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.
Comfort 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 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.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord God, that we, your servants, may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body; and by the intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may be delivered from present sorrow, and obtain eternal joy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer to Saint Joseph
The prayer to St. Joseph — spouse of the Virgin Mary, foster father of Jesus, and patron saint of the universal Church—was composed by Pope Leo XIII in his 1889 encyclical, Quamquam pluries. He asked that it be added to the end of the Rosary, especially during the month of October, which is dedicated to the Rosary. Enriched with a partial indulgence, this prayer may be said after the customary Salve Regina and concluding prayer and may also be used to conclude other Marian devotions.
Prayer to Saint Joseph
To you, O blessed Joseph,
do we come in our tribulation,
and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse,
we confidently invoke your patronage also.
Through that charity which bound you
to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God
and through the paternal love
with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance
which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family,
defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ;
O most loving father, ward off from us
every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
O our most mighty protector, be kind to us
and from heaven assist us in our struggle
with the power of darkness.
As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril,
so now protect God’s Holy Church
from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity;
shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection,
so that, supported by your example and your aid,
we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness,
and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven.
Amen.
Concluding Notes
I will share the other Marian litanies in the next blog post. Sometimes, you can use them for private devotion. But I hope the above information will be of help during the month of October. October is also considered the month of the World Mission – a catholicity and universal solidarity recognising our shared responsibility concerning the world’s evangelisation.
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About the Author
Feroz Fernandes, a Catholic Missionary, identifies himself as an Uncommon Priest. Father Feroz loves adventure in the apostolate. Check out his debut book The Uncommon Priest: Incredible Stories You Never Read on amazon. And also, the YouTube Channel: Feroz Fernandes promotes a better understanding of scripture.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes an indulgence as “a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and all of the saints”.
The recipient of an indulgence must perform an action to receive it. This is most often the saying (once, or many times) of a specified prayer, but may also include the visiting of a particular place, or the performance of specific good works.
In the Catholic Church, an indulgence is the remission of punishment caused by sin. This punishment can be earthly suffering or time in Purgatory. A partial indulgence removes part of one’s suffering, while a plenary indulgence removes all of one’s suffering.