Fr Luigi Felici, SJ, 1797

The Divine Praises — Blessed be God

Said at Benediction, and in reparation for blasphemy

LatinEnglish

Benedictus Deus.
Benedictum Nomen Sanctum eius.
Benedictus Iesus Christus, verus Deus et verus homo.
Benedictum Nomen Iesu.
Benedictum Cor eius sacratissimum.
Benedictus Sanguis eius pretiosissimus.
Benedictus Iesus in sanctissimo altaris Sacramento.
Benedictus Sanctus Spiritus, Paraclitus.
Benedicta excelsa Mater Dei, Maria sanctissima.
Benedicta sancta eius et immaculata Conceptio.
Benedicta eius gloriosa Assumptio.
Benedictum nomen Mariae, Virginis et Matris.
Benedictus sanctus Ioseph, eius castissimus Sponsus.
Benedictus Deus in Angelis suis, et in Sanctis suis. Amen.

Blessed be God.
Blessed be his holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be his most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be his most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in his Angels and in his Saints. Amen.

SourceFr Luigi Felici, SJ, 1797 · Said at Benediction, and in reparation for blasphemy

The history of this prayer

The Divine Praises (Laudes divinae), which begin “Blessed be God”, were written in Italian by the Jesuit Luigi Felici in 1797 as a prayer of reparation: to be said after hearing or uttering blasphemy or profanity against God and the saints. For every name that is insulted, a blessing.

In time the prayer came to be said at the end of Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, just after the priest blesses the people with the monstrance. Popes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries added praises — of the Immaculate Conception, the Sacred Heart, Saint Joseph, the Assumption, the Precious Blood; the last, “Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete”, was added by Paul VI in 1964.

At Benediction the priest says each praise and the people repeat it. It is worth learning by heart: it is the simplest answer to an evil word heard in the street or at work.

Frequently asked questions

When are the Divine Praises said?

At the end of Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, after the blessing with the monstrance, and at any time in reparation for blasphemy.

Who wrote the Divine Praises?

The Italian Jesuit Luigi Felici, in 1797. Popes later added praises; the last, of the Holy Spirit, by Paul VI in 1964.

More prayers: The Eucharist

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