Traditional litany for private devotion

Traditional litany for private devotion

Litany of Saint Anthony of Padua

For 13 June, the Tuesdays of Saint Anthony and whatever is lost

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.
Saint Anthony of Padua, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, glory of the Franciscan Order, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, martyr in desire, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, lily of purity, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, model of obedience, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, lover of poverty, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, example of humility, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, Doctor of the Church, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, tireless preacher of the Gospel, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, hammer of heretics, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, ark of the Testament, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, light of Italy and Portugal, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, who didst hold the Child Jesus in thine arms, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, who didst preach to the fishes, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, who didst make the mule adore the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, consoler of the afflicted, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, help of the poor, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, guide of the lost, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, who findest what is lost, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, deliverer of captives, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, health of the sick, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, advocate of those seeking a husband or wife, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, worker of miracles, pray for us.
Saint Anthony, terror of demons, pray for us.

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

℣ Pray for us, Saint Anthony.
℟ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray

O God, who gavest Saint Anthony to thy people as an outstanding preacher and an intercessor in their needs: grant that, following his teaching and helped by his intercession, we may obtain what we ask and, above all, eternal life. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

SourceTraditional litany for private devotion · For 13 June, the Tuesdays of Saint Anthony and whatever is lost

The history of this prayer

St Anthony (1195–1231), born in Lisbon, a Franciscan and Doctor of the Church, is the most invoked saint in Brazil and Portugal, and his litany is among the most prayed of the litanies for private devotion. The titles sum up his life and miracles: the desire for martyrdom that took him to Morocco, the sermon to the fishes at Rimini, the mule that knelt before the Blessed Sacrament, the Child Jesus in his arms, and his patronage of lost things, of the poor and of those seeking marriage.

It is prayed on 13 June, on the thirteen Tuesdays that prepare the feast and in the Thirteen Days. Our own rendering of the traditional text.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Litany of St Anthony prayed?

On 13 June, on Tuesdays (the weekday dedicated to him) and in the Thirteen Days before the feast.

Why is St Anthony invoked for lost things?

Because of the story of a psalter stolen by a novice, who returned it after an apparition. The title "who findest what is lost" is in the litany and in the responsory Si quaeris miracula.

Is St Anthony a matchmaker?

Popular tradition invokes him to find a husband or wife, recalling the poor girl he helped to obtain a dowry. The litany calls him "advocate of those seeking a husband or wife".

More prayers: Litanies

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