Attributed to Nicetas of Remesiana, c. 400

Te Deum

The Church's great hymn of thanksgiving

LatinEnglish

Te Deum laudámus: te Dóminum confitémur.
Te ætérnum Patrem omnis terra venerátur.
Tibi omnes Ángeli; tibi cæli et univérsæ potestátes;
tibi Chérubim et Séraphim incessábili voce proclámant:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dóminus Deus Sábaoth.
Pleni sunt cæli et terra maiestátis glóriæ tuæ.
Te gloriósus Apostolórum chorus,
te Prophetárum laudábilis númerus,
te Mártyrum candidátus laudat exércitus.
Te per orbem terrárum sancta confitétur Ecclésia,
Patrem imménsæ maiestátis;
venerándum tuum verum et únicum Fílium;
Sanctum quoque Paráclitum Spíritum.
Tu Rex glóriæ, Christe.
Tu Patris sempitérnus es Fílius.
Tu ad liberándum susceptúrus hóminem, non horruísti Vírginis úterum.
Tu, devícto mortis acúleo, aperuísti credéntibus regna cælórum.
Tu ad déxteram Dei sedes, in glória Patris.
Iudex créderis esse ventúrus.
Te ergo quǽsumus, tuis fámulis súbveni, quos pretióso sánguine redemísti.
Ætérna fac cum sanctis tuis in glória numerári.

We praise thee, O God: we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein;
to thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee;
the goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee;
the noble army of Martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee:
the Father of an infinite majesty;
thine honourable, true and only Son;
also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.
Thou art the King of glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy Saints in glory everlasting.

℣. Salvum fac pópulum tuum, Dómine, et bénedic hereditáti tuæ.
℟. Et rege eos, et extólle illos usque in ætérnum.
℣. Per síngulos dies benedícimus te.
℟. Et laudámus nomen tuum in sǽculum, et in sǽculum sǽculi.
℣. Dignáre, Dómine, die isto sine peccáto nos custodíre.
℟. Miserére nostri, Dómine, miserére nostri.
℣. Fiat misericórdia tua, Dómine, super nos, quemádmodum sperávimus in te.
℟. In te, Dómine, sperávi: non confúndar in ætérnum.

℣. O Lord, save thy people, and bless thine heritage.
℟. Govern them, and lift them up for ever.
℣. Day by day we magnify thee.
℟. And we worship thy name ever, world without end.
℣. Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
℟. O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
℣. O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us, as our trust is in thee.
℟. O Lord, in thee have I trusted: let me never be confounded.

SourceAttributed to Nicetas of Remesiana, c. 400 · The Church's great hymn of thanksgiving

The history of this prayer

The Te Deum is the great hymn of praise and thanksgiving of the Latin Church. A medieval legend said that Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine improvised it in alternate verses at Augustine's baptism in Milan at Easter 387 — hence its old name, the “Ambrosian hymn”. Scholars today more probably attribute it to Nicetas, Bishop of Remesiana (in present-day Serbia), around the year 400.

The hymn has three parts: praise of the Holy Trinity, joined to that of the Angels, Apostles, Prophets and Martyrs; the confession of Christ, King of glory, born of the Virgin and victor over death; and a series of petitions drawn from the Psalms. It is sung at the end of the Office of Readings (the old Matins) on Sundays outside Lent and on solemnities and feasts, and at every solemn thanksgiving: the election of a Pope, consecrations, victories, the end of the year.

The English given here is the classic sixteenth-century translation. The Enchiridion of Indulgences grants a partial indulgence for reciting it in thanksgiving, and a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, for devoutly taking part in its recitation or solemn singing on the last day of the year, in thanksgiving for the year’s gifts.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote the Te Deum?

Tradition credited Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine; today it is more probably ascribed to Nicetas of Remesiana, around the year 400.

When is the Te Deum sung?

At the end of the Office of Readings on Sundays outside Lent and on feasts, and at solemn thanksgivings, especially on 31 December.

Is there an indulgence for the Te Deum on New Year's Eve?

Yes. Those who devoutly take part in the recitation or solemn singing of the Te Deum on the last day of the year may gain a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions (confession, Communion, prayer for the Pope’s intentions and detachment from all sin).

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