Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus

Devotions

A litany of praise addressed to Christ under his Holy Name, traditionally linked to fifteenth-century Franciscan preachers and extended to the whole Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1886.

The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus is a sequence of invocations addressed to Christ under his Holy Name, traditionally associated with the fifteenth-century Franciscan preachers St. Bernardine of Siena and St. John Capistrano, though its actual author is not definitively known. After centuries of only local or partial approval, Pope Leo XIII extended its use to the whole Church on 16 January 1886, and it remains one of a small number of litanies formally approved by the Holy See for public use.

Quick Facts

  • Category: Jesus Christ — Holy Name
  • Origin: Traditionally attributed to St. Bernardine of Siena and St. John Capistrano in the fifteenth century, though the actual author is unknown
  • Observance: Prayed at any time, especially in January around the Holy Name feast
  • Church status: one of a small number of litanies formally approved by the Holy See for public use, extended to the universal Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1886
  • Private revelation: the litany’s text is a devotional composition, not the reported content of a vision

What Is This Devotion?

The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus follows the same call-and-response pattern as other Catholic litanies, moving through a series of titles addressed to Christ — drawn from Scripture and from centuries of theological reflection on who Jesus is — each followed by a short response, and closing with a set of petitions asking for deliverance and mercy. Its structure follows the pattern of the Litany of Loreto, applied here to the person and name of Jesus rather than to Mary.

Origin and History

The litany’s authorship is genuinely uncertain. Tradition has long associated it with the two great fifteenth-century preachers of the Holy Name, St. Bernardine of Siena and St. John Capistrano, but no document firmly establishes either as its actual composer, and it more likely developed gradually from earlier devotional material. Its path to formal Church approval was slow and, at points, unsuccessful: requests for papal approval were declined in 1640, 1642, and 1662.

Pope Sixtus V had already granted an indulgence for its recitation in the late 1580s, an implicit sign of favor even without formal approval, and Pope Pius IX approved a version of the text for use in specific dioceses whose bishops requested it in 1862. Full, universal approval came only on 16 January 1886, when Pope Leo XIII extended the privilege of reciting it to the whole Church.

Catholic Theology

Like the Litany of the Sacred Heart, this litany works by accumulation rather than by any single formula: no one title captures the whole mystery of Christ, so the prayer moves through many — Word of the Father, King of glory, Father of the world to come — building toward the closing petitions for mercy. Its approval places it among the very small number of litanies the Holy See has granted the status of public, liturgical-style use, distinguishing them from the far larger body of privately composed litanies in Catholic devotional life.

How to Practice It

  • Pray the litany slowly, ideally aloud or with others in call-and-response form.
  • Use it especially in January, around the January 3 Optional Memorial of the Holy Name.
  • Pair it with the Rosary or a Holy Hour as an extended period of prayer.
  • Let the sequence of titles serve as a meditation on who Christ is, rather than treating it as a prayer to be completed quickly.

Associated Prayers

When It’s Observed

The litany carries no feast of its own, though it is most naturally prayed in January, around the January 3 Optional Memorial of the Holy Name of Jesus.

Church Status

The Litany of the Holy Name holds a rare and specific status: after repeated requests were declined across the seventeenth century, it received partial approval from Pope Pius IX in 1862 and full extension to the universal Church from Pope Leo XIII on 16 January 1886, placing it among the small number of litanies the Holy See permits for public use. A partial indulgence is associated with its devout recitation under the Church’s Manual of Indulgences; current conditions should be confirmed against that Manual rather than an older prayer card.

Common Misconceptions

“This litany was written by Bernardine of Siena and John Capistrano.”

Tradition long associated it with these two preachers of the Holy Name, but its actual authorship is not established with certainty; this page treats that attribution as a received tradition rather than a documented fact.

“Because it took so long to gain approval, the Church was originally opposed to this litany.”

The repeated seventeenth-century requests that were declined more likely reflect the general caution the Holy See has always applied before granting any litany the specific status of approved public use, not doctrinal opposition to devotion to the Holy Name itself, which was never in question.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who really wrote the Litany of the Holy Name?

No one knows for certain. It is traditionally, though not definitively, attributed to St. Bernardine of Siena and St. John Capistrano.

When was it approved for the whole Church?

Pope Leo XIII extended it to universal use on 16 January 1886, after Pope Pius IX had already approved a version for specific dioceses in 1862.

Is this the same prayer as a Chaplet of the Holy Name?

No, a litany and a chaplet are different prayer forms; this page covers the litany specifically.

Sources

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