How the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Loreto was developed and the meaning of its Mother Mary's Title.

1. Litany of the
Blessed Virgin Mary

2. What is Litany?
 the word came from the Greek word
“lite” - “prayer” or “supplication.”
 This litany is a series of beautiful
invocations of our Blessed Mother,
addressing her by various titles and
beseeching her intercession.
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary

3. History of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
 1150-1200
 1558
 1587
the Litany was composed in or around Paris.
the name was adopted in the Italian shrine
of the Holy House at Loreto as the Litany of
Loreto.
The Litany of Loreto was approved by Pope
Sixtus V

4. History of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
 1814
 1854 (Dec. 08)
 1883 (Dec. 24)
“Queen of the most Holy Rosary” was added
by Pope Leo XIII
“Queen Conceived without Original Sin”
was added by Pope Pius IX
“Queen of all Saints” was added by
Pope Pius VII

5. History of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
 1903 (April 22)
 1917
 1950 (Nov. 01)
“Mother of Good Counsel” was added by
Pope Leo XIII
“Queen Assumed into Heaven” was added
by Pope Pius XII
“Queen of Peace” was added by
Pope Benedict XV

6. History of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
 1980
 1995
“Mother of the Church” was added by
Pope John Paul II
“Queen of Families” was added by
Pope John Paul II

7.  Holy Mary
This title recalls the eminent sanctity of the
Virgin Mary, who is full of grace, espoused
as she is to the Author of all Holiness, God
the Holy Ghost; and it also recalls the
sweetness of her Holy Name, which is the
greatest after that of Jesus.

8.  Holy Mother of God
The Church expresses Her Faith, that is, that
Jesus Christ is only one Divine Person, true God
and true Man, and hence she truly is the
Mother of God.

9.  Holy Virgin of Virgins
Our Lady is perpetually a Virgin, and her
spotless Virginity is the font and exemplar
through which countless souls are attracted to
imitate her in this blessed state; moreover, her
Virginity is joined to the privilege of the Divine
Maternity.

10.  Mother of Christ
Mother of the Messiah, the Anointed One of
the Lord. Kings, priests and prophets were
consecrated with oil; now, Jesus Christ is the
Prophet, the Eternal Priest and the Supreme
King.

11.  Mother of Divine Grace
Mary received distinctive
blessings so that she
could be the most fitted
mother for Christ, this
includes her Immaculate
Conception, her spiritual
motherhood of all
Christians, and
Assumption into heaven.

12.  Mother Most Pure
 Mother Most Chaste
Mary was most chaste in body: in her eyes
and in her heart, always and everywhere
She was purity of soul itself–so pure that
she was disturbed at the first
announcement of the Incarnation

13.  Mother Inviolate
 Mother Undefiled
She is called undefiled because of the
splendor of her purity before Heaven and
earth.
Mary was an inviolate Virgin, for God
Himself willed to respect her before, during
and after the Incarnation

14.  Mother Immaculate
Mary, first moment of her conception, God,
foreseeing and anticipating the merits of Jesus’s
passion and death, and knowing Mary would say
“yes” to becoming the Mother of the Saviour, filled
her with grace, and preserved her free from all stain
of original sin.

15.  Mother Most Amiable
 Mother Most Admirable
She is admirable, for if "God is admirable in
His Saints," Mary is an abundance of
wonders and merits
The Virgin Mary is amiable because of her
incomparable spiritual and corporal beauty,
which was reproduced in her Divine Son

16.  Mother of Good Counsel
She is the counselor of all the doubtful who
humbly seek her guidance, without trusting
in their own lights and opinions.

17.  Mother of Our Creator
For Her Divine Son Jesus Christ, as God, is
the Creator of all things–"by Whom all
things were made;" as the God-Man,

18.  Mother of Our Savior
She is the Mother of Jesus Christ who is the
Redeemer of human race by His Crucifixion
and Death.

19.  Mother of the Church
When Mary was called during the Annunciation,
she gave her consent to the coming messianic
kingdom, which would ultimately be the
formation of the Church. She was also present
with the apostles praying in the upper room
when the Holy Spirit descended on them, giving
birth to the new Church here on Earth.

20.  Mother of Perpetual Help
This title for Mary takes its name from the
icon pictured above, purportedly painted by
St. Luke whilst Mary was still living on Earth.
According to tradition, Mary is said to have
stated that her grace will always accompany
this icon

21.  Virgin Most Prudent
The Virgin Mary guides us through life with
serene watchfulness, foreseeing our needs
and providing that which is for the glory of
God and our own sanctification.

22.  Virgin Most Venerable
 Virgin Most Renowned
Our Lady must be honored, for she deserves
the highest praise, and it is the Will of God
that devotion to her be diffused among
men: "All generations shall call me blessed."
To God, adoration is due; to the Virgin
Mary, supreme veneration; to the Saints, a
simple veneration.

23.  Virgin Most Powerful
The Virgin's power arises from
her dignity as the Mother of
God, who is all-powerful with
her Divine Son, and whose
prayers are most acceptable to
Him on account of her
profound humility. He has thus
armed this mighty Woman, who
crushes the head of the Serpent
wherever she is invoked for aid.

24.  Virgin Most Merciful
Mary is merciful because, after Jesus, her
Immaculate Heart is the most loving and
compassionate.

25.  Virgin Most Faithful
The Virgin Mary is faithful to her office of
distributing grace to her most needy
children, as she was faithful to her Divine
Son while on earth. "Never was it known
that anyone who fled to her protection was
left unaided."

26.  Mirror of Justice
Mary is the Reflection of God’s holiness

27.  Seat of Wisdom
For wisdom was incarnate in her Son Jesus
whom she carried in her womb.

28.  Cause of Our Joy
For she gives us Jesus, the Source of all joy.

29.  Spiritual Vessel
 Vessel of Honor
From the Latin “vas” (vessel) and translate
from the Greek word “skeus” which mean
instrument or tool.
For she deserves to be honored as the one
who conceived and gave birth to the Son of
God.
The dwelling place of the holy Spirit and of
Jesus Christ in the Incarnation.

30.  Singular Vessel of Devotion
Mother Mary as the Vessel of Divinity.
Mary’s total Fidelity in the service of God.
“I am the handmaid of the Lord”

31.  Mystical Rose
Rose is the queen of all the flowers. The
rose is considered the most beautiful flower,
the flower of royalty which surpasses all
others in fragrance.
Mary has the sweetness of sanctity and the
beauty of virtues.

32.  Tower of David
This is a biblical phrase from Songs of Songs 4:4
“ Your neck is like the Tower of David, a display of
trophies, a thousand bucklers hang on it, all of them
worn by heroes of war.
The Tower of David was one of great
strength and beauty and used for the
defense of the city of Jerusalem
during King David’s reign. Mary is a
symbol of the tower because of the
virtues which she presented in beauty
and strength. She also defended and
protected her Son, and continues to
defend and protect us.

33.  Tower of Ivory
This is a biblical phrase from Song of Songs 7:5
“Your neck is like an ivory tower.”
Ivory is a symbol of beauty and purity, and
Mary possesses these virtues.

34.  House of Gold
This is an ancient biblical symbol related to the
temple of God in Jerusalem, which God Himself
commanded to be covered with gold so that it
would be worthy to be His dwelling place on
earth. (1Kings 6:22) & (1Kings 7:48-50)
Mary was temple of God; her womb housed the
Lord.
Our Lady is a House of Gold, means that Her soul
was resplendent and glowing with charity, with
love of God and Her neighbor—that is what made
it so precious to God, that it was a House of Gold.

35.  Ark of the Covenant
the Ark in the Old Testament was a special
dwelling place for God’s Commandments of
the Law; Mary in her womb contained the
Maker of the Law therefore she is the New
Ark of the perfect and everlasting covenant.

36.  Ark of the Covenant
Lk 1:43-44
“And whence is this to me that the mother of
my Lord should come to me? For behold as
soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in
my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
2 Sam 6:9
“And David was afraid
of the Lord that day
saying: How shall the
Ark of the Lord come
to me?”

37.  Ark of the Covenant
2 Sam 6:11
“And the Ark of the Lord abode in the house of
Obededom the Gethite three months: and the
Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household.”
Lk 1:56
“And Mary with her
about three months.
And she returned to
her own house.”

38.  Gate of Heaven
This refers to the fact that Jesus passed through
the womb of Mary. So, Mary is like the Gate of
Heaven that gives us the Messiah and the King of
all.
The Prophet Ezekiel
(Ezekiel 44: 2-3)
“This gate shall be shut. It shall
not be opened and no man
shall pass through it: because
the Lord the God of Israel hath
entered in by it. And it shall be
shut for the Prince. The Prince
Himself shall sit in it...”

39.  Morning Star
The Virgin Mary announced the coming of
the great day, that is, the coming of the Sun
of Justice, Jesus Christ.
Revelation (2:26-28) "To the one who wins the
victory, who keeps to my ways till the end, I will give
authority over the nations - the same authority I
received from my Father. He shall rule them with the
rod of iron and shatter them like crockery; and I will
give him the morning star."
Song of Songs (6:10) "Who is
this that comes forth like the
dawn, as beautiful as the
moon, as resplendent as the
sun..."

40.  Morning Star
St. Bernard's classic:
"O Thou who feelest thyself tossed by the tempests in
the midst of the shoals of this world, turn not away
thine eyes from the Star of the Sea, if thou wouldst
avoid shipwreck. If the winds of temptation blow, if
tribulations rise up like rocks before thee—look at the
Star, send a sigh towards Mary! If the waves of pride,
ambition, calumny, or jealousy seek to swallow up thy
soul—look at the Star, send a prayer to Mary! If anger,
avarice, or love of pleasure toss thy fragile bark—seek
the eyes of Mary. If horror of thy sins, trouble of
conscience, or dread of the judgments of God begin to
plunge thee into the gulf of sadness, the abyss of
despair—attach thy heart to Mary.

41.  Morning Star
In dangers, in sufferings, in doubt—think of Mary
and invoke Her aid. Let Mary be always in your
heart and often upon your lips. To obtain Her
help in death, follow Her example in life. In
following Her, you will not go astray; by praying
to Her, you will not despair; if you cling to Her,
you will not go wrong. With Her support, you fall
not; under Her protection you have no fear;
under Her guidance you do not grow weary; if
She is gracious to you, you will reach the port.
Thus you will experience how rightly it is said:
'And the Virgin's name was Mary'."

42.  Health of the Sick
With regard to the body, poor humanity is
subject to many illnesses, and the Virgin
Mary has a loving compassion for all of our
woes, even the least.
Health of the Sick
“Salus Infirmorum”
Not only “Health” but
“SALVATION”
Eternal

43.  Health of the Sick
The Church applies to
Blessed Virgin Mary the
words of;
Proverbs—(8: 3, 5)
"He that shall find Me
shall find life, and shall
have salvation from
the Lord."

44.  Refuge of Sinners
The illnesses of the soul are much more
serious, and to the Virgin Mary belongs the
office of reconciling poor sinners with their
God.

45.  Comforter of the Afflicted
Untold sufferings of heart and spirit were
endured by Our Lady in her Compassion for
her Divine Son, and thus she is a source of
consolation and compassion for all those in
grief.

46.  Help of Christians
She has delivered the Church and Christian
society in times of grave peril, such as the
onslaught of the diabolical forces of Islam.

47.  Queen of Angels
Even the angels are surpassed in grace by
Mary, and they devotedly serve her as their
Queen.

48.  Queen of Patriarchs
The patriarchs were men of great virtue, and
particularly outstanding was their persevering
faith in the Messiah; the Virgin Mary,
however, surpassed them all.

49.  Queen of Prophets
Our Lady was the subject of many prophecies,
and she herself prophesied great events. In her
sacred person were fulfilled miracles of grace and
glory so stupendous, that the prophets could
scarcely utter them, and did so with wondrous
awe.

50.  Queen of Apostles
The Virgin Mary was the Teacher and Mother of the
Apostles; giving them the example of faithfulness at
the foot of the Cross with St. John, she then consoled
them in their repentance, and surpassed them all in
zeal. She it was who gave Jesus Christ Himself to the
world, Who the Apostles were to preach unto the
very ends of the earth.

51.  Queen of Martyrs
It is that She is a model in the endurance of
pain for the love of God.
"The blood of martyrs is the seed of
Christians."

52.  Queen of Confessors
Confessors are those Martyrs in the spirit or
“Heroes of the Faith”.
Mary, apart from Her martyrdom, is the
greatest of all confessors, the very Queen
of Confessors. It began with Her
beginning. In all these considerations we
never lose sight of the prerogatives of
Her Immaculate Conception and Her
infused knowledge, Her use of reason,
Her supremacy of sanctity from the
beginning. She was a Confessor of Faith
in God even then. The Church seems to
indicate that, by saying to Her, in the
office of the Feast of the Presentation—
"Blessed art Thou, Mary, who hast
believed."

53.  Queen of Virgins
She is the greatest of Virgins.
And Mary, who was to give Her flesh for the
Incarnation of the Son of God, was to be
the most pure Virgin, before His birth, in
His birth, and after His birth.

54.  Queen of All Saints
None of the saints became saints without a
devotion to the one whom Jesus came to
us through. She was the one who carried
and cared for our Lord throughout His life,
and was a perfect example of a saintly life,
here on earth and in Heaven.
Pope Pius VII saluted Mary
as “Queen Of All Saints”.

55.  Queen Conceive Without Original Sin
Mary is referred to as the Immaculate
Conception because when she was
conceived by her parents, she was given the
grace of being saved by Christ before she was
born. She was redeemed and remained
sinless from the moment of her conception
throughout her life.

56.  Queen Assumed into Heaven
The kings of Judah could have multiple wives, but
they only had one mother – the queen mother. She
was the most important and influential women in the
royal court. A king would always listen to his mother!
Jesus’ bride is the Universal Church. He is the King of
kings, which would make Mary, the Queen of
Heaven.
In 1950 become Dogma of the
Faith by Pope Pius X11.

57.  Queen of the Most Holy Rosary
The use of “prayer beads” and repeated prayers has
been a long time practice from the earliest of days
from the Church. The Rosary as we know it is credited
to a vision given to St. Dominic. In 1571, Pope Pius V
asked the faithful to pray the rosary in preparation for
battle, and ask the Lord for victory to the Christians
against the Moslem.

58.  Queen of the Family
Mary is Mother of the Church.
The family is considered the 'domestic church',
since it is there that the seed of faith which is
planted in the Sacrament of Baptism is
nourished and flourished by the teaching and
good example of the parents and members of
the home.
" May the Virgin Mary, Mother of the
Church, be also mother of the 'family
church'. Through her maternal help, may
every Christian family be a 'little church' in
which the mystery of Christ is relived." _

59.  Queen of Peace
Mary is the Mother of the Prince of Peace. she is
the dawn of peace shining in the darkness of a
world out of joint; she never ceases to implore her
Son for peace although His hour is not yet come
(John 2:4); she always intervenes on behalf of
sorrowing humanity in the hour of danger; today
she who is the mother of many orphans and our
advocate in this tremendous catastrophe will most
quickly hear our prayers.

60. Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Lord, have mercy on us.
• Christ, have mercy on us.
• Lord, have mercy on us.
• Christ, hear us.
• Christ, graciously here us.
• God, the Father of heaven +
• God the Son, Redeemer of
the world, +
• God the Holy Spirit, +
• Holy Trinity, One God,+
• Holy Mary, •
• Holy Mother of God,
• Holy Virgin of Virgins,
• Mother of Christ,
• Mother of the Church,
• Mother of Divine grace,
• Mother most pure,
• Mother most chaste,
• Mother Inviolate,+ Have mercy on us.
• Pray for us.
• Mother undefiled,
• Mother most amiable,
• Mother most admirable,
• Mother of Good Counsel,
• Mother of our Creator,
• Mother of our Savior,
• Mother of the Church,
• Virgin most prudent,
• Virgin most venerable,
• Virgin most renowned,
• Virgin most powerful,
• Virgin most faithful,
• Mirror of Justice,
• Seat of Wisdom,
• Cause of our joy,
• Spiritual Vessel,
• Vessel of honor,
• Singular vessel of devotion,

61. Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Mystical rose,
• Tower of David,
• Tower of Ivory,
• House of gold,
• Ark of the Covenant,
• Gate of Heaven,
• Morning star,
• Health of the sick,
• Refuge of sinners,
• Comforter of the
afflicted,
• Help of Christians,
• Queen of Angels,
+ Have mercy on us.
• Pray for us.
• Queen of Patriarchs,
• Queen of Prophets,
• Queen of Apostles,
• Queen of Martyrs,
• Queen of Confessors,
• Queen of Virgins,
• Queen of all Saints,
• Queen conceived without
original sin,
• Queen assumed into
heaven,
• Queen of the Most Holy
Rosary,
• Queen of the Family,
• Queen of Peace,

62. Meaning of “Have Mercy” in the
Litany
"Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie
eleison" (Lord, have mercy; Christ, have
mercy; Lord, have mercy)
 The Greek words for ‘Lord, have mercy,’ are
‘Kyrie, eleison’ that is to say, ‘Lord, soothe
me, comfort me, take away my pain, show
me your steadfast love.’