Litany (Gr. litaneia, 'supplication'), a form of prayer in which the same thing is repeated several times at no long intervals. Hence in Latin the word is always used in the plural, litanie. The common formula, Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison—'Lord, have mercy upon us—Christ, have mercy upon us—Lord, have mercy upon us'—is the simplest ('lesser') litany. The word may be properly applied to the forms common among the Eastern Christians at different points during the celebration of the eucharist (see LITURGY) and other services, in which the deacon recites a number of short supplications, and the people reply after each 'Kyrie eleison.' This practice formerly existed in the West at the commencement of the liturgy: it is still preserved in the Ambrosian rite during Lent; and the ninefold Kyrie of the Roman rite is merely a surviving remnant of the same thing, the responses having been preserved, although the prayers have been dropped. Owing to the litany being a form of public prayer specially adapted for and used in public processions, the word litaneia has now obtained among the Greeks the secondary and technical meaning of a procession, and the word regularly applied by them to the forms of united prayer conducted by the deacon is ektenê.
In the Latin churches the word litany is now used to indicate a special service or form of supplication of medieval origin, in which, after the simple Kyrie and the invocation of Christ and of the Holy Trinity, follows a very long string of saints' names, each followed by the response 'Pray for us;' then a series of clauses naming different evils, and a series of adjurations based on events in the life of Christ, both followed in every instance by the response 'Deliver us, O Lord;' and next a series of supplications, beginning 'That it may please Thee, to all of which the response is 'We beseech Thee, hear us.' After this comes the triple invocation of Christ as the Lamb of God, the simple Kyrie again, the Lord's Prayer, Psalm lxx., a series of pieces of an intercessory character, and a very large number of prayers or collects. It may be observed that in the medieval editions the names of local saints are generally found mingled with the others. According to the present Roman rule the use of the litany is only absolutely commanded upon the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Day, when a procession is made to implore a blessing upon the fruits of the earth, and which are thence called Rogation (or 'asking') Days, and upon St Mark's Day (April 25), when a procession is made to pray for public health during what is in the south an unhealthy part of the year. The litany is, however, ordered upon nearly every occasion of public supplication, such as war, famine, pestilence, &c., and is subject to great alterations, especially after the Lord's Prayer, to meet the special occasions. It is also used on all special occasions, such as ordinations, consecrations, &c., with special alterations, and, in an abridged form, before the Mass on the eves of Easter and Pentecost.
The form of the litany used by Anglicans is a translation of the pre-Reformation one, but extremely free. The invocations of saints and the psalm are entirely omitted. Its use is prescribed upon all Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when it is used either as a special service or appended to morning prayer. It is also used at ordinations. It does not possess the same elasticity as the Roman for adaptation to different occasions.
It may be worth adding that in the Latin churches there are also two other litanies, the use of which is permitted in public worship, but which do not form any part of the church service. Both begin like the litany proper. The first is called that of the Holy Name (or sometimes 'of Jesus'). In this the invocation of the Trinity is immediately succeeded by a long series of invocations of Christ under different titles (such as 'Jesus, Good Shepherd,' 'Jesus, King of all the Saints'), with the constant response 'Have mercy upon us.' The other litany is called that of the Blessed Virgin (or sometimes 'of Loreto'). In it the invocation of the Trinity is succeeded by a series of titles addressed to the Blessed Virgin.
There are also a vast variety of other so-called litanies, mostly of French origin, and generally designed to invoke some particular saint under a string of complimentary epithets, on the model of the litany of the Blessed Virgin. Their public use is prohibited, and there is no more guarantee of their doctrinal soundness than may attach to the approval of any bishop given to the book of prayers for personal use in which they may happen to be found.