The Family Litany

When you pray, do you include a Family Litany at the end?

We do. And the kids love it.

So, lets learn how to develop a Family Litany, shall we?

1. What is it? A litany, in Christian worship, is a form of prayer used in church services, processions and public and private devotions and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes from the Latin litania, from the Greek λιτή (litê), meaning "prayer" or "supplication". Get your Litany History Here.
   
2. What do you mean by family? This will be a private devotional prayer for the purpose of personalizing a rich prayer tradition. It will be created by the family and include the families favorite saints, especially those Saints that have a name in common with a family member.
3. When is the best time to do it? At the end of family prayers, especially the Rosary or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
4. How do you create the beginning of the Family Litany? Cheat. Use what is already available. Does that make sense? We use the beginning and ending of the litany that the Companions of the Intercessors of the Lamb have created.
5. Can I put Saint in front of my child's name since they don't a Saints name. No, No and No. This degrades the proper honor due to a canonized Saint. Instead, adopt one.
   
6. Do you have an example? Yes, I will create one for you. Dawn, Water Into Wine Blog, asked me to explain what a Family Litany is, so I will use her family as an example.
7. Can we add all our Saints together before we respond with the pray for us. Yes we do. Our list is getting long.
   

Here is Dawn's family. Wife to Matt, mom to Mary Beth (age 8), Anna (age 5), Lucia (age 3), and Clara (born 11/24/06)

V. Lord, have mercy on us.
R. Christ, have mercy on us.
V. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
R. Christ, graciously hear us.

V. 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.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. We skip the first part and start here.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.
Mother of the Church, pray for us.

St. Peter, pray for us. This line would be a family saint(s)
St. Matthew, pray for us. Dad
Mourning Star, pray for us. Mom
St. Elizabeth, pray for us. Mary Beth, you could add another line to include her first name
St. Anne, pray for us. Anna
St. Lucy, pray for us. Lucia
St. Clair, pray for us. Clara
St. Francis, pray for us. Favorite saint #1, list as many or as few as you would like
St. Pio, pray for us. #2
St. Rita, pray for us. #3 we sometimes add the Saint of the day
St. Nicholas, pray for us. #4, did I say they could be seasonal or temporary

All you Holy Souls, pray for us. This is the ending we use.
All You Angels and Saints, pray for us.
Queen of Peace, pray for us who have recourse to you.
Amen.

There it is, a Family Litany.
Does this help?
Do you have any more questions?