The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of six litanies approved by the Holy See for public liturgical use in the Latin Rite. Composed in 1718 by Sister Jeanne Madeleine Joly of the Visitation Order in Dijon (a member of the same religious community that gave the Church St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the seer of the Sacred Heart apparitions at Paray-le-Monial), the litany was refined and amplified over the next century through devotional use among Visitandines, Jesuits, and the broader Catholic devotional tradition. Pope Leo XIII gave the litany formal approval for public liturgical use on April 2, 1899 — the same year he consecrated the entire human race to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical Annum Sacrum. The litany is structured as thirty-three invocations of Christ's Heart under distinct titles — 'Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother,' 'Heart of Jesus, furnace of charity,' 'Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy,' and so on — corresponding to the thirty-three years of Christ's earthly life. To each invocation the response 'Have mercy on us' is given. The thirty-three-fold pattern is contemplative: the believer's heart, by sustained repetition, is drawn into the dispositions of Christ's Heart — humility, patience, mercy, charity. The litany is one of the principal devotions of First Friday observance and is traditionally prayed during the month of June (the Month of the Sacred Heart), in the Sacred Heart Novena, and in the Holy Hour of reparation Christ asked of St. Margaret Mary.
Anonymous, 19th century
10 min
Duration
1 day
Commitment
Beginner-Friendly
Level
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Patron Saint
How to Pray
The litany is prayed responsively. A leader voices each invocation ('Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father…') and the gathered company — family, small group, parish congregation — responds with the appointed formula. The opening invocations use the Kyrie pattern ('Lord, have mercy / Christ, have mercy / Lord, have mercy') and the Trinitarian invocation of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each with the response 'Have mercy on us.' The thirty-three Heart-of-Jesus invocations then follow, each with the same 'Have mercy on us' response. The litany closes with the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) and a versicle-response pair plus a collect prayer to the Sacred Heart. Total duration is approximately ten to fifteen minutes when prayed at unhurried devotional pace. The litany is appropriately prayed: on First Fridays (the traditional Sacred Heart devotional day, observed especially in association with the 'nine First Fridays' promise Christ made to St. Margaret Mary); during the month of June, the Month of the Sacred Heart; during the Sacred Heart Novena (nine days leading up to the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, Friday after Corpus Christi); at the end of a Holy Hour of Eucharistic adoration; at moments of family consecration to the Sacred Heart. When prayed alone, simply read both the invocation and the response aloud or silently. Many Catholic families keep a printed copy of the litany near a household enthronement image of the Sacred Heart.
Coordinate sustained prayer for someone you love. Volunteers fill 30-minute slots covering days or weeks; the family receives a spiritual bouquet at the end.
