Litany of Loreto

1. Sancta Maria

Holy Mary

The most basic Marian title. Holiness is what Mary is by virtue of being the Mother of God; everything else in the litany unfolds from it. Ephrem the Syrian, Carmina Nisibena 27: “There is no stain in thee, my Lord, and no spot in thy Mother.”

Root · Luke 1:28 (kecharitōmenē)

2. Sancta Dei Genetrix

Holy Mother of God magisterial

The dogmatic centerpiece. Every later Marian title is logically driven by this one. To deny Mary as Theotokos is to deny the Incarnation. Council of Ephesus (431) defined Theotokos.

Εἴ τις οὐ Θεοτόκον τὴν ἁγίαν Μαρίαν ὑπολαμβάνει, χωρίς ἐστι τῆς θεότητος. If anyone does not believe that Holy Mary is the Mother of God, he is severed from the Godhead. Gregory of Nazianzus · Ep. 101 to Cledonius · PG 37, 177c · see Anthology §9

Root · Luke 1:43 (hē mētēr tou Kyriou mou) · Galatians 4:4

3. Sancta Virgo virginum

Holy Virgin of Virgins

The perpetual virginity. Mary is “Virgin of virgins” not only as one virgin among others but as the source and model of all consecrated virginity. Augustine, De Sancta Virginitate: she remained a virgin ante partum, in partu, post partum, before, during, and after the birth.

Root · Isaiah 7:14 (LXX parthenos) · Luke 1:34 · Ezekiel 44:1–3

4. Mater Christi

Mother of Christ

Specifies that the Mother of God is the Mother of the Messianic Christ, the anointed Davidic King.

Root · Matthew 1:16

5. Mater Ecclesiae

Mother of the Church 1980 · JPII

The maternal motherhood of the redeemed, constituted at Calvary and confirmed by Vatican II. Paul VI, Solemn Profession of Faith (1968): “Mother of the Church, that is, of the entire body of Christ.”

Root · John 19:26–27 · Acts 1:14 · Revelation 12:17 · see NT Texts

6. Mater Misericordiae

Mother of Mercy Salve Regina, c. 1080

Mary as the maternal channel of God’s mercy. Mediatrix in the key of mercy. The Salve Regina (Hermann of Reichenau): Salve Regina, Mater Misericordiae.

Root · Luke 1:50 (Magnificat) · added to litany 2020 by Francis

7. Mater divinae gratiae

Mother of Divine Grace

The Mediatrix doctrine compressed into a single title. Mother through whom divine grace flows to the world.

Totum nos habere voluit per Mariam. He willed that we should have everything through Mary. Bernard of Clairvaux · De Aquaeductu §7 · PL 183, 441 · see Anthology §23

Root · Luke 1:28 · John 1:14, 16

8. Mater Spei

Mother of Hope 2020 · Francis

Mary, who already enjoys bodily glorification in the Assumption, is the embodied pledge of our hope.

Root · Romans 4:18 · Romans 8:24 · Sirach 24:24

9–12. Mater purissima · castissima · inviolata · intemerata

Mother most pure, most chaste, inviolate, undefiled

Four titles unfold the perpetual virginity in successive intensifications: without taint, committed virginity, integrity unbroken, freedom from all corruption. Ambrose, De Institutione Virginis; Jerome, Adversus Helvidium.

Root · Song of Songs 4:7 (tota pulchra es, et macula non est in te) · Ezekiel 44:1–3

13–14. Mater amabilis · admirabilis

Mother most amiable and admirable

Mary as both lovable (drawing the heart’s affection) and awe-inspiring (drawing the mind’s wonder), the two complementary registers of authentic Marian devotion.

Root · Sirach 24:24 · Luke 1:48

15. Mater boni consilii

Mother of Good Counsel 1903 · Leo XIII

Mary as the source of wisdom and counsel in the spiritual life; patroness of right discernment. Leo XIII added the title after his devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel of Genazzano.

Root · Isaiah 9:6 (the Counsellor) · Proverbs 8:14

16. Mater Creatoris

Mother of our Creator

The most metaphysically arresting Marian title. The Creator of all things has a created Mother who freely consented to bear him. The vertigo of the Incarnation in five syllables.

Σὺ θαῦμα τῶν θαυμάτων, ἡ σώζουσα τὸν κόσμον μεσῖτις. Thou art the wonder of all wonders, the saving Mediatress of the world. John of Damascus · Hom. in Dorm. II · PG 96, 740 · see Anthology §20

Root · John 1:3 · Luke 1:31

17. Mater Salvatoris

Mother of our Savior

The Christological economy in maternal form. Mary named in relation to the soteriological work of her Son.

Root · Matthew 1:21 · Luke 2:11

18. Virgo prudentissima

Virgin Most Prudent

Prudence is the queen of the cardinal virtues; Mary’s exercise of it in awaiting and recognizing the Annunciation is the foundation of the title.

Root · Matthew 25:1–13 (the prudent virgins)

19. Virgo veneranda

Virgin Most Venerable

All generations shall call her blessed.

Root · Luke 1:48

20. Virgo praedicanda

Virgin Most Renowned

The prophecy that her praise will be spoken throughout history.

Root · Luke 1:48 (continued)

21. Virgo potens

Virgin Most Powerful

Mary’s power is real and creaturely, derived entirely from her Son.

Nihil Mariae aequale, nihil nisi Deus maius Maria. Nothing equals Mary; nothing but God is greater than Mary. Anselm of Canterbury · Oratio 52 · PL 158, 956 · see Anthology §22

Root · Luke 1:49 (Magnificat)

22. Virgo clemens

Virgin Most Merciful

Closing line of the Salve Regina: O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Root · Luke 1:50

23. Virgo fidelis

Virgin Most Faithful

The single most important Marian title for understanding discipleship. Mary is faithful before she is anything else; she is the type of every Christian who believes before they see. The first believer of the New Covenant, whose faith made the Incarnation possible.

Root · Luke 1:45 (Elizabeth’s blessing)

24. Speculum iustitiae

Mirror of Justice

Mary mirrors perfectly the holiness of God. Not a source but a reflection: she shows us, creature to creature, what God’s holiness looks like reflected.

Root · Wisdom 7:26 (the unspotted mirror of God’s majesty)

25. Sedes Sapientiae

Seat of Wisdom

The Christ-child enthroned on the lap of his Mother is the iconographic Sedes Sapientiae. A central Marian title in medieval art and theology.

Χαῖρε ἀπὸ ἡμῶν, Μαρία Θεοτόκε, σεμνὸν κειμήλιον ἁπάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης. Hail Mary, Mother of God, venerable treasure of the whole universe. Cyril of Alexandria · Hom. 4 at the Council of Ephesus, 431 · PG 77, 992 · see Anthology §11

Root · Proverbs 8 · Sirach 24 · Wisdom 7–9 · 1 Corinthians 1:24

26. Causa nostrae laetitiae

Cause of our Joy

Mary is the human cause of the Joy who is Christ. To call her “cause of our joy” is to say that the joy of Christmas, of redemption, of the Eucharist, all has a maternal cause.

Root · Luke 1:14 · Luke 1:44 (John leaping in the womb)

27–29. Vas spirituale · honorabile · insigne devotionis

Spiritual, Honorable, and Singular Vessel of Devotion

Mary as the vessel par excellence: containing the divine, honored by the One she contains, and exceptional in her devotion. The three together unfold the Ark-of-the- Covenant typology.

Root · 2 Timothy 2:21 · Exodus 25 · Isaiah 45:9–10 · see OT Types §8

30. Rosa mystica

Mystical Rose

An iconographic and contemplative title. The Rosary takes its name from this image (rosarium, a garden of roses). Dante, Paradiso XXIII: la rosa in che il Verbo divino carne si fece, “the rose in which the Divine Word made himself flesh.”

Root · Sirach 24:18 · Song of Songs 2:1

31. Turris Davidica

Tower of David

The military / defensive Marian title. Mary defends the faithful against the assaults of the enemy.

Root · Song of Songs 4:4 (Sicut turris David collum tuum)

32. Turris eburnea

Tower of Ivory

The Marian image of strength combined with purity. Ivory is precious, white, smooth, the material symbol of incorruption.

Root · Song of Songs 7:4

33. Domus aurea

House of Gold

Mary as the new and greater Temple. Where Solomon built a house overlaid in gold for the Ark, the Father prepared a House of Gold (Mary herself) for the New Ark of the Word made flesh.

Root · 1 Kings 6:21–22 · Exodus 25:11

34. Foederis arca

Ark of the Covenant

One of the most theologically dense Marian titles. The Ark contained the manna, the rod, and the tablets; Mary contains the Bread of Heaven, the eternal High Priest, the Incarnate Word. Revelation 11:19–12:1 makes the identification explicit.

Root · Exodus 25:10–22 · 2 Samuel 6 · Luke 1:39–56 · Rev 11:19–12:1 · see OT Types §8

35. Ianua caeli

Gate of Heaven

A pure Mediatrix title. Mary as the way through which heaven is opened to us. The Mediatrix doctrine in cosmic geometry.

Χαῖρε, κλίμαξ ἐπουράνιε, δι᾽ ἡς κατέβη ὁ Θεός· χαῖρε, γέφυρα μετάγουσα τοὺς ἐκ γῆς πρὸς οὐρανόν. Rejoice, heavenly ladder by which God descended; rejoice, bridge leading those of earth to heaven. The Akathist Hymn · Oikos 3 · 6th c. Byzantine · see Akathist

Root · Genesis 28:17 (Bethel) · Ezekiel 44:1–3 · Genesis 28:12 (Jacob’s ladder)

36. Stella matutina

Morning Star

Mary as the forerunner of the dawn of Christ. The morning star is the last star to disappear in the light of dawn; Mary disappears into Christ, pointing always to him. Her own light is real but derivative.

Root · Revelation 22:16 · 2 Peter 1:19

37. Salus infirmorum

Health of the Sick Lourdes, 1858

Mary as the maternal intercessor for the sick. The feast of Our Lady of Lourdes (Feb 11) is the World Day of the Sick. The Lourdes spring and seventy-plus medically certified miraculous cures ground the title in living experience.

Root · John 2:5 (Cana directive) · Acts 5:15–16 · see Apparitions

38. Refugium peccatorum

Refuge of Sinners

Mary as the maternal hiding-place for those who have sinned. The patristic Sub Tuum preserves this understanding from the earliest age of the Church.

Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν καταφεύγομεν, Θεοτόκε. Τὰς ἡμῶν ἱκεσίας μὴ παρίδῃς ἐν περιστάσει. Beneath thy compassion we take refuge, O Mother of God: do not despise our petitions in time of trouble. Sub Tuum Praesidium · P. Rylands III 470 · c. AD 250 · the oldest known Marian prayer · see Anthology §4

Root · Luke 7:36–50 · Psalm 90:1–2

39. Solatium migrantium

Comfort of Migrants 2020 · Francis

Mary as the Mother of migrants and refugees, drawn from her own historical experience of forced migration with Joseph and the infant Christ. A contemporary application of an ancient maternity.

Root · Matthew 2:13–15 (Flight into Egypt) · Hosea 11:1

40. Consolatrix afflictorum

Comforter of the Afflicted

She comforts because she has suffered. The Mother of Sorrows is the Comforter of the Afflicted, by the same maternal heart. The Stabat Mater (13th c.) is the medieval refrain of this title.

Root · Luke 2:35 (Simeon’s sword) · John 19:25

41. Auxilium Christianorum

Help of Christians 1815 · Pius VII

The military / strategic Marian title. Lepanto (1571), Vienna (1683), the return of Pius VII (1814), the defense against Communism, all bear this title. Patroness of the Salesians, whose May 24 feast is one of the great Marian celebrations.

Root · Judith 13 (head-crushing) · see OT Types §26

42. Regina angelorum

Queen of Angels

Mary is the highest of all creatures, exceeding even the highest angels.

Beata Virgo electa est a Deo non in ministram alicuius particularis, sed in cooperatricem et adiutricem totius eius negotii. The Blessed Virgin was chosen by God not to be the minister of some particular work, but to be the cooperatrix and helper of His whole plan. Albert the Great · Mariale q. 42 · see Anthology §24

Root · Luke 1:26 (Gabriel sent to her) · Hebrews 1:14

43. Regina patriarcharum

Queen of Patriarchs

Queen of the patriarchs because she is the one in whom their hope was fulfilled.

Root · Hebrews 11 · Galatians 4:4

44. Regina prophetarum

Queen of Prophets

Queen of Prophets because she is the one prophesied by all, who is herself prophet in the Magnificat.

Root · Isaiah 7:14 · Luke 1:46–55 · Acts 2:17

45. Regina apostolorum

Queen of Apostles

Mary as the maternal heart of the apostolic Church. Older than the Twelve in faith (she believed at Nazareth before any of them); mother to them after the Cross.

Root · Acts 1:14 (the Cenacle)

46. Regina martyrum

Queen of Martyrs

The Co-Redemptrix doctrine in the title of Queenship. She rules the company of martyrs because she suffered more, by maternal compassion, than any of them.

Ita cum Filio patiente et moriente passa est et paene commortua... ut merito dici queat eam cum Christo humanum genus redemisse. To such an extent did she suffer and almost die with her suffering and dying Son... that we may rightly say she redeemed the human race together with Christ. Pope Benedict XV · Inter Sodalicia · AAS 10 (1918) 181 · see Anthology §45

Root · Luke 2:35 (Simeon’s sword) · John 19:25 · see NT Texts

47. Regina confessorum

Queen of Confessors

Mary as Queen of those who confess Christ. The word confessor in the liturgy designates a saint who professed Christ during persecution but was not killed.

Root · Luke 1:38 (her fiat) · Luke 1:42

48. Regina virginum

Queen of Virgins

The model of consecrated virginity, Queen of all who have offered their bodies and lives to God in perpetual celibacy.

Root · Revelation 14:4 (the virgins following the Lamb)

49. Regina sanctorum omnium

Queen of All Saints

The most encompassing Queenly title. Queen of all the saints, the ones in heaven and the ones being perfected on earth.

Root · Revelation 12:1 (twelve stars) · Revelation 19:6–9

50. Regina sine labe originali concepta

Queen Conceived without Original Sin 1854 · Pius IX

The dogmatic Queenly title. The Immaculate Conception is the metaphysical condition of her Queenship: only one without original sin could fittingly be the Mother of the sinless God. Defined by Ineffabilis Deus, 8 December 1854.

Root · Genesis 3:15 · Luke 1:28 (kecharitōmenē) · Song 4:7 · Revelation 12:1

51. Regina in caelum assumpta

Queen Assumed into Heaven 1950 · Pius XII

The Assumption is the dogmatic ground of the Queenship: she is enthroned in heaven by virtue of her bodily glorification. Defined by Munificentissimus Deus, 1 November 1950.

Root · Revelation 12:1 · 1 Corinthians 15:23 · Psalm 132:8

52. Regina sacratissimi Rosarii

Queen of the Most Holy Rosary 1883 · Leo XIII

The Rosary as the principal Marian devotion of the Roman tradition. Our Lady of Fatima (13 October 1917): “I am the Lady of the Rosary.” The title is sealed by her own self-identification.

Root · see Rosary Companion · Apparitions · Fatima

53. Regina familiarum

Queen of Families 1995 · JPII

Mary as the maternal Queen of the domestic church. Every Christian family is under her patronage.

Root · Luke 2:51 (the Holy Family at Nazareth)

54. Regina pacis

Queen of Peace 1917 · Benedict XV

Added at the height of the Great War and intimately connected with the Fatima request for the consecration of Russia and the conversion of sinners as the path to world peace.

Root · Isaiah 9:6 (the Prince of Peace) · Luke 1:79 · John 14:27