"just adding saints' names"? Alas, it hasn't always been done that way.

I witnessed one case in which the candidates' names were added to the litany ("St. Robyi, pray for us") without anyone bothering to make a proper substitution of their corresponding patrons' names. The effect was pretty stupid. OTOH, it was thirty years ago.

Now, folks, don't be too harsh on Origen. While some of his speculations were erroneous, he wasn't culpable of heresy, as the doctrines weren't condemned until well after his lifetime. And some of the errors denounced were not his own assertions, but extrapolations therefrom, which he may not have held. Saints Athanasius, Basil, and Gregory of Nazianzus defended him on various points, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Origen.

But I do agree that it is wrong to include a non-saint in the litany, which is the important point.

For Jam, I've come across a very nice article by Fr. Schmemann about the Prayer of Saint Ephrem.

Thanks, Richard for the clarification re. Origen. For my part, I can't endorse his inclusion in a litany though. Becker must have had some sort of Jones for that.

Jam, to see the article, click on the words "Prayer of Saint Ephrem" (above). I made that a link.

The Prayer of Saint Ephrem is probably good to think about here, since it reminds us to find fault with ourselves, and not to find fault with those around us.

Very interesting to hear. To be included in a public litany, the saint has to have been raised to the altars in some way recognized by the Church, at least in the Martyrology (which would include recitation in the Divine Office). Part of the honors of being raised to the altars is being included in public litanies.

In the EF there are two versions, the longer one used during a Rogations Procession and the shorter one used during the Easter Vigil. Both can be found in the Liber Usualis / Graduale Romanum 1962.

These would usually have the invocations doubled ie. the Cantor sings the Invocation and the ora pro..., then the choir repeats the invocation and the ora pro...
Of course there is no reason why it could not be sung in the modern way with out doubling during a baptism, also it could be cut short, so ending it after the last of the saints...

It's a matter of preference. Well, old versions included some non-saints, so they weren't liturgically correct, but that's been fixed. I'm not fond of the rhythm -- sometimes I think it has a cha-cha feel -- but some folks like it.

I haven't seen the revised, since the pastor told me not to use the Becker again. Something to do with Origen, perhaps, and he thought the chant version was better.

since the pastor told me not to use the Becker again. Something to do with Origen, perhaps,

What's with the origin?

So does the chanted version.

Yeah, poor Origen wasn't alone, I'm afraid. I've heard versions with St. MLKJr., St. Mohandes Ghandi, etc. ;-) Hope we're passed that.

Becker wrote a setting of the Litany of the Saints, and included the name of Origen in it, even though the 3rd Century scholar is not on the official list.

Origen, ever the rascal, allowed this go on for years.

Yes, Becker put Origen in an earlier version of the litany. He had no authority to do so. I understand it has been removed from the revised edition.

Please remember to take Adam with a ton of salt, not a grain. LOL.

My on-the-ground solution to the Origen problem was to propose St Pontian - a pairing of Hippolytus and Pontian offers an example of saints who reconciled after a theological division...though obviously this is very obscure to most listeners, and another reason to stick to the normal text....

St. Elga Bertha, pray for us
St. Hubert Engglebert, pray for us
St. Bufordina Mary, pray for us
St. Edna Snotwiggle, pray for us.

All you holy men and women pray for us.

Revitalizing this thread as we are using the LoTS for the Entrance on All Saints day, at our principal Mass.

In regard to using the Litany as the procession on All Saints, would the Litany apply as it does to the First Sunday of Lent (Per Paul F. Ford earlier in this discussion), wherein the Kyrie in the Litany takes the place of the Kyrie at the beginning of Mass? Or does the fact that it happens during the procession, as well as outside of Lent negate this?

Or have I just completely misunderstood what I read?
(Note, we ARE doing the LoTS for our Entrance on All Saints - I'm just looking for clarification as to whether or not the Litany changes anything at the beginning of Mass.)

The guidance is, surely, that if another liturgical function starts the Mass the Penitential Act is omitted. The first question is whether the LotS here is a liturgical function or just the Entrance chant. If it is the Entrance chant it would be overload to use form C of the Penitential Act, and the Kyrie would come in its natural place after the Collect, but note the following from the Catholic Encyclopedia (article by Fr A Fortescue)

... it may be noted that down to the late Middle Ages the Kyrie of the Mass was left out when it had just been sung in a Litany before Mass, as on Rogation days (e.g., Ordo Rom., XI, lxii)