litany

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litany

litany [Gr.,=prayer], solemn prayer characterized by varying petitions with set responses. The term is mainly used for Christian forms. Litanies were developed in Christendom for use in processions. In the West there were traditionally four days for these processional litanies, the Rogation Days . The Eastern liturgies make frequent use of litanies, recited by the deacon; the response is usually "Lord, have mercy." The Kyrie eleison is a relic of such a litany. In the Roman Catholic Church the one liturgical litany, the Litany of the Saints, dates from the 5th cent. substantially. Modeled after it are a number of nonliturgical (i.e., nonprescribed) litanies, of which the following are authorized: Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus (15th cent.), Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (or of Loreto; 16th cent.), Litany of the Sacred Heart, and Litany of St. Joseph. The litany in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer is much like the Litany of the Saints. Moravian and Lutheran liturgies also use litanies.

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"litany." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Litany, the

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Â© The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable 2006, originally published by Oxford University Press 2006. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Litany, the in the Christian Church, a series of petitions for use in church services or processions, usually recited by the clergy and responded to in a recurring formula by the people.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Litany, the." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Litany, the." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (November 29, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Litanythe.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Litany, the." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Litanythe.html

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litany

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

litany. Christian prayer for supplication—'Deliver us, O Lord’, etc.—often set to mus. Sometimes the title of instr. works, e.g. Fricker's Litany for double str. orch.

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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "litany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "litany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (November 29, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-litany.html

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "litany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved November 29, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-litany.html

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