Indeed it is. Nowhere in the Bible has God revealed that the departed saints are capable of hearing our petitions. They may, but we cannot know, because only an authoritative revelation from God would make it certain, and we have no such revelation. Therefore, to pray to the Saints as the papists and Orthodox do (even if only to ask for their prayers) is to construct a piety on a foundation of air and uncertainty. Moreover, the history of the late Middle Ages, as well as the observable piety of many who belong to the Church of Rome or the East today, shows us that reaching out in one’s spirit to departed saints very quickly trespasses on the communication that God intends for us to have with himself alone. He alone knows our thoughts. He alone hears our cries. To take our needs to the saints is to slight the God who desires to provide for them. Worse than this, to assume that the Saints somehow take more pity on us than the Father who would give his only Son for our sake, is to insult the goodness of our God and Savior.
For all these reasons, and in the face of a morass of false-piety to the saints in heaven still tempting the saints on earth, I believe our Anglican Reformers were most blessed in their warning and prohibition to us in Article 22, and it was of great wisdom that all petitions to the saints were removed from our liturgies, and not included in the Book of Common Prayer, ever. Unlike other sometimes controversial elements of the prayerbook (I’m looking at you, Epiclesis) Invocation of the Saints has zero prayerbook precedent. It is therefore necessary that all faithful leaders of Anglican Liturgy do not import this Romish practice into our public liturgies. While the patristic precedent for a simple “ora pro nobis” may permit a priest in some circumstances to stay his hand in forbidding a mature Christian under his care to pray something similar; when it comes to public worship, it must be strictly verboten. Regardless of public/private — the received cultus of the saints today is much more developed than a simple ora pro nobis, and no part of it can be touched without great danger to the right reverence of the honor that is due to our Almighty God.
Having said all that, I admit there remains something marvelously enchanting about the great Roman martyrology. All those names. All those names. Of apostles and martyrs and virgins and bishops and teachers. With names that reveal the rich tapestry of cultures and languages from whence the Faithful have been called. A Litany that gives concrete “faces” to the abstract idea of the communion of saints. A New Covenant addition to the list that makes up the great cloud of witnesses in the letter to the Hebrews. There is something trenchant about the Litany of the Saints. And yet, as a sincere Anglican, I cannot in good faith pray ‘ora pro nobis’, and as a priest I am bound to not lead the People of God in such a vainly invented thing.
And so I would suggest a reformed Litany of Saints. I have removed the “Ora Pro Nobis”, and replaced it with “Glory to God” chanted to the same chant-tone, adding a “for” before each blessed name to make the litany make grammatical sense.
In keeping with some instances of English versions of the Litany of the Saints, and because of its excellent “face-giving” value as well as catechetical instruction, a brief description of each saint is included in the Litany. I offer it here for my fellow reformed catholics, for use at an All Saints’ Holy Communion, either during the processional, or at the prayers of the people after the petition that mentions the faithful departed.
Here is a youtube video of a small sample.
A Modified Litany of the Saints
Let us give thanks for the Communion of Saints, among which we are blessed to be found, singing, “Glory to God”
| For the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, For Holy Michael, captain of the Lord’s host For Holy Gabriel, angel of the annunciation For Holy Raphael, angel of healing For Holy Uriel, angel of light |
Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. |
| For St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles For St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles For St. Andrew, First to be called to Christ For St. James, First martyr of the apostles For St. John, The disciple whom Jesus loved For St. Thomas, who doubted the Lord’s resurrection For St. James, first Bishop of Jerusalem For St. Philip, who said “Show us the Father” For St. Bartholomew, an Israelite without guile For St. Matthew, Holy Evangelist For St. Simon, the Zealot For St. Jude, Servant of Jesus Christ For St. Matthias, numbered with the eleven For St. Barnabas, son of encouragement For St. Luke, beloved physician For St. Mark, holy evangelist For All the holy Disciples of the Lord, |
Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. |
| For St. Stephen, First Martyr For St. Lawrence, Courageous help of the poor For St. Vincent, patient sufferer For Sts. Fabian and Sebastian, servants in their station For St. Alban, first martyr in England For St. George, noble knight For St. Boniface, apostle to Germany For St. Thomas Becket, unswayed by the world For King Charles the First, defender of the faith For the Martyrs of Uganda, faithful to their first love For Matthew Ayariga the 21st man, who joined the martyrs in Egypt |
Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. |
| For St. Sylvester, builder of great churches in Rome For St. Gregory, the great bishop of Rome For St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan For St. Augustine, true convert and teacher For St. Jerome, translator of the Scriptures For St. Martin, soldier and servant of the poor For St. Nicholas, benevolent giver For St. Patrick of Ireland, missionary to his captors For St. Augustine, first bishop of Canterbury For St. Edward, King and Confessor For St. Hugh of Lincoln, defender of the Jews |
Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. |
| For St. Anthony, who first went to the desert For St. Benedict, organizer of monasticism For St. Bernard, returning to purer discipline For St. Aelred, extoller of friendship |
Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. |
| For St. Mary Magdalene, who was forgiven much For St. Agatha, Refusing to marry a heathen For St. Lucy, preserving her purity For St. Agnes, whose chastity was protected For St. Cecilia, singing songs of true love For St. Anastasia, faithful disciple For St. Catherine, who suffered heroically For St. Clare, patient with many burdens For All the holy Virgins and Widows, For All the holy Saints of God, |
Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. |
'A Reformed Litany of the Saints: For All Saints’ Day' have 19 comments
October 29, 2019 @ 11:23 am Karl Webb
I think someone does not understand the nature of those in the Church Triumphant and has presumed the dead in Christ to be totally dead. More revisionist drivel that will continue the eviction of the Anglo-Catholics from ACNA and change the church’s teaching to suit American neo-reformers’ appetites. And he’s on the Liturgy Task Force! The Continuum is becoming more and more attractive.
October 30, 2019 @ 10:29 pm Christian
Rather, stay in the ACNA and fight. Promote the idea of using Icon Corners at home. Don’t take no for an answer. If you spread appreciation of proper honor to the Saints at the grassroots it can spread more widely. Make a case for the Eastern understanding as opposed to it’s later corruption in the west Only by Rome. Christian excellence in the visual arts will benefit if you do so, and will only suffer if you all up.
October 31, 2019 @ 8:28 pm Christian
Give up. Sorry for the typo.
September 21, 2020 @ 7:04 pm Tom Sinnott
Obviously an opinion written by someone who has no clue of the roles of the Saints, or the hierarchy of Heaven. As if the Church Militant worships Saints? Come on, man.
September 4, 2020 @ 10:28 am Pete
The liturgical task force has Anglicans That are from evangelical to Anglo catholic Perspectives. Most Anglo Catholics Themselves do not favor IOS being incorporated into The public liturgy because it will be divisive and create discord.
July 28, 2022 @ 10:16 am John Politis
The IOS should be and must be incorporated into the public liturgy.
October 29, 2019 @ 11:45 am Brandon LeTourneau
Fr., is there a place to find the Sarum litany of Saints? I’d like to workshop something like this from it for a project of mine.
October 29, 2019 @ 4:06 pm Robert Placer
There is reference to the saints offering prayer in the form of incense in Revelation 5:8. In this verses the incense is referred to as the prayers of the saints who have been redeemed, so for whom are they praying? In Revelation 6:9-11, the martyred saints under the altar are asking the Lord when will he judge and avenge their innocent blood? White robes referring to their baptism in Christ are given to them as assurance of God’s judgment coming upon their killers and they are told that more of their brethren will follow them in martyrdom before the end comes. And in Revelation 8:1-13 much incense is burning with the prayers of the saints with intercessions for righteous judgment, for whom are they praying? The immediate historical context are the Christians martyred in the Holy Land before the Lord’s visitation 66-70 AD and the events leading up to the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. Are the saints still interceding for the persecuted Church today before the coming final judgment of the world? The Church uses incense to symbolise the prayers of the saints both the living saints now and the saints in the Church Expectant. In the Book of Revelation the saints burning incense both in heaven and on earth are praying for the Lord to bring judgment upon the earth. These chapters and verses provide the biblical foundation of the communion of saints in heaven whose prayers are offered to God mixed with incense interceding with God to bring down judgment upon Jerusalem and the temple for the Christian martyrs. Are the saints in the Church Expectant still praying for us and the new martyrs to come for the Church until the Lord carries out the final judgment?
October 29, 2019 @ 5:52 pm Fr. Howard Giles
“By the doctrine of the invocation of saints then, the Article means all maintenance of addresses to them which intrench upon the incommunicable honour due to GOD alone, such as have been, and are in the Church of Rome, and such as, equally with the peculiar doctrine of purgatory, pardons, and worshipping and adoration of images and relics, as actually taught in that Church, are unknown to the Catholic Church.” Tract 90, Section 6
October 29, 2019 @ 7:33 pm Ven. Patrick Malone
Father, thank you! This is wonderful and will be used this Sunday as we Observe All Saints day at Holy Cross Anglican!
November 3, 2019 @ 6:00 pm Ven. Patrick Malone
Chanted the Litany this morning. wonderful!
October 29, 2019 @ 10:27 pm Christian
Why not say “Glory to God in the Highest” each time? Much more majestic and emotional imo. More intense in praise to Him as well.
October 30, 2019 @ 6:28 am Rev. Dennis Washburn
This is an interesting article as well as a theologically and aesthetically pleasing way to recall some of the saints. Using it as a processional would also avoid an intrusion into the Prayer Book liturgy. Having said that I would add that there seem to be some issues. First, there is the question: who decides which saints to include and how long should the list be? Secondly, aside from theological considerations, another BCP and “reformed catholic” principle has been keeping a relative simplicity. Yet, in recent times, we always seem to be looking for elaborations and additions in all sorts of special liturgies. So although this litany is nice, I find personally that the collect for All Saints Day says enough for the liturgy and that any elaboration can be saved for the homily.
October 30, 2019 @ 8:34 am Fr Timothy Matkin
Jeffries asserts that \”reaching out in one’s spirit to departed saints very quickly trespasses on the communication that God intends for us to have with himself alone.\” Yet, the Bible records prayers offered to the saints and angels. What would lead one to believe that such petitions are offered in vain? \”O praise the Lord, ye angels of his . . . O praise the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye servants of his that do his pleasure\” (Ps 103:20-21). His argument comes off as a kind of reverse fundamentalism which turns the articles into confessional statements and then elevates them to a level of authority above scriptures, that in fact judge the scriptures. To understand the bible is to stand under its authority.
September 4, 2020 @ 10:02 am Pete
You forgot vs. 22 which he addresses God’s works. There is also ps.148 which the psalmist addresses the sun and the moon to praise god. Clearly all of this poetic hyperbole and not be taken literally for those things can’t respond. So it ought to be used as a proof text for IOS.
October 31, 2019 @ 8:49 pm Christian Cate
A little parallelism is in order here: “The Articles were made / written for man, man wasn’t made for The Articles.” If after the passage of time and upon further review some of them are found to possess an incomplete understanding, then they should be adjusted. Not adjusted in some kind of liberal, progressive way that denies the faith, but in such a way that truly reflects accurate faith. When Article 22 was written, subsequent reasonings and responses by the Orthodox were not well known. In today’s pluralistic world, these reasonings are widely available and the ACNA can be enriched and blessed by them.
September 4, 2020 @ 10:08 am Pete
As long a their disagreement about IOS then it unwise to incorporate into the church’s public liturgy. Even Anglo-Catholic theologians would agree with this. It will division and discord.
November 2, 2019 @ 3:41 pm Christian Care
Well, I hope this time Akismet and the Moderators will let my thoughts on this stimulating subject get through to the message board.
I’ve marinated in the Western Rite of the Antiochian Archdiocese for 13 years and have recently started regular fellowship in my much closer local ACNA parish. I still plan to worship at my old parish once a month because the worship there encourages my heart and brings me joy. All of this being said . . .
Advocation of the Saints for me personally is really pretty simple. The practice for me increases my overall devotion and commitment to the Christian faith, creates in me a “spiritual patriotism” for the Kingdom of God and for our great King and Lord of Hosts.
When I request the prayers of the Saints I feel like we’re all in this thing called the Christian life together. I never expect specific outcomes or results from these prayers, nor do I believe I increase in any Merit or earn Merits before God.
My devotion quickly moves beyond the individual Saints to our God, himself, evoking gratitude to Him for their faithful lives and continuing possibility for my life to be faithful like theirs was. The Saints show us that no temptation has overtaken all of us except temptations that are common to one and all. God was and is faithful and provided a way out and ways out to move beyond our temptations to faithfulness and obedience and ultimate and final perseverance in the Christian life.
Pictures of the Saints, Stained Glass Windows, Statues and Stations of the Cross all add to the richness and beauty of our local church buildings.
If I wanted austerity as a Christian I would go back to the Baptist tradition or join the Amish. Great people there, but not for me.
Just my personal reflections and experience about this subject. Worship of God heals the heart, and knowing and embracing our history is deeply encouraging and provides deep rootedness.
Blessings to all,
The “Anglodox” Christian
March 7, 2020 @ 10:37 pm Salvatore Mantia
I see the saints as members of a spiritual family. You ask them to pray for you. It would be the same if you asked a relative, friend, or neighbor to pray for you. The only one that one adores is God and that is the Catholic understanding. The saints are the heroes and heroines who have fought “the good fight.” They, through their words and faithful example, are able to lead us to God who deserves all the adoration.