It is cold outside. The calendar says it's spring, but a blanket of snow covers the city. The sun has set, and darkness has fallen. Inside the church candles cast shadowy glow on the faces crammed into the pews. The early spring chill is banished by the full church.
It is the Easter Vigil. Between the readings and the Consecration, right after the rite of baptism and confirmations, the Litany of the Saints in sung. The Chant, often sung in Latin, in one of the most beautiful things imaginable. It begins, as all litany's do, imploring the mercy of God:
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy,
And then it goes through chronologically the great patriarchs and matriarchs:
St. Mary Magdalen, pray for us
St. Basil, pray for us
And then specific patrons of the country, the city, the parish are implored:
St. Jean de Brebeuf and companions, pray for us
And then particular patrons of souls being baptized and confirmed:
St. Mary of Egypt, pray for us
St. Thomas Morre, pray for us
For everyone who has experienced it, you know what I mean. For those who haven't, I would just say that hearing the litany of the saints sung, ideally in Latin, is an esthetic and spiritual experience bar none. It should be on your bucket list and it's one of the many reasons you should become Catholic, dear reader.
How hauntingly beautiful and profoundly consoling is the Litany of the Saints. There are indeed ten thousand reasons to be Catholic, as GK Chesterton said, and one of them is the Litany of the Saints. Vivat Chistus Rex!
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