How to Pray in Latin:

Step-by-Step Guide with Translation + Audio

Jump to: + SIGNUM CRUCIS  |  PATER NOSTER  |  AVE MARIA  |  GLORIA PATRI |  CREDO |  SALVE REGINA  |  SANCTE MICHAEL

SEE ALSO: HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY IN LATIN  |  ANGELUS PRAYER (with Latin text & audio)

DOWNLOADABLE LATIN PRAYERBOOKLETS:
HOW TO PRAY IN LATIN
THE HOLY ROSARY | LATIN & ENGLISH
CORE & ESSENTIAL CATHOLIC PRAYERS | LATIN & ENGLISH

 >> CLICK HERE <<
for Additional Latin & ENGLISH Prayer booklets

• • • • •

[19] And Pilate wrote a title also, and he put it upon the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. [20] This title therefore many of the Jews did read: because the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin.
(St. John, 19:19-20)

Latin: The Language of the Universal Church

Latin is the language of the one, holy, universal (catholic) and apostolic Church. It has been consecrated as sacred and infused with divine power, and it remains our unifying language and tradition shared with the Saints.

Latin: A brief History

Greek and Latin derive from the ancient (and lost) ‘Indo-European’ or ‘Aryan’ language; they are its two ‘daughters’ and diverged separately, both from the mother language itself and from one another.

Latin: At First Glance

• The ‘English’ alphabet is the Latin alphabet (however there is no ‘W’);
• In ancient times, there was no ‘J’ or ‘U’ in Latin (‘I’ and ‘V’ were used instead). These have been blended into modern Church Latin, however ‘J’ is still pronounced as an ‘I’ and some texts still use ‘I’ instead of ‘J’. Jesus was originally written ‘Iesvs’ and pronounced ‘Ieh•suys’;
• Latin has 6 tenses, 4 conjugations (verb ‘categories’) and 5 declensions (noun ‘patterns’), all of which are expressed at the end of the word, joined to the root (i.e. they are suffixed to the end of the root word as an inflection). Thus ‘spiritui’ and ‘spiritus’ both mean ‘spirit’, though in different contexts;
• The practical point of this for the novice is that the end of the word, the inflection, determines context and tense;
• And further, that this inflection can significantly alter a word’s meaning & application;
• Latin does not use definite or indefinite articles (so, no ‘the’, ‘a’ or ‘an’) and so, for example, ‘rex’ can mean ‘king’, ‘a king’ or ‘the king’;
• ‘In’ = ‘in’ (and also ‘on’) and ‘et’ = ‘and’ (and is the origin of the English word ‘etcetera’);
• In contrast to English, adverbs & adjectives typically follow rather than precede the word which they describe, and syntax is only loosely governed. This is made possible by the language’s inflected nature which specifies, with precision, context and relationship.
• Indeed, Latin has a largely ‘free’ word order and, often-times, the most important words, those which are being emphasised, will appear either at the start of or at the end of the sentence. A contrasting word may also be placed along-side the important word, thereby imbuing a sense of disparity and thus emphasis. [13]

Latin: Essential Pronunciation Rules

•Church Latin follows the same pronunciation norms as modern Italian and is thus spoken with a ‘stress’ accent, giving emphasis to a word’s syllable which contains the long vowel;
• Every word has one (and only one) long vowel;
• There are no silent letters (‘h’ notwithstanding, discussed later) and so therefore every letter, vowel or consonant, is pronounced. Importantly, Latin is a language of ‘joined sounds’, and every sound, on a letter-by-letter and syllable-by-syllable basis, is spoken. In contrast to English individual letter sounds are not blended or amalgamated. For example: ‘tuum’ (yours) is pronounced ‘too-um’ (not ‘toom’), with the syllables distinctly spoken;
• The concept of ‘long’ and ‘short’ vowels is very simple, much more so than in English:

Long Vowels: the sound is held and emphasised thereby giving dominant accent, and these are often-times indicated by the macron symbol ( ´ ).

Short Vowels: all other vowels, which are pronounced as normal.

• If a word has ONLY ONE OR TWO vowels, the FIRST vowel is ALWAYS LONG. So, for example:
• ‘Áve’ (Hail) is pronounced ‘AH-veh’ with a long ‘A’ and a short ‘e’;
• ‘Tuum’ (yours) is pronounced ‘TU-um’ (or ‘TOO-um’) where the first ‘u’ is long and the second is short;
• When there are three or more vowels there are no set rules and the designated long vowel will vary from word to word. As a very loose guide — and do not be vexed by this as it is not important for the beginner to be sensible to such a guideline — if a word has THREE OR MORE SYLLABLES, the 2ND OR 3RD LAST SYLLABLE will likely contain the LONG vowel;
• The last vowel of any given word is unlikely to be the long vowel;
• These last points illustrate that stressed long vowels are intended to instill a measure of balance or balast into a word’s pronunciation. It doesn’t follow that the long vowel will therefore definitely be in the middle of the word, like a kiel on a yacht, but nevertheless.

Pronunciation of Latin Vowels

Latin has the five native vowels ‘A’, ‘E’, ‘I’, ‘O’ and ‘U’ all of which have ‘long’ and ‘short’ stresses. Added to these are ‘Y’ (borrowed from Greek) and various dipthongs (simply, ‘combined vowels’), the most common being ‘AE’ (æ), ‘OE’ (œ) and ‘AU’, none of which have long or short variations.

Long vowels are denoted by the ‘ ´ ’ macron symbol, however most texts dispense with their usage, or apply them only for uncommon words (the Latin prayer booklets offered via this web-site indicate the ‘´’ wherever possible). Whilst the use of macron symbols is of much utility, immediately conveying the word’s stress, their typical omission, whilst unfortunate for the beginner, is not prohibitive to worthy pronunciation if he follows the norms and helps listed below. Keep firm in the mind the inexorable and golden rule: if a word has only one or two vowels, the first is always long. 

It is worth noting that long vowels are not fixed across varying inflections of the same root word. That is, different tense inflections can and do alter the vowel given long emphasis. For example, note the long stress change from the first ‘a’ in ‘Immáculate’ to the second ‘a’ in ‘Immaculátam’ (this inflection indicates feminine possession). Do not be even mildly concerned by all this: one does not need to learn Latin in order to pray — and to pray well — in it.

As mentioned, Latin can be conceived as a language of ‘joined sounds’ and in order both to conceptualise and pronounce Latin words, one must approach each word on a syllable-by-syllable basis, joining (rather than blending) the individual sounds. There are no silent letters in Latin (‘h’ notwithstanding, see below), and so every individual letter, within each syllable, must be pronounced distinctly, and this can be counter-intuitive to the native English speaker, who will naturally look to amalgamate, conflate or commingle letter sounds. By way of very simple example to illustrate this principle, here is how some simple English words would be rendered in Latin:

• ‘as’ in Latin would be delivered as ‘AH•s’ (with the ‘a’ having long stress); not ‘AHs’, but rather ‘AH•s’;
• ‘at’, similarly, would be ‘AH•t’;
• ‘in’ (which is a Latin word of same meaning), is correctly spoken as ‘EE•n’;
• ‘is’ would be ‘EE•s’;
• ‘on’ would be ‘OH•n’;
• ‘and’ would be ‘AH•nd’;
• ‘amen’ (a Hebrew word), is rendered as ‘AH-mehn’;
• ‘full’ would be ‘fOOl•l’.

This last example illustrates a further point: double letters are treated as separate syllables (or pertaining to) and are therefore delivered individually rather than combined, and so in contrast to English practise. This applies to both vowels and consonants. For example: 

•‘peccatóribus’ (sinners), with the long ‘o’, is delivered ‘pec-cah-tOH-re-bus’;
• ‘castíssima’ (most chaste) with the long ‘i’ is delivered ‘kahs-tEEs-se–mah’;
• ‘sanctíssime’ (most sacred) with the long ‘i’ is delivered ‘sahnk-tEEs-se–meh’;
• ‘insidíis’ (insidious) with the long third ‘i’ is delivered ‘een-seed-EE-ees’ (or if easier: ‘ein-seid-EE-eis’).

This syllable-by-syllable (and letter-by-letter therein) approach is paramount, and failing to apply it is most likely the biggest stumbling-block to learning how to pray in Latin, making the process much more irksome and arduous than is otherwise the case, at once retarding pronunciation and progress. This technique is not difficult to apply and one can readily practice it with English words. For example, read the following sentence, syllable-by-syllable (or ‘cluster’), relishing the letter sounds therein:

In•vari•ably, the old•en ways of an•tiqu•ity are bet•ter: pri•ce•less and in•valu•able.

The reader may be quick to re-discover sounds (and clarity) in these common-place words that he had forgotten, or too readily misplaces; and, when applied to Latin, this simple approach will immediately and manifestly assist his pronunciation and thus mitigate his confounding vexation. The mind being quick to wander, some focus is required, though when readily applied this practice is a most useful tool for the novice. If one’s focus wanes, simply refresh it.

As we advance to specific pronunciations, let the reader be sensible to the primacy of vowels and a required accuracy of their sounds. Armed with authentic vowel sounds and the syllable-by-syllable approach, the beginner is well equipped and will progress quickly. 

This pronunciation guide is for Ecclesiastical Latin when spoken and the norms vary a little from those for sacred music, which are more strictly regimented, being formally cod-ified by Pope St. Pius X. [14]

A (short): ‘ah’ as in Clara
A (long): ‘AH’ as in fAther or ClAra
• Never like Mary, fan or fawn.
•Practical Tip: Whether of long or short stress, keep the ‘ah’ sound front and centre in one’s mind. The fairly typical English ‘a’ sound, such as in ‘Mary’, does not exist in Latin and the sooner the beginner becomes accustomed to this, instinctively rendering ‘a’ as ‘ah’, the very much happier he will be: María is pronounced “Mah-rEE-ah”, and not “May-rEE-a”.

=======
E (short): ‘eh’ as in fete (think of ‘Ave’)
E (long): ‘eah’ as in fare or said or heaven or wealth
• Softer when long, harder when short
• Practical Tip: treat all ‘e’s as short, pronouncing them as ‘eh’. This is a good habit to apply early on and will foster a more intuitive & authentic pronuncitaion of many words, thereby removing two hurdles, viz: distinguishing between long / short vowel and then remembering the required sound; and secondly, re-inforcing in the mind that the Latin ‘e’ makes a sound closer to an English ‘a’.
• If a word has two or more ‘e’s, one of which is the long vowel, try to soften and extend it a little; a good example of this is ‘miserére’ (have mercy), which is pronounced “me-seh-rEAH-reh”.
• The fairly typical English ‘e’ sounds, such as in ‘Eric’, ‘Emma’ or ‘Effie’, have no place in Latin.

=======
I (short): ‘ee’ as in pit or chin
I (long): ‘EE’ as in rEEd or machIne
• Simply more stressed when long.
• Practical Tip: get accustomed, quickly, to the fact that the Latin ‘i’ sounds more like an English ‘e’.
• Whether long or short, the ‘i’ is a crisp and clean sound and the ‘joined sounds’ of many Latin words pivot from this sharp ‘i’ sound. Not surprisingly, so too does the tongue.

=======
O (short): ‘o’ as in off or not
O (long): ‘OH’ as in tOne or pharaOH
• Practical Tip: the dominant ‘O’ sound is a hallmark of Latin, and thus there  is little harm in always treating it as long (which is the practice when sung).

=======
U (short): ‘uy’ as in pull or put or even ‘yue’ as in ulysses
U (long): ‘OO’ as in mOOn
• Practical Tip: emphasise and hold the long ‘OO’. For the beginner, render the short simply as ‘uy’ (the typical sound of an English ‘u’). The common suffix or inflection ‘um’ (e.g. in ‘Dóminum’) gives good example.
• The more ‘exotic’ short rendering of ‘yue’ will come some-what naturally, a function of the surround-ing letters and their sounds. The beginner should pay this little attention, with possible exception to the first ‘u’ in the word ‘muliéribus’ (women), which can be tricky to repeat numerous times in short succession and is prominent in the Ave Maria: “..benedicta tu in muliéribus,..”; it is best pronounced “myue-le-EAH-re-bus”.

=======
Y: ‘Ee’
• The same as a long ‘I’ ( just a little softer)
• Neither long nor short stress: always the same
=======
AE (Æ, æ) and OE (Œ, œ): ‘Ay’ as in may or pray
• Both make the same sound (which is ‘harder’ than a short ‘E’)
• Neither long nor short stress: always the same
• Will be represented both as individual letters (‘AE’ or ‘OE’) and by special character (‘Æ’ and ‘Œ’) depending on the author’s habit
• Used interchangeably in some words, most notably ‘caelis’ / ‘coelis’ (heaven) or inflected variation
=======
AU: ‘Ow’ as in now or cow
=======

Latin: Tips, Tricks and Traps

• More so than English, Latin is a language of specific verbal sounds, joined together. Specifically, and this is absolutely the most vital thing to remember: Latin words must be pronounced syllable-by-syllable. Without wishing to state the obvious, Latin words are purely a group of syllable sounds, joined together and pronounced individually. This may sound difficult to apply though it is not at all so, and one can readily practise this technique with English words. For example, read the following sentence syllable by syllable (i.e. any pivotal vowel-based sound). The reader will be quick to re-discover sounds that he had forgotten, or misplaces all too readily, in the pronunciation of many English words:

In•vari•ably, the old•en ways of an•tiqu•ity are bet•ter: pri•ce•less and in•valu•able.

• If the reader neglects this very simple and easily applied ‘fail-safe’ tip, he will have scant hope of ever pronouncing Latin words correctly; and his attempts will be delivered in a jumbled, inconsistent and awkward bluster, being ineptly ‘spat-out’ in mangled fashion, rather than delivered as God intended, immediately identifying himself as a ‘Johnny-come-lately’ novice rather than Catholic gentleman. Further, he will succeed in making the process of learning how to pray in Latin more difficult than it is and reward himself with re-inforced bad habits which can be difficult to over-come. Take it from one who has made this error himself.
• Every letter is pronounced (notwithstanding ‘H’) and pronounced distinctly. Subject to the above norms, every letter makes a distinct sound, and so avoid the natural English practise of blending letters together.
• And so (again subject to the rules listed above), English norms for the combining of ‘AR’, ‘CH’, ‘EI’, ‘ER’, ’OU’, ‘SH’, ’UR’, etc. do not apply. That being said, the Latin ‘A’ makes an ‘ah’ sound and ‘R’ is rolled and thus highlighted, and so the effect can be the same, however it is not a standardised pronounciation rule. Keep an eye out for ‘ER’ in particular, which is not consistent with the English rendering.
• Following from this, it can be most confronting when presented with what appears to be three-quarters of the alphabet and to endeavour to pull a pronouncible word out of it. Do not be discouraged: take your time and remember the basics. Happily, the core Latin prayers contain very few difficult words. Probably the most testing (certainly for Your correspondent) is ‘muliéribus’ (women): ‘muyl•ee•Aar•ee•bus’.
• Whether vowel or consonant, double letters are best pronounced distinctly. For example: ‘peccatóribus’ (sinners), allowing for the long ‘O’, is correctly rendered ‘pec•cat•OHr•ee•bus’.
• Subject to the rules listed above, every letter always makes the same sound. So, unlike most English letters, the noise made does not alter. For example, ’S’ (unless between two vowels, which is not uncommon though not the most frequent usage), will always make a hard and distinct sound, such as in ’Song’. It is instinctual for an English speaker to regard any ’S’ at the end of a word, for example, as soft ‘z’ sound (often to denote plurality), as in ‘apples’, ‘grapes’ or ‘biscuits’. Remember to emit your Ss (and Ts and Ds) as hard and distinct sounds.
• Don’t forget to roll the ‘R’; give it emphasis, as in ‘Terry’.
• If you find saying a particular word laborious and your tongue a little ‘tied’, then there is an error somewhere (either in the irksome word itself or that which precedes it), most likely in the vowels, and highly likely ‘I’ or ‘O’ (or perhaps ‘E’ or ‘A’ or even ‘Y’). Latin words – and the syllables therein (and thus one’s tongue) – really pivot off the ‘ee’ sound made by ‘I’.
• Regardless of long or short vowel stress, be very sure to pronounce vowels correctly. This is paramount and failing to do so will sound in-authentic and/or make the word laborious to conceive of, let alone to actually say. This is no small issue for the native English speaker because Latin vowels make different sounds to their English peers and therefore the sound made is immediately counter-intuitive to instinct.
• Here is a quick and efficaious practical:

Sáncta María, óra pró nóbis!

literally: ‘Holy Mary, pray for us!’ and when phonetically correct, is rendered:

SAhn•kt•ah   Mah•rEe•ah,   Oh•rah   prOh   nOh•bee•S!

• Get accustomed – quickly! – to using the Latin ‘Ah’ sound for ‘a’, particularly in ‘Maria’. Using the English ‘a’ sound used in ‘Mary’ is not a habit one should fall into and can be difficult to overcome.

To learn more, visit Preces-Latinae.org and also PrayinLatin.com.
The studious may like to hunt down a copy of Church Latin For Beginners (1923) by J.E. Lowe

All audio snippets taken from Boston-Catholic-Journal.com, where CD & MP3 recordings can be ordered or downloaded for free.

Note: The translations below list just the essential root word in English, giving the false impression that Latin is clunky and blunt; rather it is rich and precise. 

+

+ Signum Crucis | + Sign of the Cross

 

+ Signum Crucis (x3)

 

+ In Nómine Patris, et Fílii, et Spíritus Sancti. | In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
In • name • Father, • and • Son, • and • Spirit • Holy (Sanctified)

 

~~~ +++++++ ~~~

 

Pater Noster | Our Father

Pater Noster (Complete)

 

Pater Noster | Our Father
Father • Our

Qui es in caelis* | Who art in heaven
Who • is • in • heaven
* sounds like: ‘chael-is’

sanctificetur* nomen tuum. | Hallowed be Thy name.
hallowed • name • Yours
* ‘sancti-fish-at-ur’ or even ‘sancti-fish-e-aet-eur’

Adveniat regnum tuum*, | Thy Kingdom come,
to arrive • kingdom • Yours
* ‘too-um’

fiat voluntus tua, | Thy will be done,
let • willing • Your

sicut in caelo et in terra. | on earth as it is in heaven.
just as (like) • in • heaven • and • on • earth.

Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, | Give us this day our daily bread
bread • ours • daily (regular everyday; daily quota) • give* • us • today
* Singular: the emphasis is that ‘YOU give’

et dimitte nobis debita nostra, | and forgive us our trespasses
and • dismiss • us • debts (owed / unpaid) • our
(ie: ‘and dismiss what we owe’)

sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. | as we forgive those who trespass against us.
just as • and • we • dismiss (forgive) • debtors • ours.

et ne nos inducas in tentationem, | And lead us not into temptation,
and • not • us • lead • in • temptation

sed libera nos a malo. Amen. | but deliver us from evil. Amen.
rather • free • us • from • evil (as a noun*). Truly / so be it (Affirmation; Hebrew origin).
* As a verb: ‘to choose or prefer’.

 

~~~ +++++++ ~~~

 

Ave Maria | Hail Mary

 

Ave Maria (Complete)

 

Ave Maria, | Hail Mary,
Hail • Mary

gratia* plena, | full of grace,
grace • full
* sounds like ‘gratz-ia’ 

Dominus tecum. | the Lord is with thee.
(The) Lord • with you

Snippet #1: Ave Maria … tecum (x3)

 

Benedícta tu in muliéribus*, | Blessed art thou amongst women,
Blessed • you • in • women
* sounds like: ‘m’li-AER-e-boos’

et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. | and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
and • blessed • fruit • womb • yours • Jesus

Snippet #2: Benedicta … Iesus (x3)

 

Sancta Maria, | Holy Mary,
Holy • Mary

Mater Dei, | Mother of God,
Mother • God

ora pro nobis peccatoribus, | pray for us sinners,
pray • for • us • sinners

Snippet #3: Sancta Maria … peccatoribus (x3)

 

nunc, et in hora* mortis nostrae. Amen. | now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
now • and • in • hour • death • our. Amen.
* ‘h’ is pronounced the same as in ‘hour’

Snippet #3: Sancta Maria … peccatoribus (x3)

~~~ +++++++ ~~~

 

Gloria Patri | Glory be

 

Gloria Patri (x3)

 

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. | Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost
Glory • Father, • and • Son, • and • Spirit • Holy (Sanctified)

Sicut erat in principio, | As it was in the beginning,
As • was • in • beginning

et nunc, et semper, | is now, and ever shall be,
and • now • and • always

et in saecula saeculorum. | world without end.
and • in • forever (worldly) • ages

 

~~~ +++++++ ~~~

 

Crédo | Apostles Creed

Crédo (Symbolum Apostorum)

Crédo in Déum Pátrem omnipoténtem, | I believe in God the Father Almighty,
I believe • in • God • Father • all powerful,

Creatórem cáeli et térræ. | Creator of Heaven and earth.
Creator • heaven • and • earth.

Et in Iésum Chrístum, Fílium éius unícum, Dóminum nóstrum: | and in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord:
And • in • Jesus • Christ, • Son • His • only, • Lord • our(s):

qui concéptus est* de Spíritu Sáncto, | Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Who • conceived • is/was • of • Spirit • Sanctified (Holy),
* affirmation, e.g. “it is (true)”

nátus ex María Vírgine, | born of the Virgin Mary,
born • from • Mary • Virgin,

pássus sub Póntio Piláto, | suffered under Pontius Pilate,
suffered • under • Pontius • Pilate,

crucifíxus, mórtuus, et sepúltus: | was crucified, dead, and buried:
crucified, • dead, • and • buried:

descéndit ad ínferos: | He descended into hell:
descended • to • hell:

tértia die resurréxit a mórtuis: | the third day He rose again from the dead:
third • day • resurrected • from • (the) dead:

ascéndit ad cáelos: | He ascended into Heaven:
ascended • to/at • Heaven:

sédet ad déxteram Déi Pátris omnipoténtis: | and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty:
seated • at/to • right hand of (i.e. ‘powerful side’) • God • Father • All powerful:

índe ventúrus est* iudicáre vívos et mórtuos. | from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
and • coming • it is • (to) judge • living • and • dead.
* affirmation, e.g. “it is (true)”; so: Dominus Iesus est = Lord Jesus (truly) is!

Crédo in Spíritum Sánctum, | I believe in the Holy Ghost*,
I believe • in • Spirit • Sanctified,
* So why say ‘Ghost’ rather than ‘Spirit’? I suspect in English ‘Ghost’ emphasises a manifest personage better than ‘Spirit’.

sánctam Ecclésiam Cathólicam, | the holy Catholic Church,
• Sanctified (holy) • Church • Universal,

Sanctórum Communiónem, | the Communion of Saints,
Holy (ones) • Communion,

remissiónem peccatórum, | the forgiveness of sins,
forgiveness • sins,

cárnis resurrectiónem, | the resurrection of the body,
body • resurrection,

vítam ætérnam. Amen. | and life everlasting. Amen.
life • eternal. Amen.

 

 

~~~ +++++++ ~~~

 

Sálve Regína | Hail Holy Queen

Salve Regina

Sálve Regína, Máter misericórdiæ! | Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy!
Hail • Queen, • Mother • (of) Mercy!

Víta, dulcédo, et spes nóstra, sálve. | Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
Life • sweetness, • and • hope • (of) ours, Hail.

Ad te clamámus, éxsules filii Hévæ. | To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To • you • (we) cry out to (proclaim & declare), • exiled • children (of) • Eve.

Ad te suspirámus, | To thee do we send up our signs,
To • you • (we) sigh,

geméntes et fléntes in hac lacrimárum válle. | mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
moaning/lamenting • and • weeping • in • this • tearful • valley.

Éia érgo, Advocáta nóstra, | Turn then, most gracious Advocate,
Oh! • therefore, • Advocate • (of) ours,

íllos túos misericórdes óculos ad nos convérte. | thine eyes of mercy towards us
those* • (of) yours • merciful/tenderhearted • eyes • to • our • conversion.
*suggests ‘well known’

Et Iésum, benedíctum frúctum véntris túi, | and after this, our exile, *
And • Jesus, • blessed • fruit (of) • womb • yours,

nóbis post hoc exsílium osténde. | show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. *
we/us • after • this • exile • show.
* These two lines are reversed in the English translation.

O clémens, O pía, O dúlcis Vírgo María! | O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
O • clement, • O • loving, • O • sweet • Virgin • Mary!

V/. Óra pro nóbis, Sáncta Déi Génetrix. | Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
Pray • for • us, • Holy • God • Mother (of).

R/. Ut dígni efficiámur promissiónibus Chrísti. Amen. | That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
That • worthy • (we) be made (of) • His promises • Christ. Amen.

 

~~~ +++++++ ~~~

 

 

Sancte Michael | St. Michael Prayer

 

Sancte Michael (Complete)

 

Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio, | St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle,
Saint (holy) • Michael • Archangel, defend • us • in • battle (engagement / fight)

contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium | Be our defence against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
against • wickedness* • and • traps • (of) the devil • be • protection †
* suggests ‘worthlessness’
† suggests military assistance

Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur: | May God rebuke him, we humbly pray.
Restrain • him (or them) • God • we beggingly • pray

tuque, Princeps militiae coelestis, | And do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
And you, • Prince (high leader of) • military • of heavenly bodies,

satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, | by the power of God thrust into hell satan and all the evil spirits,
satan • (associated) other • spirits • malicious

qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute, in infernum detrude. | who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
who • to* • destruction • souls • prowl • in • (the) world, • (by) Divine • power • in (to) • hell • thrust.
* lead in the direction of

 

NOTES:

[1] “Veterum Sapientia” (“On the Promotion of the Study of Latin”), Pope John XXIII (1962). This Apostolic Constitution can be viewed (in English) at: https://www.papalencyclicals.net/john23/j23veterum.htm

[2] Ibid.

All audio snippets taken from Boston-Catholic-Journal.com, where CD & MP3 recordings can be ordered or downloaded for free.

Fair Use Notice: This website may contain copyrighted material the use of which may not always have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of political, human, religious, and social issues. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.