LITANY OF THE MARTYRS
Lord, have mercy,
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy,
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy,
Lord, have mercy.
Holy Mother of God and Queen of Martyrs,
Pray for us.
St. Joseph, husband of the Holy Mother of God and guardian of Jesus,
Pray for us.
Saints Peter and Paul,
Martyrs of Christ and pillars and foundation of the Church of Rome,
Pray for us.
MARTYRED POPES
St. Callixtus, Pope and Martyr,
custodian of the Christian brethren here buried,
Pray for us.
St. Pontian, Pope and Martyr,
condemned to the mines,
Pray for us.
St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr,
organizer of the Church of Rome,
Pray for us.
St. Cornelius, Pope and Martyr
"a model of humility, patience and goodness",
Pray for us.
St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr,
killed for Christ in the area of these catacombs,
Pray for us.
St. Eusebius, Pope and Martyr,
merciful towards the lapsi * in need of pardon,
Pray for us.
MARTYRED DEACONS
SS. Deacons: Gennarius, Magnus,Vincent, Stephen,
Felicissimus and Agapitus, fellow Martyrs of Pope Sixtus II,
Pray for us.
MARTYRED FAITHFUL
St. Tarcisius, youth with great ideals and brave defender of the Faith,
Pray for us.
St. Cecilia, courageous maid who offered thy virginity to Christ,
Pray for us.
St. Soter, Roman matron, killed for thy faithfulness to the Gospel,
Pray for us.
St. Polycamus, glory and ornament of the holy Church,
Pray for us.
SS. Calocerus and Parthenius, faithful to Christ even to the point of giving thy lives for Him,
Pray for us.
SS. Mark and Marcellianus, true-brothers in life and inseparable in Martyrdom,
Pray for us.
SS. Cerealis and Sallustia with thy 21 Companions, defenders of the Faith against the Novatian heresy,
Pray for us.
SS. Greek Martyrs, Maria, Neon, Hyppolitus, Adra, Pauline, Martha, Valeria, Eusebius and Marcellus---
gift of the Oriental Church to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus,
Pray for us.
All Men and Women Martyrs and Saints, buried in the Catacombs of St. Callixtus,
Pray for us.
POPES DECLARED SAINTS
St. Zephyrinus, Pope, who wanted this cemetery for the Church of Rome,
Pray for us.
St. Anterus, Pope, who lived his short pontificate in prison,
Pray for us.
St. Lucius I, Pope, forced into exile because he was Vicar of Christ,
Pray for us.
St. Stephen I, Pope, guardian of the purity of Faith,
Pray for us.
St. Dionysius, Pope, loving father of his brethren in difficulty,
Pray for us.
St. Felix I, Pope, zealous in the work of evangelization,
Pray for us.
St. Eutychian, Pope, apostle of orthodoxy,
Pray for us.
St. Gaius, Pope, friend of the poor,
Pray for us.
St. Miltiades, Pope, defender of the faith against the Donatist heresy,
Pray for us.
St. Mark, Pope, pastor of the Church of Rome and promoter of its liturgical calendar,
Pray for us.
St. Damasus I, Pope, "pious promoter of the cult of Martyrs",
Pray for us.
BISHOP-SAINTS
SS. Bishops Optatus and Numidian, evangelizers of the African countries,
Pray for us.
SS. Bishops, who carried on the mission of the Apostles,
Pray for us.
Oh all you, Holy Bishops, buried in the Catacombs of St. Callixtus,
Pray for us.
FAITHFUL-SAINTS
Holy Priests, who lived and died "during the long peace",
Pray for us.
Young Men and Children, who preferred to keep thy virginal purity,
Ye, too, Sinners, converted to the goodness of the Father,
washed in Christ’s Blood and sanctified by the Holy Spirit,
Pray for us.
All ye, Holy Souls, whose bodies are resting in the cemetery of St. Callixtus,
Men and Women Saints, pilgrims to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus,
Pray for us.
SS. Brigid and Catherine of Siena,
Pray for us.
SS. Charles Borromeo and Philip Neri,
Pray for us.
SS. John Bosco and Blessed Michael Rua,
Pray for us.
SS. Theresa of the Child Jesus and Mary Mazzarello,
Pray for us.
All ye Saints, pilgrims to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus and admirers of the faith of the early Christians,
Pray for us.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.
LET US PRAY.
O God, our Father, Who hast made fruitful with the blood of Martyrs
and blessed by their presence the ground of the Catacombs of St. Callixtus,
by the bright example of so many courageous Witnesses,
keep us strong in our faith,
that we may pick up and foretaste with joy the fruit of their sacrifice.
Through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
[* Lapsi were Christian apostates during the Decian persecutions.]
