The Great Thanksgiving

Te Deum

We praise Thee, O God — the Church's great hymn of thanksgiving.

LatineThe Latin text

Te Deum laudámus:
te Dóminum confitémur.
Te ætérnum Patrem
omnis terra venerátur.

Tibi omnes Angeli,
tibi Cæli et univérsæ Potestátes:
tibi Chérubim et Séraphim
incessábili voce proclámant:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus
Dóminus Deus Sábaoth.
Pleni sunt cæli et terra
majestátis glóriæ tuæ.

Te gloriósus
Apostolórum chorus,
te Prophetárum
laudábilis númerus,
te Mártyrum candidátus
laudat exércitus.

Te per orbem terrárum
sancta confitétur Ecclésia,
Patrem
imménsæ majestátis;
venerándum tuum verum
et únicum Fílium;
Sanctum quoque
Paráclitum Spíritum.

Tu Rex glóriæ,
Christe.
Tu Patris
sempitérnus es Fílius.

Tu ad liberándum susceptúrus hóminem,
non horruísti Vírginis úterum.
Tu devícto mortis acúleo,
aperuísti credéntibus regna cælórum.

Tu ad déxteram Dei sedes,
in glória Patris.
Judex créderis
esse ventúrus.

Te ergo quǽsumus, tuis fámulis súbveni,
quos pretióso sánguine redemísti.
Ætérna fac cum Sanctis tuis
in glória numerári.

Salvum fac pópulum tuum, Dómine,
et bénedic hereditáti tuæ.
Et rege eos,
et extólle illos usque in ætérnum.

Per síngulos dies
benedícimus te.
Et laudámus nomen tuum in sǽculum,
et in sǽculum sǽculi.

Dignáre, Dómine, die isto
sine peccáto nos custodíre.
Miserére nostri, Dómine,
miserére nostri.

Fiat misericórdia tua, Dómine, super nos,
quemádmodum sperávimus in te.
In te, Dómine, sperávi:
non confúndar in ætérnum.

EnglishTranslation

We praise Thee, O God; we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord. Thee, the eternal Father, all the earth doth worship.

To Thee all Angels, to Thee the heavens and all the Powers therein, to Thee the Cherubim and Seraphim cry with unceasing voice: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts; heaven and earth are full of the majesty of Thy glory.

Thee the glorious choir of the Apostles, Thee the admirable company of the Prophets, Thee the white-robed army of Martyrs praise.

Thee the Holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge: the Father of infinite majesty; Thine adorable, true and only Son; also the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete.

Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ. Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.

Thou, having taken upon Thee to deliver man, didst not abhor the Virgin's womb. Thou, having overcome the sting of death, didst open to believers the kingdom of heaven.

Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father. We believe that Thou shalt come to be our Judge.

We beseech Thee, therefore, help Thy servants, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious Blood. Make them to be numbered with Thy Saints in glory everlasting.

O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance. Govern them, and lift them up for ever.

Day by day we bless Thee; and we praise Thy name for ever, and world without end.

Vouchsafe, O Lord, this day to keep us without sin. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.

Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in Thee. In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be confounded.

Ancient hymn, c. 400 — the complete hymn · English after the Manual of Prayers (Baltimore, 1888)

The Church's Te Deum

The Te Deum Laudamus is the great hymn of thanksgiving of the Latin Church — a sweeping act of praise that begins on earth, rises through the ranks of angels and apostles and martyrs, and turns at last into petition and trust. It is not tied to any one feast: it is what the Church sings whenever there is cause for joy too large for ordinary words.

Its structure is a ladder of praise. First the whole earth worships the eternal Father; then the heavenly host cries the Sanctus without ceasing; then the confession of Christ, redeemer and judge; and finally the individual soul, small against all that glory, casting itself on hope: 'In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be confounded.'

Its history and legend

The hymn dates from around the year 400; its finished form has often been credited to St Nicetas of Remesiana, though his authorship is questioned. A beloved legend, now known to be pious rather than historical, told that St Ambrose and St Augustine improvised it antiphonally at Augustine's baptism — each supplying a line as the Spirit moved them. The legend endured because the hymn feels exactly like that: overflow.

Down the centuries the Te Deum became the sound of public thanksgiving — sung at the election of a pope, the coronation of a king, the end of a war, the close of a council, or the completion of any great work. To 'sing a Te Deum' became a phrase for giving thanks itself.

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When it is sung

In the Liturgy of the Hours the Te Deum crowns the Office of Readings on Sundays outside Lent, during the octaves of Christmas and Easter, and on solemnities and feasts. Beyond the Office it is sung at moments of solemn gratitude throughout the Church's life.

Whether whispered by a single religious at dawn or thundered by a full choir under a cathedral vault, it does one thing: it turns whatever has happened into thanksgiving.

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Questions

On the Te Deum.

What is the Te Deum?

It is the ancient Latin hymn of thanksgiving beginning 'Te Deum laudamus' — 'We praise Thee, O God' — sung by the Church at moments of solemn joy and gratitude.

Who wrote the Te Deum?

Its finished form, from around the year 400, has often been attributed to St Nicetas of Remesiana, though this is questioned. A famous legend credits Sts Ambrose and Augustine, though this is devotional rather than historical.

When is it sung?

In the Liturgy of the Hours it closes the Office of Readings on Sundays outside Lent, during the octaves of Christmas and Easter, and on solemnities and feasts, and it is sung at great public thanksgivings such as papal elections and the end of wars.

Repertorium

The other chants.

All chants →

The Penitential CryKyrie EleisonThe Cry for Mercy The Antiphon of MortalityMedia VitaIn the Midst of Life The Hymn of InvocationVeni Creator SpiritusThe Invocation of the Spirit The Marian AntiphonSalve ReginaThe Evening Antiphon The Sequence of JudgmentDies IraeThe Day of Wrath The Cry of AdventRorate CaeliThe Cry of Advent A Child Is BornPuer Natus EstA Child Is Born The Lenten PleaAttende DomineThe Lenten Plea The Hymn of the SacramentPange LinguaThe Hymn of the Sacrament The Easter AntiphonRegina CaeliThe Easter Antiphon The Golden SequenceVeni Sancte SpiritusThe Golden Sequence The Hidden GodheadAdoro Te DevoteThe Hidden Godhead Hail, True BodyAve Verum CorpusHail, True Body Star of the SeaAve Maris StellaStar of the Sea