The Little Litany or Little Ektenia or Little Synapte is a brief ektenia

Ektenia

Ektenia , often called simply Litany, is a prayerful petition in the Eastern Orthodox/Eastern Catholic liturgy...

 (litany) which is recited at various times during the liturgical worship of the Byzantine Rite

Byzantine Rite

The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...

, as observed by the Eastern Orthodox Church

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...

 and the Greek Catholic Churches.

The litany is called 'Little' to distinguish it from the Great Ektenia, which often precedes it in the service. The Little Litany is composed of only three petitions, chant

Chant

Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...

ed by the deacon

Deacon

Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...

 (if there is no deacon, the priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

 says his parts). In many cases, there is a prayer

Prayer

Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...

 which is said silently by the priest while the litany is being recited:

• Deacon: Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
• Choir: Lord, have mercy.
• Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and keep us, O God, by Thy grace.
• Choir: Lord, have mercy.
• Deacon: Calling to remembrance our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos
  Theotokos
  Theotokos is the Greek title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. Its literal English translations include God-bearer and the one who gives birth to God. Less literal translations include Mother of God...
  
   and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saint
  Saint
  A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
  
  s, let us commend ourselves, and one another, and all our life unto Christ our God.
• Choir: To Thee, O Lord.

The priest then says an ekphonesis (audible exclamation) which sums up the prayer, after which the choir chants, "Amen

Amen

The word amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua and the...

". The text of both the silent prayer and the ekphonesis will differ depending upon the point in the service at which the little ektenia occurs, but the words of the deacon and the choir remain the same.

Little litanies are performed after the initial antiphons of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, except in many churches of the Carpatho-Rusyn heritage (parishes of the Ruthenian Catholic Church

Ruthenian Catholic Church

The Ruthenian Catholic Church is a sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church , which uses the Divine Liturgy of the Constantinopolitan Byzantine Eastern Rite. Its roots are among the Rusyns who lived in the region called Carpathian Ruthenia, in and around the Carpathian Mountains...

 or the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese

American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese

The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese or American Carpatho-Ruthenian Orthodox Diocese is a diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate with 78 parishes in the United States and Canada. It was led by the late Metropolitan Nicholas Smisko of Amissos...

). All Byzantine churches, however, pray the little litanies traditionally prescribed for Matins and Vespers.

There is also a poem called "A Little Litany" by G. K. Chesterton

G. K. Chesterton

Gilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction....

, which is unrelated to the Byzantine liturgical usage.

Little Litany for the Departed

At funerals

Christian burial

A Christian burial is the burial of a deceased person with specifically Christian ecclesiastical rites; typically, in consecrated ground. Until recent times Christians generally objected to cremation, and practised inhumation almost exclusively, but this opposition has weakened, and now vanished...

 and memorial services the Little Litany takes a special form, wherein the name of the departed in included:

• Deacon: Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.
• Choir: Lord, have mercy.
• Deacon: Again we pray for the repose of the soul(s) of the servant(s) of God [name(s)], and that he (she)(they) may be forgiven every transgression, both voluntary and involuntary.
• Choir: Lord, have mercy.
• Deacon: That the Lord God will commit his (her)(their) soul(s) to where the righteous repose.
• Choir: Lord, have mercy.
• Deacon: The mercy of God, the kingdom of heaven, and the remission of his (her)(their) sins, let us ask of Christ the Immortal King and our God.
• Choir: Grant this, O Lord.
• Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
• Choir: Lord, have mercy.

Meanwhile, the priest says this prayer silently to himself: O God of spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trampled down death, and overthrown the devil, and given life to Thy world: Do Thou Thyself, O Lord, give rest to the soul(s) of Thy departed servant(s) [name(s)], in a place of light, a place of green pasture, a place of repose, whence all sickness, sorrow and sighing are fled away. Pardon every sin, committed by him (her)(them) in word, deed, or thought, in that Thou art good and the Lover of mankind; for there is no man that liveth and sinneth not, for Thou alone art without sin, Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy word is truth.

• Then, when the deacon and choir are finished with the litany, the priest says this Ekphonesis: For Thou art the resurrection, and the life, and the repose of Thy departed servant(s), [name(s)], O Christ our God, and unto Thee do we send up glory, together with Thine unoriginate Father, and Thy most holy and good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
• Choir: Amen.

External links

• Little litany article from Orthodox Wiki
• A Little Litany, poem by G. K. Chesterton