If you’ve ever attended an Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in a Catholic Church, then you’ve likely heard The Divine Praises. Traditionally this prayer is recited at the end of Exposition.
The Divine Praises were originally written by the Jesuit priest Luigi Felici in 1797 as an expiatory prayer—for the purpose of making reparation after saying or hearing sacrilege or blasphemy.
The original text was….
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, the most holy Mary.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be God in His holy angels and in His saints.
The Divine Praises have been expanded by six different popes over the centuries, each adding a line.
Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception. (Pope Pius IX, 1851)
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart. (Pope Leo XIII, 1897)
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse. (Pope Benedict XV, 1920)
Blessed be her Glorious Assumption. (Pope Pius XII, 1952)
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood. (Pope John XXIII, 1960)
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. (Pope Paul VI, 1964)
Recitation of the Divine Praises rightly helps us order our thoughts to the proper things, which Saint Paul reminded both the Colossians and Philippians to do.
In his letter to the Colossians, he wrote “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Writing to the Church at Philippi, Paul encouraged the community of believers there to focus on the transcendentals— “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
We don’t know if the recipients of Paul’s letters took his advice. But we can!
By engaging with the Divine Praises, we actively align our hearts with the powers of heaven—and that helps us to foster a spiritual mindset that counters worldly distractions.
So, if you haven’t incorporated the Divine Praises into your prayer life, consider it! Praying the Divine Praises not only honors God but also cultivates a life of holiness and purpose as Saint Paul advocated.
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