Encountering the Divine Liturgy Part 19: The Litany of the Catechumens: A Prayer for Illumination and Transformation

Introduction: The Church as a Community of Ongoing Conversion

The Litany of the Catechumens occupies a unique place in the structure of the Divine Liturgy. It signals a transition from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Faithful—the part of the service reserved for baptized, communicant members of the Church. In praying for the catechumens, the Church not only remembers those preparing for baptism, but also affirms that the entire community must remain in a posture of repentance, spiritual formation, and growth in the truth of the Gospel.

Form of the Litany

The Litany of the Catechumens follows the Trisagion Hymn and often appears in this structure:

• Petitions for the Catechumens, such as:

  
  

• "Let us, the faithful, pray for the catechumens..."

• "That the Lord may illumine them with the Gospel of righteousness..."

• "That He may unite them to His Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church..."

  
  

• Response by the choir or faithful: "Kyrie eleison" (Lord, have mercy), repeated after each petition.

  
  

• Dismissal of the Catechumens, culminating in the command:

  
  

  “Catechumens, depart! Let none of the catechumens remain!”

This dismissal marks the formal boundary between the Liturgy of the Word (which catechumens could attend) and the Mystical Liturgy or Eucharist (reserved for the baptized).

Function: Preparing the Heart for Illumination

In the early Church, catechumens were adults undergoing a rigorous process of formation (catechesis) before being received through baptism, chrismation, and the Eucharist, often at Pascha. The prayers in the litany reflect their spiritual condition as in process—not yet fully initiated, but earnestly seeking union with Christ.

The Church asks God to:

• Teach them the word of truth.
• Reveal the Gospel to them clearly.
• Strengthen them in spiritual struggle.
• Enable them to become full members of the Eucharistic community.

This liturgical intercession shows that catechesis is not only intellectual or doctrinal, but a transformative spiritual journey. The whole Church participates in the catechumens’ conversion through these prayers, demonstrating the communal and intercessory nature of salvation.

Theological Significance

1. Conversion as a Process

The litany reflects the Orthodox understanding of salvation as theosis (divinization), a gradual and lifelong journey. Catechumens are not simply "learning about the faith" intellectually—they are being formed by the Church, in the Church, into the likeness of Christ. St. Gregory of Nyssa writes:
“He who is becoming God must become a disciple of God; and this is the aim of catechesis: to train the soul to desire the divine.”
— Catechetical Oration

2. Illumination by the Word

The prayer that God will "illumine them with the Gospel of righteousness" invokes both biblical and sacramental imagery. Illumination is both an inner enlightenment of the heart and mind (cf. Ephesians 1:18) and a reference to baptism, which was often called photismos (illumination) in the early Church.
“The God of our fathers has illumined our minds for understanding the truth... May the catechumen be cleansed from error and brought to the light of Christ.”
— St. John Chrysostom

3. Ecclesiology and Eucharistic Boundaries

The command to “let none of the catechumens remain” expresses an ecclesiological truth: baptism is the door to the Eucharist. Though it may seem exclusionary to modern sensibilities, this moment teaches that full participation in the mysteries of the Church requires commitment and transformation.

This boundary also reflects early Christian discipline when Eucharistic worship was kept hidden from outsiders (the "disciplina arcani", or discipline of the secret). It affirms that the Liturgy is not a performance or public event, but the mystical participation of the baptized Body in Christ’s eternal offering.

Patristic Commentary

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

“You have been called a catechumen. You are still only listening to the mysteries from the outside. But already the Church is praying for you, that you may be deemed worthy of full initiation.”
— Procatechesis 1

St. Ambrose of Milan

“You who are not yet baptized, the Church embraces you in her prayer. She asks for you what you cannot yet ask for yourself: the gift of faith, the grace of baptism, the power to renounce darkness.”
— De Mysteriis, II

Conclusion: A Church Always in Catechesis

While the Litany of the Catechumens historically served a practical function—to pray for and dismiss those preparing for baptism—it endures in the Liturgy as a theological signpost. It reminds the faithful that we are all perpetual catechumens, ever in need of being illumined anew by the Gospel, repenting, and growing in Christ.
In this way, the Church's prayer for the catechumens becomes a mirror for the baptized, calling us to remember our own baptismal promises, to repent daily, and to seek deeper communion with God. The words may be addressed to the unbaptized, but their spirit speaks to all:
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)