SEQUENTIA AUREA | COME, HOLY SPIRIT
ASK TO BECOME ONE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND TO IGNITE THE HEARTS OF OTHERS
About This Prayer
The Veni Sancte Spiritus is the Sequence hymn for the Solemnity of Pentecost, attributed to either Archbishop Stephen Langton or Pope Innocent III in the 13th century. Known as the Golden Sequence, it is one of the most celebrated hymns in the Latin Church. It is traditionally prayed during the Pentecost season and whenever the guidance of the Holy Spirit is sought.
Pray Daily
SEQUENTIA AUREA
Veni, Sáncte Spíritus, reple tuorum corda fidélium: et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. V. Emitte Spíritum túum, et creabuntur. R. Et renovabis faciem terræ. Oremus Déus, qui corda fidélium Sáncti Spíritus illustratione docuisti: da nóbis in eodem Spíritu recta sapere; et de éius sémper consolatione gaudere. Per Christum Dóminum nóstrum. Amen.
COME, HOLY SPIRIT
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love. V. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created. R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Let Us Pray O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Related Prayers
Common Questions
When and how is the Veni Sancte Spiritus prayed?
The Veni Sancte Spiritus is the Sequence hymn for the Solemnity of Pentecost in the Roman Liturgy, sung at Mass before the Gospel acclamation on Pentecost Sunday and on its octave. It may also be prayed at any time when the guidance, light, and consolation of the Holy Spirit are sought, and is often used at Confirmations, ordinations, religious professions, and the opening of synods or councils. Many Catholics turn to it as a personal prayer in times of decision, study, or interior darkness.
What does the text say?
The Veni Sancte Spiritus opens, 'Come, Holy Spirit, and send forth from heaven the ray of your light' (Veni, Sancte Spiritus, et emitte caelitus lucem tuam radium), and unfolds in ten brief stanzas of three lines each. It addresses the Holy Spirit by tender titles ('Father of the poor,' 'Best Consoler,' 'Sweet Guest of the soul,' 'Light most blessed') and asks him to wash what is unclean, to water what is dry, to heal what is wounded, to bend what is rigid, to warm what is cold, and to guide what has wandered. Each phrase is a movement of the heart asking the Spirit to do in us the work that only he can do.
Who composed the Veni Sancte Spiritus?
The Veni Sancte Spiritus is traditionally attributed to Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury (A.D. circa 1150-1228), the great English scholar who oversaw the division of the Bible into chapters that we still use today; some scholars instead credit Pope Innocent III. In either case the hymn dates to the early 13th century, and its perfect rhymed Latin earned it the title 'the Golden Sequence' (Sequentia Aurea). Of the dozens of medieval Sequences once sung before the Gospel at Mass, only four were retained by the Council of Trent (A.D. 1545-1563), and the Veni Sancte Spiritus is among them.
How is the Veni Sancte Spiritus different from the Veni Creator Spiritus?
The Veni Creator Spiritus and the Veni Sancte Spiritus are two distinct Latin hymns to the Holy Spirit. The Veni Creator Spiritus is older, a hymn of seven stanzas attributed to Rabanus Maurus in the 9th century, sung at solemn invocations of the Holy Spirit such as ordinations, the election of a Pope, and the opening of synods. The Veni Sancte Spiritus is the Pentecost Sequence proper, sung at Mass on Pentecost itself; the two hymns are often confused but the Church uses both at different liturgical moments, each carrying its own beauty and emphasis.