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Oremus (Latin: "Let us pray") is the invitation to pray, said before short prayers in theCatholic Mass[1] and theLutheranDivine Service, as well as other Western liturgies.
It is used as a singleexclamation in the East (in the rites of theAssyrian andSyriac Orthodox churches), denoting the imperative "Pray" or "Stand for prayer" (in theCoptic Church); most commonly, however with a further determination, "Let us pray to the Lord" (τοῦ Κυρίου δεηθῶμεν, used throughout theByzantine Rite, where the laity replies withKyrie Eleison before the priest recites the prayer), and so on.Louis Duchesne thought that theGallicanCollects were also introduced by the word "Oremus" ("Origines du Culte", Paris, 1898, 103). That was not the case in theMozarabic Rite, where the celebrant uses the word only twice, before theAgios andPater noster.[1]
Oremus is said (or sung) in theRoman Rite before all separatecollects in theMass,Office, or on other occasions (but several collects may be joined with one Oremus). It is also used before thePost-Communion, theoffertory, and before the introduction to thePater noster and other short prayers (e.g.,Aufer a nobis) in the form of collects.[1][2]
It appears that theOremus did not originally apply to the prayer that now follows it. It is thought that it was once an invitation to private prayer, very likely with further direction as to the object, as is now the case in the liturgy forGood Friday (Oremus pro ecclesia sancta Dei). The deacon then said:Flectamus genua ("let us kneel"), and all knelt in silent prayer. After a time the people were told to stand up (Levate), and finally the celebrant collected all the petitions in one short sentence said aloud (hence, thecollect).[1]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Oremus".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. | ThisChristianity-related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
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