Appropriate occasions for Litanies

[Ora_et_Labora_1]

I was wondering: are litanies more appropriate for penitential occasions, or for non-penitential? Or does it really not matter? I ask because I was reading recently that when the custom of keeping Stational Churches developed in Rome, they would only say litanies for penetential stations (the accompanying processions were even called litanies due to that fact).

 

[uxordepp]

Hadn’t thught about it, but litanies DO seem to be penitential!

We do them at baptisms. Actually, the Lamb of God is a litany as well, although not usually sung this way.

I am not aware of any litany that is not either asking for mercy (if it’s directed to God) or for prayer (a litany to a saint).

So I would be interested in any that are written differently.