Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
ECUMENICAL 4TH CENTURY AD
The Glory Be
Also known as Gloria Patri · Doxology · The Lesser Doxology
Other forms
Latin (Gloria Patri)
Gloria Patri,
et Filio,
et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio,
et nunc et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
Orthodox form
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
both now and ever,
and unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
About this prayer
The Glory Be is a short doxology, a formula of praise addressed to the Trinity, used across virtually every Christian tradition. Its origin lies in early Christian liturgical practice; forms of the trinitarian doxology appear in the writings of Basil the Great and other 4th-century church fathers. The prayer moves in two parts: the first addresses the Trinity directly in praise, and the second affirms the eternal nature of God's glory, using the phrase "as it was in the beginning" to counter Arian teaching that the Son was a created being with a temporal origin. In its brevity the Glory Be functions as a punctuation mark in Christian prayer, used to close psalms, seal decades of the Rosary, and conclude other prayers.
When it's said
In Catholic practice the Glory Be is said after each decade of the Rosary, after each psalm in the Liturgy of the Hours, and as a general closing prayer. In Anglican services it concludes each psalm in Morning and Evening Prayer, following the BCP rubric. In Orthodox worship the equivalent form concludes psalm verses and other liturgical units throughout the Divine Office and Divine Liturgy. In Protestant churches it is sung as a doxology after hymns and at the close of prayers, most commonly in its metrical form.
Notes on the text
The phrase "world without end" is a translation of the Latin "in saecula saeculorum," literally "into the ages of ages." The Orthodox form uses "unto the ages of ages" as a more literal rendering. The addition of "as it was in the beginning" was deliberately included in 4th-century versions of the doxology to affirm the co-eternal nature of the Son against Arian theology, which held that there was a time when the Son did not exist.
Common questions
What is the Glory Be?
The Glory Be is a brief doxology, a prayer of praise to the Holy Trinity. The text reads: 'Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.' It is one of the most widely said short prayers in Christianity and is used in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran worship in essentially identical form.
Where does the Glory Be come from?
The first half ('Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit') developed in the 4th century AD as a Christian counterpart to Jewish liturgical doxologies. It was used by the Cappadocian Fathers (Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus) in the late 4th century AD against Arianism, which denied the equal divinity of the Son. The second half ('as it was in the beginning...') was added in the West and is not used in Eastern Orthodox liturgical practice.
When is the Glory Be said?
It is said many times throughout the Christian liturgical day. In the Rosary it is said after each decade of Hail Marys. In the Catholic Liturgy of the Hours and the Anglican Daily Office it is said at the end of every psalm and canticle. In Orthodox services the first half is sung repeatedly throughout the liturgy. Many Christians use it as a brief moment of trinitarian praise during the day.
Source
Ancient Christian liturgical tradition, 4th century AD. English text from the Book of Common Prayer, 1662. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.