We praise you, O God; we acknowledge you to be the Lord. All the earth worships you, the Father everlasting. To you all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein; to you cherubim and seraphim continually do cry: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts; heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory. The glorious company of the apostles praise you; the goodly fellowship of the prophets praise you; the white-robed army of martyrs praise you. The holy church throughout all the world does acknowledge you: the Father, of an infinite majesty; your adorable, true, and only Son; also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. You are the King of glory, O Christ; you are the everlasting Son of the Father. When you took upon yourself to deliver man, you humbled yourself to be born of a virgin. When you had overcome the sharpness of death, you opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You sit at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father. We believe that you will come to be our judge. We therefore pray you to help your servants, whom you have redeemed with your precious blood. Make them to be numbered with your saints in glory everlasting. O Lord, save your people and bless your heritage. Govern them and lift them up forever. Day by day we magnify you, and we worship your name forever and ever. Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us. O Lord, let your mercy be upon us, as our trust is in you. O Lord, in you have I trusted; let me never be confounded.
The Te Deum
Also known as Te Deum Laudamus ยท You Are God
About this prayer
The Te Deum is one of the great hymns of the Western church, a sustained act of praise addressed to the Trinity. Its Latin title comes from its opening words: "Te Deum laudamus" (We praise you, God). The hymn was long attributed to Ambrose of Milan and Augustine of Hippo, who according to legend composed it together at Augustine's baptism in 387 AD, but modern scholars attribute it to Niceta of Remesiana (c. 335-414 AD). It divides into three parts: praise of God the Father and the heavenly court, confession of Christ's work of salvation, and a closing section of petitions drawn from the Psalms. The Te Deum has been set to music by composers including Georg Friedrich Handel, Joseph Haydn, Hector Berlioz, and Benjamin Britten.
When it's said
In Catholic practice, the Te Deum is sung at the end of Matins on Sundays and feast days, and on special occasions of thanksgiving such as the election of a pope or the conclusion of a council. In Anglican services it is one of the two canticles appointed for Morning Prayer in the BCP, alternating with the Benedicite. In Anglican cathedrals and collegiate churches it is sung in elaborate choral settings on high festivals. It is also traditionally sung after significant national events, a practice dating to the medieval period.
Notes on the text
The closing verses of the Te Deum (from "O Lord, save your people") are drawn from the Psalms and represent a later addition to the original hymn. Some liturgical traditions use only the earlier sections. The text shown here is the traditional English form from the Book of Common Prayer, 1662.
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Attributed to Niceta of Remesiana, c. 4th century AD. English text from the Book of Common Prayer, 1662. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.