The Glory Be

The Glory Be (Latin: Gloria Patri) is the brief doxology prayed at the end of each decade of the Rosary and throughout the Liturgy of the Hours: "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 oldest prayers in Christian liturgy (CCC 2639).

What a Doxology Is

A doxology (from the Greek doxa, glory, and logos, word) is a prayer of praise and glory offered to God. The Gloria Patri is the "lesser doxology" — the brief Trinitarian acclamation that concludes each Psalm in the Liturgy of the Hours and each decade of the Rosary. The "greater doxology" is the Gloria in Excelsis — the hymn of the angels at Christ's birth, sung at Sunday Mass (CCC 2639).

Trinitarian Structure

The Glory Be is a profession of Trinitarian faith in doxological form — praise given to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit equally and simultaneously. The phrase "as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be" affirms the eternal and unchanging nature of the Trinity, in contrast to the created world that changes and passes away (CCC 2641).

Use in the Liturgy

The Gloria Patri concludes every Psalm and canticle in the Liturgy of the Hours — it is prayed perhaps more frequently than any other prayer by those who pray the Divine Office. It functions as a Christological "seal" on the Old Testament Psalms, signaling that they find their fullness in the Trinity revealed in Christ (CCC 2641).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Glory Be in the Bible? The text of the Gloria Patri is not in Scripture, but its content is entirely biblical — praise to the Trinity, affirmation of God's eternity. Paul's letters contain similar doxological formulas (Romans 11:36; Galatians 1:5). The specific form developed in the early Church's liturgical tradition (CCC 2641).