By the BlessingLite editorial team. Prayer text reproduced with attribution to the Sisters of Life. Reviewed September 2026.
The Litany of Trust is a contemporary Catholic prayer written by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, S.V. of the Sisters of Life. It comes in two halves: first you ask Jesus to deliver you from specific fears, then you make specific declarations of trust.
The full text is set out below, one petition per line, so you can pray it straight from this page. Everything else on this page is optional.
The Litany of Trust: Full Text
Begin with the Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Part One: after each line, respond “Deliver me, Jesus”
- From the belief that I have to earn Your love
- From the fear that I am unlovable
- From the false security that I have what it takes
- From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute
- From all suspicion of Your words and promises
- From the rebellion against childlike dependency on You
- From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will
- From anxiety about the future
- From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past
- From restless self-seeking in the present moment
- From disbelief in Your love and presence
- From the fear of being asked to give more than I have
- From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth
- From the fear of what love demands
- From discouragement
Part Two: after each line, respond “Jesus, I trust in You”
- That You are continually holding me, sustaining me, loving me
- That Your love goes deeper than my sins and failings, and transforms me
- That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation to lean on You
- That You are with me in my suffering
- That my suffering, united to Your own, will bear fruit in this life and the next
- That You will not leave me orphan, that You are present in Your Church
- That Your plan is better than anything else
- That You always hear me and in Your goodness always respond to me
- That You give me the grace to accept forgiveness and to forgive others
- That You give me all the strength I need for what is asked
- That my life is a gift
- That You will teach me to trust You
- That You are my Lord and my God
- That I am Your beloved one
Close with the Sign of the Cross.
Written by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, S.V. The Sisters of Life grant permission to reprint the prayer for personal and parish use with the citation “Written by the Sisters of Life (sistersoflife.org)”. The official prayer card is available from them.
What the Litany of Trust Is
A litany is a prayer of repeated petitions with a fixed response. What makes this one unusual is how plainly it names interior states. It does not speak in abstract theological language. It names the specific fears people actually carry, and then hands each one to Jesus.
Prayed at a calm pace it takes about ten to fifteen minutes. There are 15 deliverance petitions and 14 declarations of trust.
Who Wrote It
Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, S.V. wrote the Litany of Trust as a member of the Sisters of Life, a religious community founded in New York. By her own account it came out of a period when she was struggling to trust rather than out of a plan to write a prayer.
Her religious name honours St. Faustina Kowalska, the Polish sister associated with the Divine Mercy devotion. The connection matters, because both rest on the same idea: trust is how mercy is received rather than something earned first.
The structure follows the Litany of Humility, a well known prayer of the same petition-and-response shape. The Litany of Humility works on pride; the Litany of Trust works on fear.
What the Petitions Are Doing
The 15 deliverance petitions are not in random order. They cluster into three kinds of fear, and seeing that turns the prayer into something you can use diagnostically: whichever line you resist is the one worth staying with.
| Kind of fear | Petitions | The belief underneath |
| Fear of unworthiness | “earn Your love”, “unlovable”, “life has no meaning or worth” | God’s love depends on how I perform |
| Fear of losing control | “false security”, “trusting will leave me destitute”, “suspicion of Your promises” | Surrender is dangerous |
| Fear of past and future | “anxiety about the future”, “preoccupation with the past”, “restless self-seeking”, “discouragement” | My past disqualifies me and my future is unsafe |
The second half does not simply cancel the fear. It replaces each one with a specific claim: “Your plan is better than anything else”, “my life is a gift”, “I am Your beloved one”. These are statements about who God is, not affirmations about how you feel, which is why they can be prayed on days you do not feel them.
How to Pray It
- Make the Sign of the Cross.
- Read each deliverance petition aloud and respond “Deliver me, Jesus.” Do not rush. If a line lands hard, stay on it.
- Move into the declarations and respond “Jesus, I trust in You” after each.
- Close with the Sign of the Cross.
Silently is fine. Aloud tends to hold attention better, which matters most on the days your mind will not settle. Many people pray it daily as a morning offering, or across nine days as a novena.
Praying It When You Are Anxious
Many people reach for this prayer specifically because of anxiety, and the petitions name anxious states directly: fear of the future, preoccupation with the past, restless self-seeking, discouragement. Having language for a feeling often makes it easier to carry.
What this page will not claim: that praying a litany treats anxiety. It is a prayer, not a clinical intervention, and we are not going to dress it up as one by pointing at vague research. If anxiety is affecting your sleep, your work or your body over weeks rather than days, speak to a doctor. Pray the litany as well if it helps you, not instead.
The moments people most often describe using it are these:
- Before a decision whose outcome is not in your control
- After a loss, particularly the line about preoccupation with the past
- In a dry season when you cannot find words of your own
- As a nine-day novena for a specific intention
- When someone you love is suffering and you can do nothing practical
For longer collections on those situations, see the 48 prayers for strength, the 95 short prayers for healing and recovery, or the 102 prayers for protection.
Praying It as a Family
Children of around seven or eight can follow the structure even without understanding every line, because the shape of leader-and-response is easy to learn.
- Simplify the response if the formal wording feels stiff. “Help me trust You, Jesus” works.
- Pick two or three petitions rather than all fifteen. The whole litany is long for a child.
- Use it at bedtime, where fear of the dark and fear of the unknown are already in the room.
- Take one petition a week as a conversation. “From anxiety about the future: what does that mean for us right now?”
Is It an Approved Catholic Prayer?
The Litany of Trust is a private devotional prayer rather than one of the litanies approved for public liturgical use. That is a category distinction, not a judgement on it.
Catholic practice has always distinguished official liturgical prayers from private devotions. Much loved prayers such as the Memorare, the Anima Christi and the Litany of Humility sit in the same category. The Litany of Trust is used widely in parishes, retreat houses and chaplaincy, and the Sisters of Life distribute it internationally.
The USCCB prayers and devotions page is a good starting point for how the Church understands devotional prayer generally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote the Litany of Trust?
Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, S.V., a member of the Sisters of Life. They hold the text and permit reprinting for personal and parish use with attribution.
What do I say after each line?
“Deliver me, Jesus” after each petition in Part One, and “Jesus, I trust in You” after each line in Part Two. Begin and end with the Sign of the Cross.
How long does it take?
Ten to fifteen minutes at an unhurried pace. Faster is possible but defeats the purpose.
Is there a printable version?
Yes. The Sisters of Life produce the official prayer card and permit reprinting with the citation “Written by the Sisters of Life (sistersoflife.org)”.
How is it different from the Litany of Humility?
Same structure, different target. The Litany of Humility works on pride and the desire for recognition. The Litany of Trust works on fear and the desire for control.
Can I pray it if I am not Catholic?
Yes. It is a private prayer with no liturgical requirements. The language is Christian and addressed to Jesus, which is worth knowing before you start.
Final Thoughts
The Litany of Trust does not promise that the fears go away. It offers a practice of naming them one at a time and choosing trust anyway, which is a slower and more honest thing.
Read the full text above once, slowly. The line you resist is the one to come back to tomorrow. For related collections, see the 200 holy blessings prayers or the full BlessingLite prayer collection.
About this page: compiled by the BlessingLite editorial team. The prayer text is reproduced with attribution to the Sisters of Life, who wrote it. Nothing on this page is medical advice. If you spot an error, please tell us through our contact page so we can correct it.
Nova is a devoted faith-based writer and spiritual content creator with over 4 years of experience in crafting prayers, blessings, and uplifting inspirations. At BlessingLite.com, she combines her deep love for spirituality with a gift for heartfelt writing to help readers connect with their faith on a deeper level. Her work is rooted in the belief that simple, sincere words carry the power to heal, uplift, and transform lives. Whether you’re seeking morning blessings, prayers for difficult times, or words to share with someone you love, Nova’s writing is designed to touch your heart and strengthen your spirit.
