The Minor Doxology and the Two Stages of Its Composition
The Glory Be was not written all at once. Its first half—the mention of the three Persons—is as old as the formula with which the Church has baptized from the beginning, and it already appears in the practice of the early Christian communities as an spontaneous conclusion to prayer and the psalms.
The second half, on the other hand, has a date and a reason. When Arianism denied that the Son was God from all eternity, saying "as it was in the beginning" ceased to be an adornment and became a declaration: the glory of the Son did not begin in Bethlehem. The addition of this second part is usually placed in sixth-century Gaul, and the Council of Vaison in 529 is commonly cited as the moment when its use was prescribed.
Hence comes its technical name. It is called the minor doxology to distinguish it from the major doxology, which is the "Glory to God in the highest" of the Mass, the hymn that begins with the words of the angels in Bethlehem. They are two distinct prayers that share a short name and are constantly confused.
The Complete Text
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.
In English, both the traditional form («world without end») and the contemporary form («and will be for ever») coexist. Both are in common use.
The Latin Original
This is the text that the Latin Church has prayed for centuries.
Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.
Where It Comes From: The Biblical Root of the Glory Be
The Glory Be is not a literal quote from Scripture, but rather the condensation of two things that are indeed in it. The first is the Trinitarian formula with which the Gospel of Matthew ends, the one Jesus gives to the apostles as He sends them forth:
Mt 28, 19
The second is the doxologies of the New Testament, those phrases with which Paul concludes a line of reasoning by rendering glory back to God: "to Him be glory forever" in Romans 11:36, or "to Him be glory in the church throughout all generations" in Ephesians 3:21. The Glory Be is that custom turned into a fixed formula.
Praising Without Asking for Anything
Almost all the prayers we pray ask for something: health, forgiveness, help, intercession. The Glory Be asks for nothing. It is pure praise, the form of prayer that the Catechism describes as recognizing God simply because He is God, with no further motive. That is why it is so short: there is no need to develop a petition that does not exist.
And that is also why it withstands any state of mind. A petition depends on you having something to ask for; praise does not. It is the prayer that still makes sense on the day one does not know what to ask for.
Where the Glory Be Is Prayed
- In the rosary it concludes each mystery: after the ten Hail Marys, the Glory Be caps off the decade and returns to the Trinity what has been meditated upon in that mystery.
- In the Liturgy of the Hours it goes at the end of each psalm. That usage explains its form: it is the way in which the Church prays the psalms of Israel in a Christian key, closing them with the name of the three Persons.
- And in personal prayer it functions as punctuation: it concludes a decade, an examination of conscience, or a moment of silence without the need to add anything else.
The Glory Be is prayed alongside how to pray the rosary, the Hail Mary, the Our Father: the three form the body of each decade.
If you pray the rosary daily and are looking for one tailor-made, we have custom-made rosaries, rosaries and chaplets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Glory Be and the Gloria of the Mass?
They are two distinct prayers. The "Glory Be" is the minor doxology: three lines that are prayed in the rosary and at the end of each psalm. The "Glory to God in the highest" is the major doxology, the long hymn sung at Mass on Sundays and solemnities that begins with the words of the angels in Bethlehem.
How many times is the Glory Be prayed in the rosary?
Once at the end of each mystery, after the ten Hail Marys. In a five-decade rosary it is prayed five times, plus any additions at the beginning or the end according to local custom.
Why does it say "as it was in the beginning"?
Because it affirms that the glory of the Son and of the Spirit did not begin at a given moment, but is eternal. That second part was added when Arianism denied that the Son was God from all eternity, so the phrase is a doctrinal response, not a decorative formula.
Can the Glory Be be prayed on its own, outside of the rosary?
Yes. Since it is praise and not petition, it stands alone: to begin the day, to conclude a time of prayer, or simply as a response to something good.
Is the minor doxology the same as the Gloria Patri?
Yes. "Gloria Patri" are the first two words of the Latin text, and it is how it is named in liturgical books. Minor doxology is the technical term.
Sources
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 234, 2639. Scripture: Mt 28:19; Rom 11:36; Eph 3:21. Council of Vaison (529) for the spread of the second part of the doxology.
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