also known as O Salutaris, O Saving Victim
O salutaris hostia, quae caeli pandis ostium, bella premunt hostilia; da robur, fer auxilium.
O saving Victim, who open wide the gate of heaven: hostile wars press upon us; give strength, bring help.
Uni trinoque Domino sit sempiterna gloria: qui vitam sine termino nobis donet in patria. Amen.
To the Lord, one and three, be everlasting glory; may he grant us life without end in our homeland. Amen.
O salutaris hostia — 'O saving Victim' — is the closing pair of verses from Verbum supernum prodiens, the hymn St Thomas Aquinas wrote for Lauds of Corpus Christi. In eight short lines it greets Christ in the Host as the one who opens heaven's gate, begs His strength against the enemies that press upon us, and gives glory to the Triune God who will grant us life without end in our true homeland.
When prayed: Sung at the beginning of Benediction and Eucharistic adoration as the Host is placed in the monstrance, and often during Holy Hours and Forty Hours devotion.
The Latin text of the O Salutaris Hostia alongside its English translation, line by line.
| Latin | English |
|---|---|
| O salutaris hostia, quae caeli pandis ostium, bella premunt hostilia; da robur, fer auxilium. | O saving Victim, who open wide the gate of heaven: hostile wars press upon us; give strength, bring help. |
| Uni trinoque Domino sit sempiterna gloria: qui vitam sine termino nobis donet in patria. Amen. | To the Lord, one and three, be everlasting glory; may he grant us life without end in our homeland. Amen. |
Word-by-word definitions and example uses. Tap any word to learn its meaning, then return to the prayer with new ears.
Definition: O; an interjection used in direct address or exclamation
O amice, audi me. (O friend, listen to me.)
Definition: saving; health-giving; bringing salvation
Medicina salutaris aegrotum adiuvat. (The healing medicine helps the sick person.)
Definition: sacrifice; victim; offering
Hostia in templo offertur. (The sacrifice is offered in the temple.)
Definition: who; which; that; a feminine relative pronoun
Puella quae cantat laeta est. (The girl who sings is happy.)
Definition: of heaven; of the sky
Stellae caeli clarae sunt. (The stars of heaven are bright.)
Definition: you open; you spread out
Tu ianuam pandis. (You open the door.)
Definition: door; entrance; opening
Ostium domus apertum est. (The door of the house is open.)
Definition: wars; conflicts
Bella multas urbes perdunt. (Wars destroy many cities.)
Definition: they press; they oppress; they weigh down
Curae animum premunt. (Worries weigh down the mind.)
Definition: hostile; enemy; unfriendly
Verba hostilia pacem laedunt. (Hostile words harm peace.)
Definition: give; grant; an imperative form of dare
Da mihi aquam. (Give me water.)
Definition: strength; firmness; power
Miles robur magnum habet. (The soldier has great strength.)
Definition: bring; carry; bear; an imperative form of ferre
Fer auxilium amico. (Bring help to a friend.)
Definition: help; aid; assistance
Auxilium petimus. (We seek help.)
Definition: to the one; for the one
Uni Deo gratias agimus. (We give thanks to the one God.)
Definition: and to the triune; and threefold; from trinus with the enclitic -que meaning 'and'
Uni trinoque Deo laus est. (Praise is to the one and triune God.)
Definition: to the Lord; to the master
Servio Domino fideliter. (I serve the Lord faithfully.)
Definition: may it be; let it be; may he/she/it be
Pax sit vobiscum. (May peace be with you.)
Definition: everlasting; eternal
Gloria sempiterna Deo est. (Everlasting glory belongs to God.)
Definition: glory; fame; honor
Gloria victoriae magna est. (The glory of victory is great.)
Definition: who; which; that; a masculine relative pronoun
Vir qui venit amicus est. (The man who comes is a friend.)
Definition: life; the accusative form of vita
Vitam bonam agimus. (We live a good life.)
Definition: without
Sine aqua vivere non possumus. (We cannot live without water.)
Definition: end; limit; boundary
Iter sine termino longum videtur. (A journey without an end seems long.)
Definition: to us; for us; by us
Deus nobis pacem donat. (God gives peace to us.)
Definition: may he/she/it give; may he/she/it grant
Rex populo pacem donet. (May the king grant peace to the people.)
Definition: in; on; into
In patria manemus. (We remain in the homeland.)
Definition: homeland; fatherland; native country
Patria cara est. (The homeland is dear.)
Definition: amen; truly; so be it
Omnes dixerunt: Amen. (All said: Amen.)
It is a two-verse Latin hymn to Christ present in the Eucharist, taken from the end of St Thomas Aquinas's Verbum supernum prodiens. 'O saving Victim, who open wide the gate of heaven: hostile wars press upon us; give strength, bring help.' The Church sings it as the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration.
St Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), as part of the Office he composed for the Feast of Corpus Christi at the request of Pope Urban IV. Its final two verses came to be sung on their own and became one of the best-loved hymns of Eucharistic devotion.
Traditionally at the opening of Benediction: as the priest places the Host in the monstrance, the faithful sing the O salutaris. Benediction then closes with the Tantum ergo, the last verses of the Pange lingua, before the blessing.
The prayer Christ Himself taught — the heart of every Christian's life of prayer.
The greeting of the Archangel Gabriel, joined to the Church's own petition.
The Church's ancient doxology: glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Church's evening hymn to Mary, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
St. Bernard's confident plea to the Mother of God.
Three times a day the Church remembers the Word made flesh.
Credo teaches you to read the O Salutaris Hostia (and every other Catholic prayer) in Latin the way the saints did — through the words themselves, not grammar drills.
