Quick Answer
The Glory Be is one of the shortest and most universal Christian prayers. It is a doxology, meaning a short prayer of praise to the Trinity, and the standard English text used by the USCCB is: "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 used at the end of each decade of the Rosary, at the end of every Psalm in the Liturgy of the Hours, and as a personal prayer of thanksgiving any time of day.
The Full 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."
The Latin original is called the Gloria Patri: "Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen." It is one of the oldest prayers in continuous Christian use.
Where It Comes From
The first half ("Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit") echoes Matthew 28:19, where Jesus tells the apostles to baptise "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The second half ("As it was in the beginning...") was added in the early centuries of the Church as a response to heresies that denied the eternity of the Son. The whole prayer is, in two sentences, a quick confession of Trinitarian faith and of the unchanging nature of God.
When Catholics Use It
- The Rosary. A Glory Be is prayed at the end of each decade, after the ten Hail Marys, before the Fatima Prayer (if you add it).
- The Liturgy of the Hours. Every Psalm and Canticle ends with the Glory Be. If you have ever heard priests or religious praying the Divine Office, that little doxology after each Psalm is the Glory Be.
- The Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Three Our Fathers, three Hail Marys and three Glory Bes open the chaplet.
- Personal devotion. Many people use it as a quick "amen" to any thought of gratitude, the way someone else might think "thank God."
Why It Is So Useful
The Glory Be is small enough to memorise in one sitting and big enough to anchor a whole prayer life. Two sentences cover the Trinity, eternity past, the present moment, eternity future, and your "amen" of agreement with all of it. That is why it shows up everywhere from the Rosary to the Hours to a child's bedtime prayer.
How to Pray It Well
Slow it down. Most people race through "as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen" as one breath. Try this instead:
- Glory be to the Father... Picture the Father.
- And to the Son... Picture Jesus on the cross or in glory.
- And to the Holy Spirit. Take a breath. The Spirit is the breath of God.
- As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be... Past, present, future.
- World without end. Amen. Let the "amen" actually mean something.
Other Christian Traditions
The Glory Be is not only Catholic. Orthodox Christians pray it constantly, often with a slightly different wording. Anglican and many Protestant traditions sing or recite the Gloria Patri at the end of Psalms in the Book of Common Prayer. It is one of the few prayers shared almost word for word across the major Christian families.
A Note on Translation
You will sometimes see "as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever" instead of "world without end." Both translate the Latin "in saecula saeculorum" faithfully. The older phrasing "world without end" preserves the cadence English speakers grew up with; the newer phrasing is easier on younger ears. Either is valid. Pick the version your parish uses and stick with it so a group can pray it together without stumbling.
If you are teaching the prayer to children, start with the short modern wording, then introduce them to the traditional one once they have the rhythm. Knowing both is worth the small effort.
One Last Encouragement
The Glory Be is the prayer most likely to slip into the background music of your prayer life. Resist that. Once a week, pray it out loud, slowly, by itself, with no other prayer attached. Let it stand alone as praise. The smallest prayers, prayed with attention, often punch hardest.
Bottom Line
The Glory Be is the universal Trinitarian doxology of the Western Church. Two sentences, three persons, all of eternity. Use it at the end of each decade of the Rosary, after each Psalm, or any time you want to take a quick breath of praise. Pray it slowly and the smallest prayer in your repertoire becomes one of the biggest.
