How to pray a litany: when praying litanies, a leader prays the (versicles or ℣) and the (response or ℟) are prayed by the followers.

In the Catholic church there is a long history of the faithful reciting litanies, which are a form of prayer that includes a series of invocations and supplications by a leader (versicles or ℣.) with alternate responses by the followers (response or ℟.).

Litany is also found in Judaic worship. The word comes from the Latin word, litania. Litanies can be prayed alone but are usually prayed in unison. When you pray a litany with others, the leader will pray the portion with the ℣ or V, and the followers will respond with the part that is marked with the ℟ or R. Sometimes the litany is not marked with a V or R but simply has the response in boldface.