Deo gratias
Deo gratias ( Latin for 'thanks be to God'), in the German version thanks to God, the Lord , is an exclamation of thanks in the liturgy of the Roman rite .
In the liturgy of Holy Mass it is sung or spoken in response to the congregation's acclamation of the lecturer after reading the scriptures Verbum Domini and to the calls for dismissal Ite, missa est or Benedicamus Domino .
The liturgical acclamation has its origin in the Bible passages 1 Cor 15.57 EU and 2 Cor 2.14 EU . It is also sung in the respective national language in the Lutheran churches, for example when the congregation is discharged before the blessing.
In some monasteries, the formula is also used to allow someone to enter after knocking on the door.
literature
Wikisource: Deo Gratias in the Catholic Encyclopedia - Sources and full texts (English)
