Hail Mary Prayer
The Hail Mary is the most widely known Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary. It is the foundational prayer of the Rosary, repeated fifty times in a standard five-decade Rosary, and is one of the first prayers every Catholic learns. It is drawn almost entirely from Scripture.
About the Hail Mary
The Hail Mary is composed of three parts. The first — Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee — comes from the Angel Gabriel's greeting to Mary at the Annunciation (Luke 1:28). The second — Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus — comes from Elizabeth's greeting to Mary at the Visitation (Luke 1:42). The third — Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death — is the Church's petition, added gradually through the medieval period and formalized in the 16th century.
The title Mother of God — Theotokos in Greek — was formally defined at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. It does not mean that Mary is the mother of God the eternal Father, but that the one she bore in her womb was truly God as well as truly human.
The Hail Mary in the Rosary
The Hail Mary is prayed ten times in each decade of the Rosary while meditating on a mystery of the life of Christ. A full five-decade Rosary includes fifty Hail Marys. The prayer is also used in the three Hail Mary devotion, as a closing prayer, and as an act of confidence in Our Lady's intercession.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Luke 1:28 (Gabriel's greeting) and Luke 1:42 (Elizabeth's greeting). Petition formalized 16th century. Public domain.
Frequently asked questions
- Where does the Hail Mary come from?
- The Hail Mary is drawn almost entirely from Scripture. The first part comes from the Angel Gabriel's greeting at the Annunciation (Luke 1:28). The second part comes from Elizabeth's greeting at the Visitation (Luke 1:42). The petition Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners was added by the Church and formalized in the 16th century.
- What does full of grace mean?
- Full of grace translates the Greek kecharitomene used by the angel Gabriel, meaning one who has been and continues to be filled with grace in a unique and complete way. Catholic theology understands this as referring to Mary's Immaculate Conception — her preservation from original sin from the moment of her conception.
- What is the Dios te salve Maria?
- Dios te salve, María is the Hail Mary prayer in Spanish — God save you, Mary. It is one of the most beloved Catholic prayers in the Spanish-speaking world, prayed as part of the Rosary and in daily devotion.
- Why do Catholics pray to Mary?
- Catholics ask Mary to pray for them, just as they ask any holy person to pray on their behalf. The Hail Mary ends with pray for us sinners — a request for her intercession, not worship. Catholics believe that as the Mother of Christ, Mary has a unique closeness to God and her intercession is particularly powerful.
- How many Hail Marys are in the Rosary?
- A standard five-decade Rosary includes fifty Hail Marys — ten per decade, five decades. A full fifteen-decade Rosary includes one hundred and fifty Hail Marys, corresponding to the one hundred and fifty Psalms.
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