Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Ave Maria – Latin
| Ave Maria, gratia plena, | Hail Mary, full of grace, |
| Dominus tecum. | The Lord is with thee. |
| Benedicta tu in mulieribus, | Blessed art thou amongst women, |
| et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. | and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. |
| Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, | Holy Mary, Mother of God, |
| ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, | pray for us sinners, |
| et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. | now and at the hour of our death. Amen. |
What is the Hail Mary Prayer
The Hail Mary is a cherished and widely recited Catholic prayer that holds deep significance within the Christian faith.
It is a reverent plea to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, seeking her intercession and invoking her maternal love and compassion.
The prayer begins with the words spoken by the angel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation, acknowledging her as “full of grace” and blessed among women.
It then continues with a humble request for her prayers, asking her to pray for us sinners both in the present and at the hour of our death.
The Hail Mary is a beautiful expression of devotion and trust in the Blessed Mother, seeking her powerful intercession and entrusting ourselves to her maternal care.
Parts of Hail Mary
The first part of Hail Mary contains the words of the archangel Gabriel when he came to Mary to announce to her the good news about her being the mother of our Lord and Saviour.
28 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:28
The second part contains the words of Elizabeth, the mother of St John the Baptist which she used when greeting her visitor, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
42 [Elizabeth] cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb…”
Luke 1:42
The last part, which is a request for intercession by our Mother Mary, was added to the Hail Mary prayer during the 14th or 15th century.
This petition for intercession was added around 1555 AD during the period of the Council of Trent by St Petrus Canisius, a Dutch Jesuit, who added in his Catechism the words “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.”
In 1566, the same words were added to the Catechism of the Council of Trent and in 1568, it was officially added to the revised Roman Breviary by Pope Pius V.
Hail Mary is part of the following prayers
- The Angelus
- The Rosary
- The Way of the Cross
- In many Novenas
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