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Hail Mary
The Hail Mary is a traditional Catholic prayer centred on Jesus Christ and asking Mary, the Mother of God, for her intercession.
Pray
Hail Mary
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.
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“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee”
These words echo the angel Gabriel's greeting to Mary at the Annunciation. The prayer begins with Scripture rather than with a request.
“Blessed art thou among women”
This echoes Elizabeth's Spirit-filled greeting to Mary in Luke's Gospel and recognises the unique grace of her vocation.
“Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus”
Jesus is the centre of the Hail Mary. Mary's blessedness points toward Christ, whom she carried and gave to the world.
“Holy Mary, Mother of God”
Mother of God protects a truth about Jesus: the child Mary bore is one divine Person, truly God and truly man.
“Pray for us sinners”
Catholics ask Mary to intercede for them, just as Christians ask one another for prayer. Worship belongs to God alone.
“Now and at the hour of our death”
The prayer places both the present moment and the final moment of earthly life beneath Mary's intercession.
In brief
Catholics pray the Hail Mary to praise God for what He has done through Mary and to ask the Mother of Jesus to pray for them. Catholics do not worship Mary; worship belongs to God alone.
Understand
What is this prayer?
The Hail Mary is one of the best-known Catholic prayers. Its opening words draw directly from the Gospel greetings addressed to Mary, while its second part asks her to intercede for sinners now and at the hour of death.
Quick facts
- Latin name
- Ave Maria
- Type
- Marian prayer of intercession
- Biblical foundation
- Luke 1:28 and Luke 1:42
- Central devotion
- The Rosary
- Focus
- Christ and Mary's intercession
Why Catholics pray it
Why it matters
Catholics believe Christians can pray for one another and that the saints remain alive in Christ. Asking Mary to pray for us is therefore understood as intercession. Her importance is always connected to Jesus, whom the prayer names as the blessed fruit of her womb.
When to pray
When Catholics use it
The Hail Mary can be prayed on its own at any time. It is also central to the Rosary and appears within the Angelus and many other forms of Catholic devotion.
Meaning
What the words mean
The first half rejoices in the grace God gives Mary and in Jesus, her Son. The second half acknowledges Mary as Mother of God and asks for her prayers during ordinary life and at the moment of death.
History
Where this prayer comes from
The Hail Mary developed gradually from biblical greetings to Mary and the prayer of the Church. Its opening comes from the Gospel of Luke, while the petition asking Mary to pray for sinners developed within the Church's devotional tradition.
Scripture
Biblical connections
Luke 1:28
Gabriel greets Mary as one who has received God's grace and tells her that the Lord is with her.
Luke 1:42
Elizabeth calls Mary blessed among women and blesses the fruit of her womb, words incorporated into the Hail Mary.
Catholic teaching
Catechism connections
CCC 2676
The Catechism explains how the opening of the Hail Mary takes up the greetings of Gabriel and Elizabeth.
CCC 2677
The Catechism explains the petition asking Holy Mary, Mother of God, to pray for sinners now and at the hour of death.
Understand
Common questions
Why do Catholics pray the Hail Mary?
Catholics pray it to honour what God has done in Mary, focus on Jesus and ask Mary for her intercession.
Do Catholics worship Mary when they say the Hail Mary?
No. Catholic teaching reserves worship and adoration for God alone. The Hail Mary asks Mary to pray for us rather than treating her as divine.
Is the Hail Mary biblical?
Much of its first half comes directly from Luke 1. Its final petition developed in the prayer tradition of the Church and asks Mary for intercession.
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