Hail, Holy Queen
The Hail, Holy Queen, or Salve Regina, asks Mary to pray for us and show us Jesus. It is commonly prayed after the fifth Rosary decade. The recording contains the antiphon alone; the customary versicle and closing prayer follow separately.
On this page
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Listen to the Hail, Holy Queen
In Latin
Salve, Regína, mater misericórdiæ,
vita, dulcédo et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamámus, éxsules fílii Evæ.
Ad te suspirámus, geméntes et flentes in hac lacrimárum valle.
Eia ergo, advocáta nostra, illos tuos misericórdes óculos ad nos convérte.
Et Iesum, benedíctum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsílium osténde.
O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo María.
The Salve Regina
The Hail, Holy Queen is an English form of the Salve Regina, a Marian antiphon received from the Middle Ages. Its authorship is uncertain, with traditional attributions to several medieval writers, including Hermann of Reichenau. The prayer has long accompanied the Church's devotion to Mary.
We address Mary as Mother of mercy and ask her to turn her loving attention toward us. The prayer speaks frankly about sorrow, exile, and longing. For someone who is grieving, the language about tears may express the intention more closely than words of their own. The prayer ends by asking to see Jesus after this earthly life.
The petition reaches its center in the request that Mary show us Jesus. Her intercession leads us to her Son. Calling her our hope expresses trust in her maternal prayer; God remains the source of salvation. The Catechism explains Mary's intercession and its dependence on Christ in §§969–970.
Closing the Rosary
After the fifth decade, the Hail, Holy Queen is a customary closing prayer. It is usually followed by “Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,” the response, and the Rosary closing prayer. The recording contains only the antiphon. The response to the versicle is “That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”
In shared prayer, a leader may say the versicle and everyone may give the response. When praying alone, say both. The closing prayer then gathers the meditation into a request to live what the mysteries teach. Finish with the Sign of the Cross.
Other Marian antiphons
The Salve Regina also belongs to the tradition of Marian antiphons at the end of Night Prayer. Other antiphons have their own place in the Church's seasons, including the Regina Caeli during Easter. This liturgical use and the customary ending of the Rosary are related traditions, with different settings.