Hail Mary
The Hail Mary honors Mary with words drawn from the Gospel and asks her to pray for us. At its heart is the name of Jesus. In the Rosary, we pray it on the small beads while contemplating the mysteries of his life with his mother.
On this page
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.
Listen to the prayer
In Latin
Ave María, grátia plena, Dóminus tecum.
Benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta María, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatóribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.
History and meaning
The Hail Mary begins in the Gospel according to Saint Luke. At the Annunciation, Gabriel greets Mary and tells her that the Lord is with her (Luke 1:28). At the Visitation, Elizabeth blesses Mary and the child she is carrying (Luke 1:42). The prayer brings these two encounters together. We honor the grace God has given Mary and bless Jesus, the Son she bears.
The name of Jesus stands at the meeting of the prayer's two parts. It is a good place to pause. In the Rosary, that name recalls the mystery we are contemplating: Jesus born in Bethlehem, teaching beside the lake, carrying the Cross, or risen from the dead. Saint John Paul II explains this central place of Jesus in Rosarium Virginis Mariae, §33. The repeated name of Jesus gives us a point to return to during the decade when our attention wanders.
The second part asks for Mary's intercession. We call her Mother of God because her Son is truly God made man. We ask her to pray for us in our present need and at the hour of our death. The Catechism explains this prayer in §§2676–2678. These words express trust in her maternal care, while acknowledging that we are sinners who need the Lord's mercy. Her intercession is also requested in prayers such as the Memorare and Hail, Holy Queen, often said after the Rosary.
The Hail Mary in the Rosary
The familiar prayer took shape in the Church's devotional life over centuries. Its opening words come from Scripture; its closing petition expresses the Church's prayer for Mary's intercession. As the Rosary developed, the repeated greetings became a steady accompaniment to contemplation.
At the beginning of the Rosary, the three small beads accompany three Hail Marys, traditionally offered for growth in faith, hope, and charity. In each decade, ten small beads accompany ten Hail Marys. The mystery remains the focus throughout the decade. A word from the Gospel passage can remain in mind through those repetitions, alongside the intention offered before the Rosary.
English prayer books may use older forms such as “thee” and “thy,” while others use “you” and “your.” When praying together, the wording used by your family or parish helps everyone join in. The Latin Ave María expresses the same prayer and remains familiar in Catholic worship and devotion throughout the world.
Pray one Hail Mary on each small bead. Ten Hail Marys form a decade. The three introductory small beads are traditionally offered for growth in faith, hope, and charity.