Hail Mary
Traditional Catholic Prayer
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.
In Latin
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
About this prayer
The Hail Mary is one of the most familiar prayers in the Catholic tradition. Its first words come directly from Scripture. The angel Gabriel greets Mary as one who is full of grace, and Elizabeth later calls her blessed among women and blesses the child she carries.
The second half of the prayer turns those biblical words into a petition. We ask Mary, the Mother of God, to pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Catholics do not pray to Mary as if she were God. We ask for her intercession, just as we might ask another Christian to pray for us, trusting in her unique relationship with her Son.
The Hail Mary is also the central repeated prayer of the Rosary, where it accompanies meditation on the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Scripture to pray with
- Luke 1:28 – The angel Gabriel greets Mary and announces God’s favor upon her.
- Luke 1:42 – Elizabeth calls Mary blessed among women and blesses the fruit of her womb.
- Luke 1:38 – Mary responds to God’s call with trust: “May it be done to me according to your word.”
When to pray it
Pray the Hail Mary anytime you want to ask for Mary’s intercession or turn your attention back toward Christ. It is prayed throughout the Rosary, in the Angelus, in many Catholic devotions, and simply on its own throughout the day.
It can also be a simple prayer to return to when you do not know what else to say, especially in moments of fear, uncertainty or need.