The Hail Mary is the heart of the Holy Rosary. It is prayed fifty-three times in a full five-decade Holy Rosary: three at the beginning, and ten in each decade.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst 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.
Where It Comes From
The Hail Mary has two parts.
The first part comes from the Gospel of Luke:
- "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee": the angel Gabriel's greeting to Mary at the Annunciation (Luke 1:28)
- "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb": Elizabeth's words when Mary visited her (Luke 1:42)
The name Jesus was added in the Middle Ages to make clear who the "fruit of thy womb" is.
The second part, "Holy Mary, Mother of God...", is the Church's own petition. It took its standard form in the 1500s and was included in the Roman Breviary under Pope St. Pius V in 1568.
What It Means
The first half praises God for what He did in Mary: He filled her with grace and chose her to be the Mother of His Son.
The second half asks Mary to pray for us, at two moments that matter most: now, in our daily lives, and at the hour of our death.
Catholics do not worship Mary. We ask her to pray for us, the same way we ask a friend to pray for us, and she always points us to her Son.
In Latin (Ave Maria)
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.
In the Holy Rosary
- Three Hail Marys at the beginning, traditionally for an increase in faith, hope, and charity
- Ten Hail Marys in each decade, while meditating on the mystery
Next prayer in the Holy Rosary: Glory Be