From the Gospel of Saint Luke and the Church

Hail Mary — Ave Maria

The Angel's greeting, Elizabeth's blessing and the Church's petition

LatinEnglish

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.

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.

SourceFrom the Gospel of Saint Luke and the Church · The Angel's greeting, Elizabeth's blessing and the Church's petition

The history of this prayer

The first half of the Hail Mary comes from the Gospel of Saint Luke: the greeting of the Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation (Lk 1:28) and the praise of Saint Elizabeth at the Visitation (Lk 1:42). Through the Middle Ages the faithful prayed these words as a salutation to Our Lady, and the name “Iesus” was added at the end of the first half.

The second half, “Holy Mary, Mother of God…”, is the Church's petition. It echoes the title Mother of God (Theotokos) proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus in 431, spread at the end of the Middle Ages, and was fixed in its full form in the Roman Breviary of Saint Pius V in 1568.

The Hail Mary is prayed ten times in each decade of the Rosary and three times in the Angelus. Pronunciation: “grátia” sounds “GRAH-tsee-ah”, “Iesus” sounds “YAY-soos”, and the “æ” of “nostræ” sounds like “ay”.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the Hail Mary come from?

The first half is from Scripture (Lk 1:28 and 1:42); the second half, “Holy Mary, Mother of God”, is the Church's petition, fixed in its present form in 1568.

How many Hail Marys are in the Rosary?

Fifty in the five decades, plus three at the beginning after the first Our Father — 53 in all for a five-decade Rosary.

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