Hail Mary Prayer: Full Text, Latin & Meaning
The Hail Mary prayer in full, with the Latin Ave Maria, a short meaning of each line, a personal prayer, and how Catholics pray it every day.
The Hail Mary
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.
Traditional Catholic prayer, as published by the USCCB and Catholic Online.
A Personal Prayer to Mary
Mary, my mother, I come to you with what is on my heart today.
You said yes to God without knowing the whole road ahead. Teach me to trust Him like that, in the small choices and in the heavy ones.
Take my worries, my family, and the people I love, and place them in the hands of your Son. Walk with me when I am tired, and stay close when I am afraid.
Pray for me now, in the middle of this ordinary day, and at the end of my life, when I will need you most. Amen.
Short Version
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.
The Hail Mary 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.
Meaning and How to Pray the Hail Mary
The Hail Mary has two parts. The first part is Scripture. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" is the greeting of the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:28, and "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb" is the greeting of Elizabeth in Luke 1:42. The name Jesus closes this first half.
The second part is a petition the Church added later. We call Mary Mother of God and ask her to pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. It is the same thing we do when we ask a friend to pray for us.
Sources differ on exactly when the prayer took its final shape. Catholic references say it grew into a popular devotion around the 11th century, and that the closing petition came from the Church itself, in the Middle Ages.
How to pray it: slowly, once or many times. It is the prayer repeated in every decade of the Rosary, and many Catholics also pray it in the morning, at night, or whenever they want to place a worry in Mary's care.
Scripture to Pray With
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luke 1:28 (KJV)
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.
Luke 1:38 (KJV)
And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Luke 1:42 (KJV)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Hail Mary prayer?
It is the Catholic prayer that greets Mary with the words of Gabriel and Elizabeth from Luke's Gospel, then asks her to pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
Where is the Hail Mary in the Bible?
The first lines come from Luke 1:28 (the angel Gabriel's greeting) and Luke 1:42 (Elizabeth's greeting). The final petition is not in Scripture; the Church added it.
Why do Catholics pray the Hail Mary?
Catholics ask Mary to pray for them, as they would ask any friend in Christ. The prayer honors her and always points to Jesus, the fruit of her womb.
How many Hail Marys are in the Rosary?
A five-decade Rosary has fifty-three Hail Marys: ten in each decade, plus three in the opening prayers.
Last updated 2026-10-09