Prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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See also The Great Mary Litany

Hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary
by Cu Chuimne of Iona, early 8th century

Let us raise our daily song,
each day freshly crafting,
worthy cries unto our God,
hymns in praise of Mary.

The echoed sound our choir reflect
as Mary fills our praise,
and every voice with fervour swells
till all our hearts are filled.

Mary of the tribe of Judah,
Highest Mother of the Lord,
Gave a fitting cure
To sick mankind

Gabriel has carried the Word
from the Fathers breast
Who has been conceived
And received by the mother's womb.

This is the greatest,
This is the most worthy holy virgin,
Who by faith did not draw back
But remained firm.

None before has been found
like this mother,
none from among those
of human birth.

By the woman and the wood
the first world passed away;
By the woman's virtue
Life has been restored.

Mary, Mother most admired,
Of her Father manifested,
By whom the water washed
The whole world in faith.

She conceived a pearl,
Not an empty dream,
For which any sober Christian
sells his all.

A tunic made with utmost care
Christ's mother fashioned
Pierced through at the death of Christ,
By the lot remained untorn.

Let us put on the armour of light,
The breast plate and greaves,
That by God we may be perfected,
Supported by Mary.

Amen, again Amen.
We swear by the merits of childbirth
That we may be snatched
From the burning pyre.

We call upon the name of Christ,
To the angels who bear witness,
That we may enjoy
And be written in the heavenly books.

Holy Mary, well deserving,
We beseech your dignity
That we may gain the throne
Where you live on high.

Prayer to Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe

Dear Mother, we love you. We thank you for your promise to help us in our need. We trust in your love that dries our tears and comforts us. Teach us to find our peace in your Son, Jesus, and bless us every day of our lives.

Help us to build a shrine in our hearts. Make it as beautiful as the one built for you on the Mount of Tepeyac. A shrine full of trust, hope, and love of Jesus growing stronger each day.

Mary, you have chosen to remain with us by giving us your most wonderful and holy self-image on Juan Diego's cloak. May we feel your loving presence as we look upon your face. Like Juan, give us the courage to bring your message of hope to everyone.

You are our Mother and our inspiration. Hear our prayers and answer us. Amen.

Prayer to Mary, Our Lady of Walsingham

O Mary, recall the solemn moment when Jesus, your divine Son, dying on the Cross, confided us to your maternal care. You are our Mother, we desire ever to remain your devout children. let us therefore feel the effects of your powerful intercession with Jesus Christ. make your Name again glorious in the shrine once renowned throughout England by your visits, favours, and many miracles.

Pray, O holy Mother of God, for the conversion of England, restoration of the sick, consolation for the afflicted, repentance of sinners, peace to the departed.

O blessed Mary, Mother of God, our Lady of Walsingham, intercede for us. Amen.

A short prayer for help
from the 3rd century

We fly to your patronage,
O holy Mother of God;
despise not our prayers in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all dangers,
O glorious and blessed Virgin.

Prayer to Mary, Our Lady of Good Counsel

Most glorious Virgin, selected by the eternal councils as Mother of the eternal Word made human, treasury of divine grace and advocate of sinners, I, the most unworthy of Christians, have recourse to you, that you may be my guide and counselor in this valley of tears. Obtain for me, by the Precious Blood of your divine Son, the pardon of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to secure it. Obtain the triumph of the Truth taught by the Holy Church over those who would reject it, and the spread of the reign of Jesus Christ over all the world. Amen.

Paean to Mary, Temple of the Godhead
by St. Cyril of Alexandria

Hail, Mother and Virgin, imperishable temple of the Godhead, venerable treasure of the whole world, crown of virginity, support of the true faith on which the Church is founded throughout the entire world.

Mother of God, who contained the infinite God under your heart, whom no space can contain: Through you the Most Holy Trinity is adored and glorified, demons are vanquished, Satan cast down from heaven into hell, and our fallen nature again assumed into heaven.

Through you the human race, held captive in the bonds of idolatry, arrives at the knowledge of the truth. What more shall I say of you? Hail, through whom kings rule, through whom the only-begotten Son of God has become a star of light to those who were sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. Amen.

Prayer to Mary, Our Lady of Victory, for someone to be brought to the true Faith

O victorious Lady! you who have such powerful influence with your divine Son in conquering the hardest of hearts, intercede for those for whom I pray, that their hearts being softened by the rays of divine grace, they may come to the unity of the true faith and the saving knowledge of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Memorare
by St. Bernard

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to your protection, implored your help, and sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful! O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions; but in your clemency hear and answer me. Amen.

Prayer to Mary, Refuge of Sinners
by St.Alphonsus Liguori

O most holy and pure Virgin! O my Mother! You who are the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the advocate and refuge of sinners! I, a most wretched sinner, now come to you. I honor you, great Queen, and give you humble thanks for the many favors which have come to me in the past through your intercession. I love you, Lady most worthy of all love, and by the love which I bear you, I promise ever in the future to honor you, and to do what lies in me to win others to your love. Receive me as your servant, and cover me with the mantle of your protection, you who are the Mother of mercy! And since you have so much power with God, implore him to deliver me from all temptations, and to give me the grace ever to overcome them. Pray for me that I may love Christ in this world as you love him, and intercede for me that I may have the grace of a good death. O my Mother! by your love for God I beseech you to be at all times my helper, but above all at the last moment of my life. Cease not your supplications until you see me safe in heaven, there for countless ages to bless you and, your holy company, to worship and adore your Son, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer to Mary, Mother of Compassion
by St. Ephrem of Edessa

O Virgin most pure, wholly unspotted, O Mary, Mother of God, Queen of the universe, you are above all saints, the hope of the elect and the joy of all the blessed. It is you who have reconciled us with God, you are the only refuge of sinners and the safe harbor of those who are shipwrecked; you are the consolation of the world, the ransom of captives, the health of the weak, the joy of the afflicted and the salvation of all who have recourse to you, and we beg you to have pity on us.

O Virgin Immaculate, Mother of God and my Mother, from your sublime heights turn your eyes of compassion upon me. Filled with confidence in your goodness and knowing full well your power, I beg you to extend to me your assistance in the journey of life, which is so full of dangers for my soul.

In order that I may never be a slave of the devil through sin but may ever live with my heart humble and pure, I entrust myself wholly to you. I consecrate my heart to you forever, my only desire being to love your divine Son, Jesus. Mary, none of your devout servants has ever perished; may I, too, be saved. Amen.

Thanksgiving and Prayer to Mary
by St. Augustine of Hippo

O Blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily give you the just dues of praise and thanksgiving, you who by the wondrous assent of your will rescued a fallen world? What songs of praise can our weak human nature recite in your honor, since it is by your intervention alone that it has found the way to restoration?

Accept, then, such poor thanks as we have to offer here, though they be unequal to your merit; and, receiving our vows, obtain by your prayers the remission of our offenses. Carry our prayers within the sanctuary of the heavenly audience and bring forth the gift of our reconciliation.

Take our offering, grant us our requests, obtain pardon for what we fear, for you are the sole hope of sinners. Holy Mary, help the miserable, strengthen the fainthearted, comfort the sorrowful, pray for your people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God.

Be ever ready to assist us when we pray and bring back to us the answers to our prayers. Make it your continual care to pray for the people of God, you who, blessed by God, merited to bear the Redeemer of the world who lives and reigns, world without end. Amen.

Prayer to Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows
by St. Bonaventure

O Most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ: by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, the crucifixion, and the death of your divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion and awaken in my heart a tender commiseration for those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that, being disengaged from all undue affections for the passing joys of this earth, I may long for the eternal Jerusalem, and that henceforth all my thoughts and all my actions may be directed toward this one most desirable object.

Honor, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and to the holy and immaculate Mother of God. Amen.

Prayer to Mary, Patroness of Scholars and Theologians
by St. Thomas Aquinas

O Mary, Mother of fair love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope, by whose loving care and intercession many otherwise poor in intellect have wonderfully advanced in knowledge and holiness, I choose you as the guide and patroness of my studies; and I humbly implore, through the deep tenderness of your maternal love, and especially through the eternal Wisdom who deigned to take our flesh from you and who gifted you beyond all the saints with heavenly light, that you would obtain for me, by your intercession, the grace of the Holy Spirit that I may be able to grasp with strong intellect, retain in memory, proclaim by word and deed, and teach others all things which bring honor to you and to your Son, and which for me and for others are salutary for eternal life. Amen.

Divine Praises for the Blessed Mother of God

Let us offer praise and thanksgiving to the Most Holy Trinity who has shown us the Virgin Mary, clothed with the sun, the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a mystic crown of twelve stars, for ever and ever. Amen.

Let us praise and thank the divine Father who elected her for his daughter. Amen. Our Father.
Praised be the divine Father who chose her to be the Mother of his divine Son. Amen. Hail Mary.
Praised be the divine Father who endowed her so richly with his grace. Amen. Hail Mary.
Praised be the divine Father who adorned her at her birth with his most excellent gifts. Amen. Hail Mary.
Praised be the divine Father who gave her St. Joseph to be her companion and most chaste spouse. Amen. Hail Mary. Glory be.

Let us praise and thank the divine Son who chose her for his Mother. Amen. Our Father.
Praised be the divine Son who became incarnate in her bosom and there abode for nine months. Amen. Hail Mary.
Praised be the divine Son who was born of her and was nourished at her breast. Amen. Hail Mary.
Praised be the divine Son who in his childhood willed to be taught by her. Amen. Hail Mary.
Praised be the divine Son who revealed to her the mystery of the redemption of the world. Amen. Hail Mary. Glory be.

Let us praise and thank the Holy Spirit who took her for his spouse. Amen. Our Father.
Praised be the Holy Spirit who revealed first to her his name of Holy Spirit. Amen. Hail Mary.
Praised be the Holy Spirit by whose operation she was at once Virgin and Mother. Amen. Hail Mary.
Praised be the Holy Spirit by whose power she was the living temple of the ever-blessed Trinity. Amen. Hail Mary.
Praised be the Holy Spirit by whom she was exalted in heaven above every living creature. Amen. Hail Mary. Glory be.