Catholics and Orthodox Christians ask the Virgin Mary to pray for them, as they would ask any friend of God, and some of the best loved prayers in Christianity are addressed to her. Below are the traditional prayers to Mary in full, short prayers, Marian novenas including the 30 day novena, and prayers to Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Knock.
Prayers to the Virgin Mary
The Hail Mary
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.
The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Hail, Holy Queen
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows remembers the seven sorrows of Mary, from Simeon’s prophecy that a sword would pierce her soul to the burial of Jesus. Her feast is 15 September, the day after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. People who are grieving often pray to her.
Holy Mary, Mother of Sorrows, you stood at the foot of the cross and watched your Son suffer. Stand beside me in my sorrow. Teach me to trust God when I do not understand, and bring me to the joy of the resurrection. Amen.
Our Lady of Knock
On 21 August 1879 fifteen people in the village of Knock in County Mayo, Ireland, reported seeing Mary, St. Joseph and St. John beside an altar with a lamb, silently, for about two hours in the rain. Knock is now Ireland’s national Marian shrine.
Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland, you gave hope to your people in a time of distress. Pray for us and for all who come to you in need. Amen.
Short Prayers
- Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
- Mother of Jesus, take my worry to your Son.
- Mary, help of Christians, pray for my family.
Novena to the Virgin Mary
The 30 day novena to the Virgin Mary, sometimes called the Thirty Days Prayer, is an old devotion in which a long prayer honouring Mary’s sorrows is said every day for thirty days for one intention. If you are new to it, a simpler way to begin is to pray the Memorare and a decade of the Rosary each day for nine or thirty days.
Marian feasts that people often choose to end a novena on include the Annunciation (25 March), the Assumption (15 August), her Nativity (8 September) and the Immaculate Conception (8 December).
Who Was the Virgin Mary?
Mary of Nazareth was the young Jewish woman who said yes when the angel Gabriel announced that she would bear the Son of God. She stood at the cross, was with the apostles at Pentecost, and Christians have honoured her since the earliest centuries as the Mother of God.
Catholics do not worship Mary. They honour her and ask her to pray for them, as the Hail Mary itself says: “pray for us sinners.”
Scripture
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Luke 1:46-47 (NIV)
“From now on all generations will call me blessed.” Luke 1:48 (NIV)
Questions People Ask
Do Catholics worship Mary?
No. Catholics worship God alone. They honour Mary as the mother of Jesus and ask for her prayers.
What is the most powerful prayer to the Virgin Mary?
Many Catholics would name the Memorare, with its confidence that no one who sought her help was left unaided, or the Rosary.
What is the 30 day novena to the Virgin Mary?
A traditional devotion in which a long prayer to Mary is said daily for thirty days for a particular request. The Memorare prayed for thirty days is a simpler alternative.
Can I send a prayer to the Virgin Mary through Holy Land Prayer?
We do not send prayers to a shrine of the Virgin Mary. What we do is carry prayers to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem: you can write a prayer asking for this saint’s intercession in the form at the top of this page, and we will place it inside one of the chapels, where a priest prays it in English.
Who Writes These Prayers
The Holy Land Prayer team writes the prayers on this page. Traditional prayers are given in the form used in Catholic devotion. Scripture is quoted from the New International Version.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 by the Holy Land Prayer team.
Send Your Marian Intention to Jerusalem
Mary stood near the cross of her Son (John 19:25), and Christians remember that place inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. If you would like a prayer of your own, or an intention you have entrusted to her, carried to that church, write it in the form at the top of this page. It is printed and placed in one of the chapels, a priest prays it in English, and a candle is lit on your behalf. Photographs of both are emailed to you. See how it works.
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