The Hail Mary

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is considered our greatest saint. Privileged to be the mother of God’s Son and his first disciple, Mary is honored in the Catholic Church above all other saints.

Although we do not worship Mary, we do honor her with many special prayers. We ask Mary to join her prayers with ours and bring them to her son, Jesus. The most popular and well-known prayer honoring Mary is the Hail Mary. This prayer is one of the first prayers all young Catholics learn.

The first part of the Hail Mary is taken directly from Scripture. The angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary at the Annunciation and Elizabeth’s words to Mary upon seeing her cousin make up the first part of the prayer. The Church added the second part to the first when it realized the important role Mary played in salvation history and continues to play in our lives as Christians. Whenever your family prays this special prayer together, remember that Mary continues to pray for us "now, and at the hour of our death."


Family Activity

	Invite children to make their own images of Mary. Give them each the choice of making a sculpture or a painting. Before they begin, explain that they should create their artwork based on what they think Mary looked like. Assure them that since we don’t know what she looked like, they don’t need to have her look any particular way.

	•		Provide children with modeling clay, paints, and art paper.
	•		Display the children’s artwork in a special place where everyone in the family will see it.
	•		Pray the Hail Mary together, as a family.

See the Liturgical Calendar on this site for additional information.
See also Catechist—Lent or Teacher—Lent for Liturgy.