The Three Hail Marys is one of the simplest Marian devotions: three Hail Marys every morning and every night, asking Our Lady to keep us from sin and to be with us at the hour of death. It takes less than a minute, children can learn it easily, and many saints recommended it. Below is how to pray it, its history, the short prayer for purity that goes with it, and how people use the Three Hail Marys as a novena.
How to pray the Three Hail Marys
- Every morning when you get up, and every night before going to sleep, pray three Hail Marys.
- Many people offer the three Hail Marys in honor of the power, wisdom and love given to Mary by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
- After each Hail Mary, or after all three, you may add the short prayer for purity (below).
- Finish with an intention: to avoid mortal sin, for purity, for a holy death, or for any need.
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 prayer for purity
St. Alphonsus Liguori recommended adding a short prayer to Mary’s Immaculate Conception after each Hail Mary, asking for purity of body and soul. The Raccolta (1910) gives it in Latin and English, with an indulgence granted for saying it morning and evening:
Per tuam Immaculatam Conceptionem, O Maria, redde purum corpus meum et sanctam animam meam.
By thy Immaculate Conception, O Mary, make my body pure, and my soul holy.
See also our Catholic prayer for purity.
History of the devotion
- St. Mechtilde of Hackeborn (about 1240–1298), a Benedictine nun of Helfta in Germany, is the source traditionally given for the devotion. In her revelations, Mary is said to have taught her to honor the power, wisdom and love she received from the Holy Trinity with three Hail Marys, promising to help at the hour of death those who prayed them faithfully.
- St. Leonard of Port Maurice (1676–1751), the great Franciscan preacher of parish missions, is remembered among the saints who promoted the practice.
- St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696–1787), Doctor of the Church, urged it on everyone, especially for purity, in his sermons and in The Glories of Mary.
- In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries it spread through parish missions, Catholic schools and families, often taught as the first devotion children learn.
Private revelations, such as those to St. Mechtilde, are not part of the faith every Catholic must believe, and no devotion works automatically. The value of the Three Hail Marys is that it keeps us turning to Mary, morning and night, with trust and perseverance.
The 3 Hail Mary novena
A novena is a prayer prayed for nine days for a particular intention. Many Catholics make a simple “Three Hail Mary novena” by praying three Hail Marys every day for nine days for an intention, often in honor of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and ending with a prayer of thanksgiving whatever the outcome. Some add the Memorare or a Glory Be.
A simple prayer to end each day of the novena (written for this page):
Mary, my Mother, I place this intention in your hands: (mention it).
Present it to your Son, and help me to accept his will with peace.
Keep me close to Jesus today. Amen.
Be careful with chain messages promising that an intention “will be granted” after a set number of days or if the prayer is copied and shared. The Church encourages trusting prayer, not superstition. See what is a novena.
Why three Hail Marys?
The number three honors the Holy Trinity: the Father, who gave Mary power as the Mother of God; the Son, who gave her wisdom; and the Holy Spirit, who filled her with love. Praying the same short prayer every morning and night also builds a habit that can last a lifetime, even on the busiest days.
Frequently asked questions
When should I pray the Three Hail Marys?
Every morning and every night. Many people also pray them in moments of temptation, before an exam or interview, or when they wake in the night.
Is the Three Hail Marys devotion approved by the Church?
Yes. It is a traditional devotion recommended by saints and indulgenced in the Raccolta. Like every devotion, it should lead us closer to Jesus through Mary.
What is the 3 Hail Mary novena?
A popular practice of praying three Hail Marys every day for nine days for a particular intention.
Can children pray the Three Hail Marys?
Yes. It is one of the best first devotions for children, at the bedside with their parents. See our Catholic prayer for children.
More Marian prayers
Texts and sources
- Hail Mary: Baltimore Catechism No. 3 (1891), public domain.
- Prayer for purity: The Raccolta (Burns and Oates, 1910), no. 256, Prayer of St. Alphonsus for Purity, public domain (archive.org).
- St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary.
- The novena prayer was written for this page.