- Hail Mary
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1. See Ave Maria.2. Also called Hail Mary pass, Hail Mary play. a long forward pass in football, esp. as a last-ditch attempt at the end of a game, where completion is considered unlikely.[1300-50; ME, trans. of ML Ave Maria]
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Principal Roman Catholic prayer addressed to the Virgin Mary.It begins with the greetings spoken to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel and by her cousin Elizabeth in the Gospel of Luke: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." A closing petition, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death," came into general use by the end of the 14th century. Churchgoers who attend confession are often asked to repeat the prayer as penance for sins.* * *
▪ prayera principal prayer of the Roman Catholic Church, comprising three parts addressed to the Virgin Mary. The following are the Latin text and an English translation:Ave Maria, gratia plena;Dominus tecum:Benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictusfructus ventris tui [Jesus].Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,Ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in horamortis nostrae. Amen.Hail Mary, full of grace;The Lord is with thee:Blessed art thou among women and blessed isthe fruit of thy womb, Jesus.Holy Mary, Mother of God,Pray for us sinners, now and at the hourof our death. Amen.The first part, the words of the Archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:28), appears in liturgies as early as the 6th century. The second part, the words of Elizabeth (Luke 1:42), was added to the first part by about AD 1000, the appositive “Jesus” being added some two centuries later, possibly by Pope Urban IV (reigned 1261–64). The closing petition came into general use during the 14th or 15th century and received its official formulation in the reformed Breviary of Pope Pius V in 1568.Of the many musical settings of the prayer, the Ave Maria of Franz Schubert is perhaps the most widely known.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
