Hail Mary

The Ave Maria is perhaps the most popular of all the Marian prayers. It is composed of two distinct parts, a Scriptural part and an intercessory part. The first part, the Scriptural part, is taken from the Gospel of St. Luke and joins together the words of the Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation (Lk 1:28) together with Elizabeth's greeting to Mary at the Visitation (Luke 1:42). The joining of these two passages can be found as early as the fifth, and perhaps even the fourth, century in the eastern liturgies of St. James of Antioch and St. Mark of Alexandria. It is also recorded in the ritual of St. Severus (538 AD). In the west it was in use in Rome by the 7th century for it is prescribed as an offertory antiphon for the feast of the Annunciation. The great popularity of the phrase by the 11th century is attested to in the writings of St. Peter Damian (1007-1072) and Hermann of Tournai (d.c. 1147). Later, probably by Pope Urban IV around the year 1262, Jesus' name was inserted at the end of the two passages.

The second half of the prayer (Holy Mary..) can be traced back to the 15th century where two endings are found. One ending, Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, is found in the writings of St. Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444 AD) and the Carthusians. A second ending, Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis nunc et in hora mortis nostrae, can be found in the writings of the Servites, in a Roman Breviary, and in some German Dioceses. The current form of the prayer became the standard form sometime in the 16th century and was included in the reformed Breviary promulgated by Pope St. Pius V in 1568.


AVE Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

(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 in the hour of our death. Amen.)

Sign of the Cross

The Sign of the Cross is not only an action, but a statement of faith itself. In this simple gesture one is not only making a sign of our redemption, the Cross, but is also expressing faith in the Blessed Trinity. It was with this simple action that the faithful of the early Church fortified themselves despite difficult times. Tertullian, writing in the third century, tells us that Christians made the Sign of the Cross upon rising, as they were dressing, upon entering or leaving their houses, on going to the bath, on sitting down at the table, on lighting their lamps, in fact, at the beginning of every action. St. Augustine tells us that "It is by the sign of the Cross that the Body of the Lord is consecrated, that baptismal fonts are sanctified, that priests and other ranks in the Church are admitted to their respective orders, and everything that is to be made holy is consecrated by the sign of our Lord's cross, with the invocation of the name of Christ." (Serm. LXXXI).

The original Sign of the Cross was a "mini-cross" made by tracing a cross on the forehead. lips, or breast with the thumb, as is the custom today of doing so before the Gospel is read. It is difficult to determine exactly when the current custom of blessing oneself with a large cross going forehead to breast and then from shoulder to shoulder came about. Historical records in this regard are open to multiple interpretations and Church historians have divergent views on the subject. That the written record is unclear on the subject is to be expected, since such a custom would more likely be taught by example than by written instruction. It is likely that this large cross was first used in formal blessings by the clergy starting sometime during the Arian controversy of the fourth century and then eventually adopted by the laity. Clearly written instructions for using the large cross form to bless oneself appear by the 12/13th century, by which time it is also clear that the custom had been in use in some form or another for a long time, possibly since the 8th century.

As noted by various Medieval authors, this large Sign of the Cross is rich in symbolism. When Christ came to redeem the world, He descended from the Father, was born of the Virgin Mary, died, was buried, and descended to the dead. He then rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father. Thus when making the Sign of the Cross, one uses the right hand, which symbolizes Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father. Starting at the forehead, which symbolizes the Father, the Creator and source of all things, one then descends to the lower chest. This symbolizes the Incarnation, for Christ came down from heaven from the Father and became flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the West, one then proceeds from the left shoulder to the right shoulder to finish the Sign of the Cross. The left in this case is usually associated with death and darkness, while the right symbolizes truth and light. Thus the action represents the transition from misery to glory, from death to life, and from hell to paradise. As Christ passed from death to life and sits at the right hand of the Father (left to right), so too may we pass from death to life in Christ through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. In Eastern Christian traditions, the opposite direction is taken. One proceeds from the right to the left, so the symbolism is somewhat different.

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who devoutly make a sign of the cross.

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." (Matt. 28:19)


IN nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

(IN the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.)

The Lord's Prayer

This prayer was given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself when the apostles asked Him to teach them how to pray (Mt 6:9-13) and thus the prayer has been a part of the Church since the very beginning. The Didache (1st-2nd century) commends the prayer to be recited by the faithful three times during the day. In the latter part of the 4th century it became an official part of the Mass and was recited after the breaking of the bread. Later, Pope St. Gregory the Great, influenced by St. Augustine, moved it to just before the breaking of the bread where it has been ever since. Today, the Didache's tradition of reciting the prayer thrice daily continues in the Church with the Lord's Prayer being recited at Mass and then twice more during the Liturgy of the Hours, at Lauds and Vespers.

Prior to the Protestant Reformation, the Our Father was universally recited in Latin in the West by clergy and laity alike. The rather curious English translation we have today is due to Henry VIII's efforts to impose a standard English version across his realm.


PATER noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

(OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.)