Memorare Prayer: Full Text, Meaning, and When to Pray It
The Memorare prayer is a short Catholic prayer that asks the Blessed Virgin Mary to remember us, protect us, and bring our needs to Jesus. The full text appears first below, followed by a simple explanation of what the prayer means, where it comes from, and when Catholics often pray it.
Many people turn to the Memorare in fear, illness, discernment, or grief because its language is direct and confident. Prayer cards and parish handouts sometimes vary slightly in English wording, but the heart of the prayer stays the same: trust in Mary's intercession and confidence in God's mercy.
Memorare Prayer Text
Traditional English wording:
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help,
or sought thine 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.
This is the form most people mean when they search for the Memorare prayer. Some prayer books use your instead of thy and thine, but the substance of the prayer does not change.
What Does the Memorare Mean?
The word memorare means remember. The prayer opens by asking Mary to remember the person praying and to receive that petition with a mother's care. In Catholic devotion, that does not mean Mary replaces Jesus. It means believers ask for her intercession as the Mother of Christ, which is why the Memorare sits naturally beside PrayersFor pages about Mary's intercession, Mother Mary, and the wider language Christians use about the saints.
The strongest line in the prayer is never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection ... was left unaided. That is not a promise that every request will be answered in exactly the way a person wants. It is a prayer of confidence. The one praying entrusts the need to God through Mary's care instead of staying trapped in fear.
The phrase Mother of the Word Incarnate keeps Jesus at the center. Mary matters here because she belongs to the story of Christ. If you want to stay close to Scripture while praying this way, Bible verses about Mary and Bible verses about mercy pair naturally with the Memorare.
Where Does the Memorare Come From?
The prayer is often associated with St. Bernard of Clairvaux, but the familiar form people pray today comes through a later Marian prayer tradition and was widely popularized by Fr. Claude Bernard in the 17th century. That is why older Catholic sources sometimes speak about St. Bernard while history notes point to a longer 15th-century prayer behind the version most people know now.
What matters most for readers is simpler than the authorship debate: Catholics have prayed the Memorare for centuries as a brief, memorable appeal for help. Its staying power comes from how quickly it moves from distress to trust.
When Do Catholics Pray the Memorare?
People often pray the Memorare when they need help but do not know what else to say. Common moments include:
- during anxiety, fear, or uncertainty
- before sleep or during a restless night
- while praying the Hail Mary Prayer or the Rosary
- in seasons of grief, illness, or hard decisions
- during a Marian devotion such as prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Some Catholics also pray the Memorare as a novena or repeat it several times for one urgent intention. Others keep it as a daily prayer because it is short enough to memorize and strong enough to carry real need.
The Memorare also sits naturally alongside prayers of mercy and hope. In hard seasons, people often pair it with Divine Mercy or a short reading from Bible verses about hope.
How to Pray the Memorare With Your Intention
- Name the intention clearly. Bring one person, worry, or decision before God.
- Pray the words slowly. Do not rush past the lines about confidence, sorrow, and mercy.
- Pause after despise not my petitions and say your need in simple words.
- End with trust. The point is not to force an outcome, but to place it in God's care through Mary's intercession.
If you are new to Marian prayer, it helps to keep the Memorare simple. Pray it once in the morning, once at night, or after another familiar Catholic prayer. Over time, the rhythm of the words becomes easier to carry into ordinary life.
Do Wording Versions of the Memorare Vary?
Yes. Some English versions keep the older thy and thine. Others use contemporary wording such as your and yours. The prayer is still the Memorare either way.
The prayer takes its name from the Latin opening, Memorare, piissima Virgo Maria, which is why readers sometimes look for the Memorare in Latin or in English. For most PrayersFor readers, the traditional English text above is the best form to memorize, print, or keep nearby.
Some people also ask about a concluding prayer of the Memorare. The prayer itself already ends with Amen. Any extra Marian invocation after that is optional, not required.
The Memorare remains one of the simplest Marian prayers to keep close in everyday life. Whether it is prayed in one urgent moment or returned to every day, it helps move the heart away from panic and back toward trust in Christ's mercy.
