The Memorare is a short, powerful prayer asking the Virgin Mary’s intercession in any need. Traditionally attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (though first appearing in written form in 17th-century France), it has consoled Catholics for centuries. Pray it when you need help and don’t know where else to turn.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with 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.
Traditionally St. Bernard of Clairvaux, but first attested in 17th-century France
How this prayer works
The Memorare asks Mary to remember her perfect track record. No one who has ever asked her help has been abandoned. That historical fact becomes the ground of your confidence now. You come to her not because you deserve it, but because she is the Mother of the Word Incarnate and mercy is her office.
The prayer spread widely in the 1600s through the work of Fr. Claude Bernard, a French priest who distributed it among the poor and sick. Though often attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (12th century), no manuscript evidence supports that attribution before the 17th century. What matters is not the author’s name but the prayer’s truth: Mary hears.
Pray it slowly when anxiety rises. Pray it before a doctor’s appointment, before a hard conversation, before opening an envelope you’re afraid to read. The Memorare doesn’t promise that Mary will give you what you ask for in the form you expect, but it does promise she will not leave you unaided.
Carry it through today’s uncertainties.
