The Memorare is a prayer to Mary for urgent intercession. Christians have prayed it for centuries when they need help they cannot provide themselves. If you are standing at a decision you cannot make alone, or carrying a weight you cannot shift, this prayer asks Mary to bring your need before her Son.
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 begins with a fact: no one who has ever asked Mary for help has been turned away. It is not a promise of the outcome you want, but a guarantee that she hears. The prayer then moves from confidence to humility, naming yourself as sinful and sorrowful, standing before the Mother of God not because you deserve her help but because she is merciful.
The title comes from the Latin memorare, “remember.” You are asking Mary to remember her role as Mother, as intercessor, as the one who stood at the foot of the Cross and was given to all believers as their own mother.
Pray it when the situation is urgent, before you make the phone call or enter the room or open the test results. Pray it slowly, one phrase at a time, letting each line settle before you move to the next.
Carry it through this morning.
