Praying the Hail Mary Well

Brother Pius speaks of the twofold structure of the Hail Mary, the base prayer of the Rosary: the Hail Mary starts with what God has done through Mary, and then asks for her intercession. 

It’s sort of like sitting at the feet of Mary and hearing her tell the story of her son’s life. 

Brother Pius offers a way to make the prayer even more Christ-centered, by adding something about him or his life after you pray his name like this, “Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, crowned with thorns,” for example.

There’s no reason to be suspicious of the repetition of the prayers in the Rosary, because it creates space for contemplation, time to center ourselves and focus. It is also similar to how the psalms have been prayed for thousands of year, since they were, and are, prayed over and over as well.

Our blessed mother never tires of hearing us say, “I love you.” And there is no better way to say that than by praying the Rosary. 

For further reading:
Paragraphs 2673-2679 of the Catechism speak of the significance of the Hail Mary

A Pocket Guide to the Rosary by Matt Fradd


Meet Fr. Mark-Mary

Father Mark-Mary was ordained as a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal (CFR) in 2018 and lives at a friary in the Bronx.

The mission of the CFRs is to wholeheartedly embrace Jesus through fidelity to the Church and her Sacraments. Paired with their commitment to prayer, contemplation, and study of Sacred Scripture, the CFRs serve those around them, especially the poor, in the footsteps of Christ.

Discover beautiful music from the CFRs here.


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