The Ave Maria

The Hail Mary is composed of two scriptural greetings — the Angel Gabriel's salutation at the Annunciation (Luke 1:28) and Elizabeth's greeting at the Visitation (Luke 1:42) — joined to a petition for Mary's intercession at the hour of death. The first half of the prayer was in liturgical use by the 11th century, while the second half, beginning "Holy Mary, Mother of God," was added gradually and standardized by the Roman Breviary in 1568. It is the central prayer of the Rosary, repeated 50 times in a full five-decade recitation. The prayer reflects Catholic teaching on Mary as Theotokos — the God-bearer — a title formally defined at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. Across history it has also served as a profound meditation on the Incarnation, drawing the one praying into the mystery of God becoming flesh.