# The Pious Devotion of the Thousand Hail Marys
*2016-10-29*

> Bill Young explains the historic devotion of reciting a thousand Hail Marys in the days leading up to Christmas, tracing its origins to St. Catherine of Bologna and offering a practical guide for the practice.

## Origins of the Thousand Hail Marys

The devotion dates back to St. Catherine of Bologna (1403‑1463). According to her writings, on the night of December 25 1445 she prayed a thousand Hail Marys while contemplating the mystery of the Nativity. In that deep prayer she experienced an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who presented the infant Jesus to her. The sisters of St. Catherine’s monastery continued the practice, reciting the thousand Hail Marys either on each Christmas night or spread over the year.

## How the 25‑Day Plan Works

To make the thousand Hail Marys more manageable, the devotion is divided into 25 days, beginning on November 29 and ending on December 23. Each day the faithful pray 40 Hail Marys—four decades—accompanied by a short meditation on a mystery of the Incarnation. Over the 25 days this adds up to the full thousand.

The structure for each day is:
1. Begin with the Apostles’ Creed.
2. Pray the first decade of 10 Hail Marys, followed by a brief blessing invoking Mary’s intercession for sinners and for the hour of death.
3. Repeat for the remaining three decades, each with its own meditation on a different aspect of the mystery of Christ’s birth.
4. Conclude with a short prayer of thanksgiving and the doxology: “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit… World without end. Amen.”

## Sample Prayers for a Decade

Below is a typical set of prayers for one decade, which can be repeated three more times with the appropriate meditation:

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

Each decade is followed by a short petition, for example: “O Mary, Mother of God, obtain for us the protection of this life and the assistance at the hour of death.”

## Spiritual Benefits

The repeated “angelic greeting” of the Hail Mary, combined with meditation on the Incarnation, prepares the soul for Christmas. It deepens our love for the Mother of God, cultivates humility, and reminds us of our dependence on divine mercy. Many report a greater awareness of the mystery of Christ’s birth and a stronger desire to live in accordance with the Gospel.

## Closing Prayer

Bill concludes with a prayer invoking St. Catherine’s intercession: “O God, grant that we, your faithful, may be sustained through the intercession of the holy Virgin Catherine, whose virtues draw us to rejoice in your holy mysteries through Christ. Our Lord, Amen.”

*Reciting a thousand Hail Marys in the days before Christmas is a powerful way to enter more fully into the mystery of the Nativity and to seek Mary’s maternal protection.*