The Memorare is a brief but extraordinarily powerful prayer of confidence in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It takes its name from its opening Latin word, Memorare ('Remember'), and is attributed in its modern form to Fr. Claude Bernard, a 17th-century French priest known as 'the Poor Priest' for his apostolate to prisoners and the dying. The prayer was popularized through Fr. Bernard's distribution of more than 200,000 leaflets in pre-Revolution Paris, though its devotional roots reach further back — likely to a longer prayer attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), the great Cistercian abbot and Doctor of the Church whose Marian devotion shaped Western piety. The prayer's structure is a confident appeal: it acknowledges Mary's universal maternity (O Virgin of virgins, my mother), references the unbroken tradition of her intercession (never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection… was left unaided), and concludes with a humble petition (in thy mercy hear and answer me). Saints across the centuries have testified to its power: Mother Teresa of Calcutta prayed nine consecutive Memorares daily — what she called her 'flying novena' — when she needed something quickly. The Memorare is the Catholic prayer of last resort, prayed in moments of acute need, at the bedside of the dying, in the chapel before a difficult conversation, or whispered as a parent waits for word from a hospital room.
Juan Correa de Vivar (16th century)
2 min
Duration
1 day
Commitment
Beginner-Friendly
Level
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Patron Saint
How to Pray
Pray once with full attention and devotion, calling to mind the person and intention you are bringing before Mary. The Memorare is short enough to commit to memory and to pray anywhere — in the car, on a walk, before sleep, in the moments before any difficult task. For a more sustained intercession, pray nine consecutive Memorares in a row (this is the 'flying novena' Mother Teresa favored for urgent intentions). Some traditions add a brief moment of silence before praying, naming the intention aloud or in the heart. The prayer can also be incorporated as a closing prayer at the end of a longer rosary or novena, sealing the petition with confident trust in Mary's maternal love. Catholic families often pray the Memorare at the bedside of someone gravely ill, at the news of a difficult diagnosis, or during the labor of childbirth. Because the prayer is short and its words ancient and well-loved, it has become a kind of spiritual emergency response — a prayer that reaches automatically to the lips when words otherwise fail. Children can be taught it as early as they can recite it; it is one of the most appropriate prayers to teach a child as a 'first prayer of trouble.' The Latin original is sometimes still prayed by those drawn to traditional forms: 'Memorare, O piissima Virgo Maria, non esse auditum a saeculo…'
Prayer Text
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 by 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.
