Mary, Mother of Grace

Mary, Mother of Grace (Latin: Maria Mater Gratiae) is a Roman Catholic prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Mary,
Mother of grace,
Mother of mercy,
Shield me from the enemy
And receive me at the hour of my death.
Amen.
(From the Roman ritual)
Madonna by Raphael, an example of Marian art

Background and origin

This prayer is a fragment from within the DEVOTION IN MEMORY OF THE AGONY OF JESUS found in Section VI of the Raccolta.[1] It was originally declared by Pope Pius VII as part of a Rescript dated August 26, 1814, issued through the Cardinal-Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites. Pope Pius gave his approbation to the devotion in memory of the Agony of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; granting at the same time an indulgence to all the faithful every time they devoutly say the complete Devotion. Since the "Mary, Mother of Grace" prayer is only a partial recitation of the Devotion, only a partial indulgence is granted the prayer.

The original Rescript is preserved amongst the acts of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, and an authentic copy of it is kept in the Segretaria of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences.

The title, "Mary, Mother of Grace" is actually a misnomer. In the text of the Racollta containing the prayer, the title reads: "Prayer to the Holy Virgin, Mother of Sorrows"

The entire section within which the fragment originates from the overall Devotion reads:

PRAYER TO THE HOLY VIRGIN, MOTHER OF SORROWS.
Most Holy Mother of sorrows, by that intense martyrdom which thou didst suffer at the foot of the cross during the three hours of the agony of Jesus; deign to aid us all, who are the children of thy sorrows, in our last agony, that by thy prayers we may pass from our bed of death to adorn thy crown in Paradise.
[Three Ave Maria's]

Maria mater gratiae,
Mater misericordiae,
Tu nos ab hoste protege,
Et mortis hora suscipe.

Hymn
Maria, mater gratiae,
Mary, gracious mother,
Dulcis parens clementiae,
Sweet fount of mercy,
Tu nos ab hoste protege,
Protect us from the foe,
Et mortis hora suscipe.
And receive us in our hour of death.
Jesu, tibi sit gloria,
Jesu, glory be to Thee,
Qui natus es de Virgine,
Born of the Virgin,
Cum Patre et almo Spiritu,
With the Father and the Holy Spirit,
In sempiterna saecula. Amen.
For ever and ever. Amen.[2]

See also

References
  1. St. John, Fr Ambrse. "THE RACCOLTA OR COLLECTION OF INDULGENCED PRAYERS".
  2. "Fauré Requiem and Other Sacred Music - The Cambridge Singers" (PDF).
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