Marian devotions
A Catholic guide to the prayers and practices that honour the Virgin Mary.
Marian devotions are the prayers and practices by which Catholics honour the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, and ask for her prayers. They range from a single Hail Mary to the daily Rosary, from wearing a medal to consecrating one's whole life to Jesus through her.
Catholics honour Mary more than any other saint, but worship belongs to God alone. Every true devotion to Mary leads to her Son: at Cana she told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5).
The Holy Rosary
The best-loved Marian devotion. On a string of beads you pray Our Fathers, Hail Marys and the Glory Be while meditating on twenty mysteries from the lives of Jesus and Mary. Popes have urged Catholics to pray it every day, and Our Lady asked for it at Fátima.
Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary
St. Louis de Montfort's “true devotion”: 33 days of readings and prayers, then an Act of Consecration made on a Marian feast, giving yourself entirely to Jesus through Mary. St. John Paul II took his motto, Totus Tuus, from it.
Begin the 33 Days ConsecrationStart dates for each feastSt. Louis de Montfort's Act of Consecration
The Angelus and the Regina Caeli
A short prayer recalling the Incarnation, traditionally said at 6 am, noon and 6 pm when church bells ring. In Eastertide the joyful Regina Caeli (Queen of Heaven, rejoice) takes its place.
The Litany of Loreto
A litany of Mary's titles, such as Mother most pure, Seat of Wisdom and Queen of Peace, each answered with “pray for us”. It is often prayed after the Rosary.
The Miraculous Medal
The medal Our Lady asked St. Catherine Labouré to have made in 1830, with the prayer “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Millions wear it as a sign of trust in her prayers.
The Brown Scapular
Two small pieces of brown cloth worn over the shoulders: the sign of belonging to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and of a life consecrated to her. Its feast is 16 July.
The First Saturdays
Asked of Sister Lúcia of Fátima in 1925: on five consecutive first Saturdays of the month, go to Confession, receive Holy Communion, pray five decades of the Rosary and spend fifteen minutes with its mysteries, in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary
Devotion to Mary's heart, full of love for God and for us. Its memorial falls the day after the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and many consecrate themselves, their families and their countries to it.
The Seven Sorrows of Mary
Meditation on seven sorrows in Mary's life, from Simeon's prophecy to the burial of Jesus, often with a rosary of seven groups of seven Hail Marys. Our Lady of Sorrows is honoured on 15 September.
Marian prayers and hymns
The Hail Mary, the Hail Holy Queen, the Magnificat (Mary's own song of praise) and the Ave Maris Stella are prayed and sung by Catholics everywhere.
Marian feasts, Saturdays and months
The Church keeps feasts of Mary through the year, among them the Annunciation (25 March), the Assumption (15 August) and the Immaculate Conception (8 December). Saturdays are dedicated to her, May is her month, and October is the month of the Rosary.
Marian apparitions and pilgrimages
At places such as Lourdes, Fátima and Guadalupe the Church has recognised appearances of Our Lady, and pilgrims go there to pray. Her messages repeat the Gospel: pray, do penance and turn back to God.
Common questions
- What is the most popular Marian devotion?
- The Holy Rosary. It is prayed by Catholics all over the world, popes have recommended it for centuries, and Our Lady carried a rosary when she appeared to St. Bernadette at Lourdes and asked for it every day at Fátima.
- What are the main Marian devotions?
- The Rosary, consecration to Jesus through Mary, the Angelus, the Litany of Loreto, the Miraculous Medal, the Brown Scapular, the First Saturdays, devotion to the Immaculate Heart and to the Seven Sorrows, and keeping Mary's feasts.
- Do Catholics worship Mary?
- No. Worship belongs to God alone. Catholics honour Mary, the Mother of God, above all the saints and ask for her prayers, as we ask friends to pray for us. True devotion to her always leads to Jesus.
- Why do Catholics pray to Mary?
- From the Cross Jesus gave Mary to his disciple as his mother (John 19:26–27). Catholics turn to her as a mother and ask her to pray for them, trusting her closeness to her Son.
- How can I begin a Marian devotion?
- Start small: a Hail Mary in the morning and evening, then a decade of the Rosary each day. When you are ready, pray the whole Rosary daily, or prepare for 33 days and consecrate yourself to Jesus through Mary on one of her feasts.