The Memorare is a prayer of confident appeal to the Blessed Virgin Mary, often prayed after the Rosary. It recalls that "never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection... was left unaided," and so the one praying comes to Mary "sinful and sorrowful" with trust. Long associated with St. Bernard, its popular form was spread by the priest Claude Bernard in the 17th century.
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 with this confidence,
I fly to 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.
Memorare, O piissima Virgo Maria,
non esse auditum a saeculo,
quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia,
tua implorantem auxilia,
tua petentem suffragia,
esse derelictum.
Ego tali animatus confidentia,
ad te, Virgo virginum, Mater, curro;
ad te venio, coram te gemens
peccator assisto.
Noli, Mater Verbi,
verba mea despicere,
sed audi propitia et exaudi.
Amen.
What does the Memorare mean, phrase by phrase?
The prayer opens with a command: Memorare (imperative of memorare — to remember). The petitioner is not making a polite request but a bold appeal. This confident opening is the prayer's distinctive character — it does not begin with apology or flattery but with a direct invocation of Mary's maternal memory. Piissima (superlative of pius) is the Latin of fullest piety — more than merely devout. In Catholic Latin, pius connotes not only religious observance but mercy, tenderness toward those in need: the quality that makes Mary's intercession reliable.
The grammatical structure is an indirect statement (accusative-infinitive) dependent on Memorare: "Remember that it has not been heard of since the ages that anyone who fled to your protection... was abandoned." A saeculo — "from the age" or "since time immemorial" — gives the claim an almost Scriptural register, as if appealing to a permanent law of grace. Derelictum (past participle of derelinquere — to utterly forsake) is a strong word: the prayer says not merely "turned away" but "completely abandoned." The claim is theological, not statistical: it is rooted in faith in Mary's maternal mission, not in a survey of answered prayers.
The pivot: because this is the record — because abandonment is unheard of — the petitioner acts on that confidence. Confidentia is not presumption (thinking oneself entitled) but trust grounded in Mary's maternal character and God's faithfulness. The Catechism (CCC 2676) teaches that our prayer to Mary "dares to take up this greeting" of Gabriel — meaning all Marian prayer is in some sense bold, founded not on our worthiness but on Mary's relationship to her Son.
Curro — "I run" — not walk, not approach slowly, but run. The urgency is intentional. Virgo virginum (Virgin of virgins) echoes a title from the Litany of Loreto and places Mary at the summit of all consecrated virginity. But the prayer immediately adds Mater — Mother — because Mary's virginity and motherhood are inseparable in Catholic theology. She is not cold or remote in her purity; she is Mother precisely in her virginal fruitfulness (CCC 501–507).
Mater Verbi — Mother of the Word. This title is the theological hinge of the Memorare. Mary is not merely the mother of Jesus-as-human but of the eternal Word (Logos, John 1:1) in His Incarnation. The Council of Ephesus (431) defined that Mary is truly the "Mother of God" (Theotokos), since the one she conceived is the eternal Word made flesh (CCC 466, 495); the Church understands this divine motherhood as the foundation of her other privileges. Because she bore the Word, her words — her intercession — have access to that same Word. The petitioner asks that the Mother of the Word not "despise" (despicere — to look down on) the words of the petitioner.
Why does the Memorare express such confidence?
The Memorare's unusual boldness — its claim that no one has ever been left unaided — requires theological grounding. It does not rest on an empirical survey of prayer outcomes but on the Church's understanding of Mary's intercessory role.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, to whom the prayer is attributed, wrote extensively on Mary as the aqueduct of grace: "If you fear the Father, go to the Son. And if you fear the Son, go to the Mother" (Sermon on the Aqueduct, Serm. de Aquaeductu). This is not a mechanical claim but a reflection of the maternal quality of Mary's love: a mother does not refuse her children.
The Second Vatican Council (Lumen Gentium §60) confirmed that Mary's intercessory role does not diminish but reflects Christ's unique mediation: "Mary's function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power." The Memorare is addressed to Mary because of, and not despite, Christ's central role.
The Catechism describes Mary as "the perfect Orans (pray-er), a figure of the Church"; because "she has become the mother of all the living," the prayer of the Church is sustained by her prayer and united with it (CCC 2679). The Memorare, by beginning with "Remember" — invoking Mary's memory — appeals to that maternal intercession.
Where does the Memorare come from?Claude Bernard, 17th century
The prayer is traditionally attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153), the great Cistercian abbot, Doctor of the Church, and preacher of the Second Crusade. His Marian sermons — particularly those on the Annunciation and the Assumption — are among the finest in Western theology. The Marian tone and theological confidence of the Memorare are consistent with his style.
However, modern scholarship has not found the Memorare in Bernard's authenticated works. The text first appears in 15th-century sources. The attribution to Bernard is ancient and widespread but is classified as pious tradition rather than historical certainty.
The person most responsible for the prayer's global spread is Father Claude Bernard (1588–1641), a French priest known as le pauvre prêtre — "the poor priest" — for his ministry to the poor, the sick, and prisoners condemned to death in 17th-century Paris. He had more than 200,000 leaflets printed with the Memorare in several languages and distributed them widely, funding the printing himself. He said he had learned the prayer from his own father, and it was his tireless promotion that made the text so widely known. His beatification was repeatedly urged by the French court and clergy, though he has never been formally beatified or canonised.
Scholars including the Jesuit historian Herbert Thurston traced the Memorare to a longer 15th-century prayer, Ad sanctitatis tuae pedes, dulcissima Virgo Maria ("At your holy feet, most sweet Virgin Mary"), from which the familiar text was later drawn. The Church has never required its members to resolve the question of authorship; the prayer's value does not depend on it.
The Memorare in 33 Days to Morning Glory
The Memorare gained contemporary prominence through Fr. Michael Gaitley's Marian consecration program 33 Days to Morning Glory (2011, Marian Press), which prepares readers for Marian consecration by drawing on the witness of four great figures of Marian devotion: St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. John Paul II. Throughout the program the Memorare appears — alongside the Hail Mary — as a foundational expression of Marian trust. It has introduced hundreds of thousands of Catholics to the prayer who might not have encountered it through traditional devotional channels.
Pray the Rosary — the Memorare's great companion.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Memorare prayer?
The Memorare is a Catholic prayer of confident intercession addressed to the Virgin Mary, beginning "Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection... was left unaided." It expresses trust in the unfailing nature of Mary's intercession and is traditionally prayed in moments of urgent need, after the Rosary, or as part of daily Marian devotion. It is one of the most widely known Marian prayers in the Catholic Church. See also the full collection of Rosary prayers.
Is the Memorare in the Bible?
No — the Memorare is a prayer of the Church's tradition, not a biblical text. However, its theological foundations are deeply biblical. The confidence in Mary's intercession draws on John 2:1–11 (the Wedding at Cana, where Mary's request moved Christ to action), Luke 1:38 (the fiat — Mary's openness to God's will), and Revelation 12:17 (Mary as mother of those who keep God's commandments). The title "Mother of the Word Incarnate" draws directly on John 1:14.
How long is the Memorare?
The Memorare consists of approximately 60 words in English and takes about 30–40 seconds to pray at a meditative pace. It is one of the shortest complete Marian prayers with full theological depth — short enough to be memorised immediately, dense enough to sustain reflection across a lifetime.
What prayer comes after the Memorare?
There is no prescribed prayer that follows the Memorare — it is a standalone devotional prayer. When used after the Rosary, it typically follows the Prayer to St. Joseph or the Prayer to St. Michael. When prayed as part of a morning or evening offering, it is often followed by a personal prayer of petition or thanksgiving. Many Catholics add a brief aspiration such as "Mary, Mother of God, pray for us" or simply sit in silence after finishing.
Did St. Teresa of Calcutta pray the Memorare?
Yes. Mother Teresa prayed the Memorare constantly in her work among the poorest of the poor in Calcutta and used it to teach others to trust in Mary's intercession. She is especially associated with the "Flying Novena" (also called the Emergency or Express Novena): when a need was urgent and there was no time for a traditional nine-day novena, she would pray nine Memorares in immediate succession and then add a tenth in thanksgiving for the grace she was confident would be granted. Her Missionaries of Charity continue the practice today. It reflected her absolute confidence in Mary's maternal care.
Sources: Catechism 2673 to 2679