Basic Catholic Q and A's

The numbers in parenthese that follow the questions refer to related paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Hail Mary and the Rosary

1. Where did the Hail Mary come from?
2. Should we often pray the Hail Mary?
3. What is the rosary?
4. Does the Church recommend praying the rosary?

1. Where did the Hail Mary come from?
The first part of the Hail Mary consists of the greetings which the angel and Elizabeth addressed to Mary, as recorded in the Gospel; the second part was added by the Church as our response under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. (2676-2677)

And when he [the angel] came into her presence he said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" (Lk 1:28).

[Elizabeth] exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" (Lk 1:42).

2. Should we often pray the Hail Mary?
Yes, because the Hail Mary recalls the Incarnation of the Son of God for our salvation, honors Mary as the Mother of God, and asks for her help during our life and at the moment of our death.

3. What is the rosary?
The rosary is a "Gospel prayer" made up of the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory, in which we meditate on important events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. (2678)

4. Does the Church recommend praying the rosary?
The Church and all the recent Popes have highly recommended praying the rosary to grow in the spiritual life and obtain peace for the world.

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