Salve Regina: How to Pray and Understand the Prayer to the Mother of Mercy

Prayer and Meaning: How to Pray the Salve Regina

The Salve Regina (Latin for Hail, Holy Queen) is one of the oldest and most revered Marian prayers in the Catholic Church. Known as one of the four Marian antiphons, it is a powerful hymn of supplication, trust, and praise to the Virgin Mary.

If you seek to understand the depth of this prayer, know its history, or simply ensure you are praying it correctly, this detailed guide is for you.

Where and When is the Salve Regina Prayed?

The Salve Regina is traditionally prayed in three main contexts:

1. At the End of the Rosary: It is the concluding prayer of the Chaplet or Rosary, following the recitation of the Glory Be (Glória ao Pai) for each decade.

2. Liturgy of the Hours: In the Liturgy of the Hours, it is recited at the conclusion of the Office of Compline (the night prayer), particularly during Ordinary Time.

3. Hymn of Supplication: It can be prayed individually at any time as a powerful act of plea to the Mother of Mercy.

Complete Text of the Salve Regina

To pray the Salve Regina, the prayer is as follows:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. Hail! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Understanding the Meaning of the Prayer

The Salve Regina is not just a sequence of words, but a profound theological act of recognizing Mary’s role in salvation.

When beginning the prayer, we recognize Mary as Queen (for being the Mother of the King, Jesus) and as the Mother of Mercy, the channel of Divine goodness. She is our life, our sweetness, and our hope, for it was through Her that Jesus, our hope, came into the world, and She welcomes us in our afflictions.

When we cry out as poor banished children of Eve and send up our sighs in this valley of tears, we acknowledge our condition as exiles from Paradise due to original sin and the pain of earthly life.

The plea Turn then, most gracious Advocate is the supplication for Mary to intercede for us before Her Son, being our defender in Heaven, turning Her eyes of mercy toward humanity.

The climax of the prayer is the request show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. This is the focus of all Marian devotion: that She may lead us to and present us with Jesus. The triple conclusion, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, seals our praise and our complete trust in Her aid.

Additional Prayer (Required in the Rosary)

In the context of the Rosary, after reciting the Salve Regina, it is customary to pray an aspiration and the final prayer (Oremus):

1. Aspiration:

   Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

2. Final Prayer (Oremus):

   Let us pray. O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Power of the Marian Antiphon

Praying the Salve Regina is a powerful way to conclude your day or your prayer, reaffirming your trust in Mary’s intercession. It is a safe haven for all who seek comfort and Divine Mercy in this world.