When life becomes unbearable — when the situation feels impossible and human help has reached its limits — Catholics throughout history have turned to the most powerful prayer for urgent help: the Memorare to the Virgin Mary. This ancient prayer has been described by saints, popes, and ordinary believers as the most reliable prayer in desperate moments.
Unlike prayers that ask God for general blessings, this prayer is specifically designed for urgency. It invokes Mary’s power with complete confidence — “never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection was left unaided.” That is not wishful thinking; it is the accumulated testimony of centuries of answered prayers.
The 12th-century prayer has been connected to numerous miracles throughout the centuries.One of the most widely known Catholic prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, almost as popular as the Hail Mary, is the Memorare. It is an ancient prayer that has a miraculous reputation.
The prayer, traditionally attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, gets its name from the first word of the original Latin prayer. However, the prayer as we know it today is actually found within a much larger prayer to the Virgin Mary entitled Ad sanctitatis tuae pedes, dulcissima Virgo Maria (“At your holy feet, most sweet Virgin Mary”).
The Memorare was popularized by another Bernard, Fr. Claude Bernard, in the 17th century. Fr. Claude believed that the recitation of the prayer was the cause of his miraculous healing. He printed over 200,000 leaflets with the prayer on it in different languages to distribute wherever he could.
St. Francis de Sales said the prayer daily and St. Teresa of Calcutta taught others to pray it when they most needed help. Mother Teresa would pray it whenever she was faced with an emergency situation and most needed a miracle. It never failed her and has proven its miraculous character over the years through thousands of testimonials.
For those not familiar with the prayer, it is printed below. Pray it with sincere faith and trust in God. He always answers our prayers, though not always in the way that we expect.
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 by this confidence, I fly unto 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.
Why This Prayer Works for Urgent Needs
The Memorare’s power for urgent and impossible requests rests on three pillars:
1. Mary’s unique intercession: As the Mother of God, Mary has a relationship with Jesus that no other creature shares. When a mother asks her son for something, particularly with love and persistence, the son listens. The saints called this Mary’s “omnipotence of intercession” — not because she is all-powerful, but because her prayers before God are extraordinarily effective.
2. The boldness of the claim: The Memorare makes an audacious statement: no one who sought Mary’s help was ever left unaided. This is not merely a hope — it is presented as a fact, a truth confirmed by centuries of Catholic experience. Praying this prayer means standing on that truth.
3. The urgency of the appeal: The prayer uses the language of desperation — “I fly unto thee,” “sinful and sorrowful” — which mirrors exactly the cry of someone in genuine crisis. Mary responds to the humble and the desperate.
How to Pray This Prayer in a Crisis
When your situation is truly urgent, consider these steps:
Stop and breathe. Panic does not help prayer. Even in a crisis, take one moment of stillness before speaking to God.
Pray the Memorare three times. Many Catholics in desperate situations pray the Memorare three consecutive times as an act of intensified prayer. Saint Teresa of Calcutta reportedly did this whenever an urgent need arose.
State your need out loud. At the conclusion of the prayer where it says “in thy mercy, hear and answer me,” pause and name your specific need clearly. God and Mary hear specific prayers as well as general ones.
Surrender the outcome. After praying, release your need into Mary’s hands. Trust that she has heard and is already interceding. This act of surrender is itself a powerful prayer.
Famous Examples of the Memorare Answering Urgent Prayers
Throughout history, the Memorare has been credited with extraordinary answers to urgent prayer:
Father Claude Bernard (17th century) attributed his miraculous recovery from a terminal illness to this prayer. His devotion to distributing the Memorare resulted in hundreds of thousands of people being introduced to it.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta kept a small card with the Memorare in her pocket at all times. She prayed it whenever a desperate situation arose — and repeatedly testified that Mary never failed her.
Blessed Charles de Foucauld, the French explorer-turned-monk, credited his conversion from a life of sin to a life of holiness in part to a single Memorare prayed at a moment of grace.
You Do Not Have to Face This Alone
Whatever crisis has brought you to this page — whether it is illness, financial ruin, a broken relationship, a loved one in danger, or a spiritual struggle you cannot overcome — you do not face it alone. Mary, your mother in heaven, is waiting to hear your prayer.
Pray the Memorare now. Pray it again tomorrow. Keep praying until you see God’s answer unfold — which may come in unexpected ways, at unexpected times, but will always come from a God who loves you beyond measure. Mary has never abandoned her children. She will not abandon you.
Add comment