Large Print Hail Mary: Free Printable PDF
This is the Hail Mary in large print, in the traditional English form as printed in the Key of Heaven prayer manual of 1901. Choose 18, 24 or 28 point, on US Letter, A4 or 11 x 17 paper, with a cream option. The text was printed before 1930 and is public domain.
| Wording | Traditional English form, from Key of Heaven, 1901 |
|---|---|
| Length | Three short stanzas |
| Type size | 18, 24 or 28 pt |
| Paper | US Letter, A4 or 11 x 17 in, white or cream |
The Hail Mary in large print: words and download
The Hail Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace!
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou amongst women;
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Words: Traditional English form (the Angelical Salutation), as printed in Key of Heaven: A Manual of Devotions for the Use of Catholics (1901). Public domain in the United States: traditional prayer text, printed 1901 (US, published 1929 or earlier).
The words above are set the way this site sets every text: left aligned, one column, plain type with no italics, and a blank line between stanzas. The text is listed with the other short readings on the large print prayers and hymns page, and you can print it on its own here.
Where does the Hail Mary come from?
Wikipedia describes the Hail Mary, or Ave Maria, as a traditional Catholic prayer built from two passages in the Gospel of Luke: the angel Gabriel's greeting to Mary at the Annunciation, and Elizabeth's greeting at the Visitation. The petition that closes the prayer is a later addition. It first appeared in print in 1495, in a work by Girolamo Savonarola, and the full form was included in the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius V in 1568.
Our sheet uses the traditional English wording as printed in Key of Heaven, a manual of devotions for Catholics, in 1901. Other traditions have similar prayers: Wikipedia notes that Eastern Orthodox Churches have a private prayer close to it that does not include the request at the end.
How is the Hail Mary used in prayer and at the bedside?
In the Latin Church the Hail Mary is the basis of the Rosary and the Angelus, according to Wikipedia. The Angelus is a devotion said three times a day, with the Hail Mary repeated three times. The Rosary is a method of prayer in which the Hail Mary is said in sets. Both are used by many Catholics, and by some Anglicans and Lutherans.
For a person who prays the Rosary but can no longer read a small prayer card, a large print sheet can sit beside the beads. At a bedside, a visitor or family member can say the prayer slowly and let the person join in. If you are printing for a parish group, keep the tone plain and respectful, and let those who pray decide how they wish to use it. See the large print prayers and hymns page for related readings.
How do I print the Hail Mary in large print?
Choose a size and paper, then use the download button under the prayer. Three short stanzas fit on one page at 28 point, and at 18 point several copies will fit on one page for cutting into cards. Cream card stock lasts longer in a hand or a missal than plain paper does. In our layout tests on US Letter paper it takes 1 page at 18 point, 1 at 24 point and 1 at 28 point, and 1 page on 11 x 17 paper at 24 point.
Pair it with the large print Lord's Prayer and the large print Apostles' Creed for a folder of short prayers. Check the sheet against your own parish's wording first, since the prayer is said in many languages and forms. The page on what large print is explains the type sizes.
The other short readings in the same layout are The Lord's Prayer, Psalm 23, The Apostles' Creed and The Doxology.