# It's not the 'Hail Mary,' it is the...?????? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 24, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-hail-mary-it-is-the/554843 "2010-09-24T03:15:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-hail-mary-it-is-the/554843/1 "2010-09-24T03:15:04Z")
When I was younger, my mother gave me a keepsake-a St. Mary medal. She had been raised a Roman Catholic, while I was raised a Baptist. So, she was showing me the features of it, and she noted the ‘M’ on the back of it, with a cross on top of the M, surrounded by stars. I have seen this on other Mary medals, so I know I haven’t imagined it. At any rate, she told me of some liturgy/chant/poem/somethinglikethat which she and her contemporaries said after their Hail Marys. I, naturally, forgot the specifics, but it seems to me that it was something like this: “Hail Mary, who carries the cross; and thirteen bright stars…” Or, something like that. She was born in Ireland, in the 30s, so it was at least common in her town among her cohort. Anybody here ever heard anything like that? Thanks, hh ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-hail-mary-it-is-the/554843/2 "2010-09-24T03:29:11Z")
Sounds like a Miraculous Medal. [Miraculous Medal - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miraculous_Medal) Image: [File:Miraculous medal.jpg - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Miraculous_medal.jpg) I have heard the words inscribed on the border of the medal (“Oh Mary conceived without sin/pray for us who have recourse to thee”) used after Hail Marys in rosaries. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-hail-mary-it-is-the/554843/3 "2010-09-24T03:54:58Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > When I was younger, my mother gave me a keepsake-a St. Mary medal. She had been raised a Roman Catholic, while I was raised a Baptist. > So, she was showing me the features of it, and she noted the ‘M’ on the back of it, with a cross on top of the M, surrounded by stars. I have seen this on other Mary medals, so I know I haven’t imagined it. At any rate, she told me of some liturgy/chant/poem/somethinglikethat which she and her contemporaries said after their Hail Marys. I, naturally, forgot the specifics, but it seems to me that it was something like this: “Hail Mary, who carries the cross; and thirteen bright stars…” > Or, something like that. She was born in Ireland, in the 30s, so it was at least common in her town among her cohort. > > Anybody here ever heard anything like that? > > Thanks, > hh That would be \*'twelve \*bright stars…" hh ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-hail-mary-it-is-the/554843/4 "2010-09-24T03:57:28Z")
> [@lisacurl](#): > > I have heard the words inscribed on the border of the medal (“Oh Mary conceived without sin/pray for us who have recourse to thee”) used after Hail Marys in rosaries. I’ve heard that prayer used too. I’ve not heard any references to “carrying the cross” or “thirteen bright stars”. The image of the Virgin, crowned with twelve stars, is a common representation of the Assumption/Coronation of the Virgin: [link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Heaven). A litany, [the Crown of Twelve Stars](http://www.catholictradition.org/Litanies/litany34b.htm) may be what you recall. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-hail-mary-it-is-the/554843/5 "2010-09-24T04:05:22Z")
Or you may be thinking of the [Salve Regina](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_Holy_Queen) (in English the “Hail Holy Queen”) which is usually said at the end of the Rosary. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-hail-mary-it-is-the/554843/6 "2010-09-24T12:20:33Z")
Maybe the Memorare. “Remember O most gracious Virgin Mary” ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-hail-mary-it-is-the/554843/7 "2010-09-24T14:07:07Z")
Perhaps the Magnificat, the prayer that Mary is supposed to have composed when she visited her cousin Elizabeth and heard about her concurrent (and miraculous) pregnancy: > [@BVM](#): > > My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, > my spirit rejoices in God my Savior > for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. > From this day all generations will call me blessed: > the Almighty has done great things for me, > and holy is his Name. > He has mercy on those who fear him > in every generation. > He has shown the strength of his arm, > he has scattered the proud in their conceit. > He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, > and has lifted up the lowly. > He has filled the hungry with good things, > and the rich he has sent away empty. > He has come to the help of his servant Israel > for he has remembered his promise of mercy, > the promise he made to our fathers, > to Abraham and his children for ever. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-hail-mary-it-is-the/554843/8 "2010-09-26T01:27:54Z")
Well, I distinctly remember the “…Mary, who carries the cross…” and some mention of the 12 stars… in it. At this point, I suspect it was something from her school, church, or hometown. Thanks, hh