The Salutation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

With Franciscan Clarean Commentary

The Text

Hail, Lady, Holy Queen,
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
you are the Virgin made Church,
chosen by the Most Holy Father in heaven,
whom He consecrated with His most holy beloved Son
and with the Holy Spirit the Paraclete;

in you was and is all fullness of grace and every good.

Hail His Palace!
Hail His Tabernacle!
Hail His Home!
Hail His Robe!
Hail His Servant!
Hail His Mother!

And hail all you holy virtues,
which are poured into the hearts of the faithful through the grace and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit,
that from being unbelievers you may make them faithful to God.

Clarean Commentary

“Virgin made Church”:
Francis calls Mary not only Mother of God but Virgin made Church. She is both personal and universal — the place where God dwells, just as the Church is. For Clareans today, this challenges us to see Mary not as distant or ornamental, but as a living icon of what we are called to be: open to God, filled with grace, bearing Christ into the world.

Images of Indwelling:
Palace, Tabernacle, Home, Robe, Servant, Mother — Francis pours out metaphors, each one pointing to Mary as the dwelling place of God. For Clareans today, this reminds us that God seeks dwelling places still — not in marble cathedrals but in humble hearts. We, too, can become robes of Christ, tabernacles of the Spirit.

Fullness of Grace:
Francis recognizes Mary as “all grace and every good.” But he doesn’t stop with her — he immediately connects this fullness to the virtues poured into all believers by the Spirit. For Clareans today, this is key: Marian devotion isn’t a detour; it’s a school. We honor Mary best when we imitate her openness and let the Spirit birth virtues in us.

Mary as Model for Conversion:
The prayer ends with the virtues turning unbelievers into faithful disciples. Mary, filled with grace, becomes a channel for our transformation. For Clareans today, Mary is not only to be admired but to be followed — her fiat (“let it be done”) is our daily yes to God.