text: Some of the most ancient and beautiful Christian prayers are addressed to the Mother of God. None, however, surpasses Mary’s own great canticle, the Magnificat, which is the inspiration of many prayers to Our Lady. Here is a selection of the best known Marian prayers, and lesser known prayers from the Carmelite tradition that speak of Mary as Mother, Patron, Sister, Beauty of Carmel and Queen..
  Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ, your Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his passion and cross be brought to the glory of his resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
  The Rosary is an ancient pattern of prayer popular among Christians. At heart it is a series of mediations on some aspects – or ‘mysteries’ – of the life of Jesus and his mother Mary. The full Rosary is made up of praying four sets of five mysteries, though normally only one set of mysteries is prayed at one sitting (a ‘chaplet’). Meditation on each mystery is accompanied by the praying of the Lord’s Prayer, followed by ten ‘Hail Mary’s’, concluding with one ‘Glory be’. There can also be a space for private reflection. Though Dominican in origin, the Rosary is a popular devotion in the Carmelite Family and across the wider Church. Many pilgrims to Aylesford Priory in Kent offer this prayer as they walk the Rosary Way.