We fly to thy protection
We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God;
despise not thou our petitions in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all dangers,
O ever glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.
Text: The Raccolta, translated by Ambrose St John (1880), public domain.
In Latin
Sub tuum praesidium confugimus,
sancta Dei Genetrix;
nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus,
sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper,
Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
About this prayer
The oldest known prayer to Mary: a Greek version survives on an Egyptian papyrus usually dated to the third or fourth century. It shows Christians asking Mary's help long before most Marian feasts existed. It is sung in the Eastern and Western churches alike, and often prayed in danger or distress.