We Fly to Thy Protection

“In moments of spiritual turbulence, seek shelter beneath the mantle of the Holy Mother of God, invoking Sub Tuum Praesidium.” — Pope Francis, 2018.

Public Domain: Virgin Mary with heart emblem via Library of Congress.

The Prayer

We fly to thy protection, O Holy Mother of God; do not despise our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

About This Prayer

We Fly to Thy Protection—known in Latin as Sub Tuum Praesidium—is the oldest widely-attested Marian prayer. The earliest surviving form is Greek, preserved on a papyrus from Egypt now kept at the John Rylands Library in Manchester. The text asks Mary, the Mother of God (Theotokos), to guard the Church and deliver us from danger. It has been prayed for centuries in both Eastern and Western liturgies and remains a simple, powerful act of trust in Mary’s intercession.

When To Pray

Pray this any time you or your family need protection—during illness, travel, spiritual trial, or anxiety. It is especially fitting in October (the Month of the Rosary), on Marian feasts, and at the end of night prayer. Many Catholics also add it after the Rosary.