St. Louis Marie de Montfort composed this short prayer to Mary as a way to unite your intention with the whole Church before beginning the Holy Rosary.
The prayer is especially helpful when the mind feels scattered. It places the Rosary within the communion of saints, directs praise to Jesus through Mary, and makes a deliberate offering of our attention. Distractions may still arise, but naming that intention before the first mystery helps us return gently to prayer rather than becoming discouraged.
Pray it slowly before the opening prayers of the Rosary. Pause after the words about attention and devotion, entrust the coming mysteries to Our Lady, and then begin. The purpose is not to create anxiety about praying perfectly, but to prepare the heart for a more loving contemplation of Christ.
St. Louis de Montfort’s Prayer to Mary
I unite with all the saints in heaven, with all the just on earth, and with all the faithful here present. I unite with you, my Jesus, in order to praise your holy Mother worthily and to praise you in her and through her. I renounce all distractions which may arise during this Rosary. I desire to say it with attention and devotion as if it were the last of my life. Amen.
For another way to entrust yourself to Mary, see the Act of Consecration to Mary.