College students from all around the world gathered at the 25th Annual FOCUS Conference (Fellowship of College University Students) in St. Louis, Missouri on 2-6, January. And thousands of voices prayed to the Blessed Mother in song at the Seek23 conference in an impromptu “Salve Regina.”
The group’s Facebook page shows countless highlights from the 5-day event. There was a surprise trivia night with Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus on the hit TV show The Chosen.
Salve Regina is a classic Marian hymn of the Church that dates back to the year 1000. Translated from Latin, it means Hail, Holy Queen. Below are the Latin and English versions of this beautiful prayer and song:
Salve Regina in Latin
Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ,
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.
V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix.
R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
Oremus.
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui gloriosæ Virginis Matris Mariæ corpus et animam, ut dignum Filii tui habitaculum effici mereretur, Spiritu Sancto cooperante præparasti: da, ut cuius commemoratione lætamur; eius pia intercessione, ab instantibus malis, et a morte perpetua liberemur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.)
Amen