Learning Latin with the Liturgy: Learn and listen to the Oldest Prayer to St. Mary

A Greek language papyrus found in Egypt and dating to about AD 250 contains the text of a prayer to St. Mary. The prayer is known and still cherished in the Church, but until this papyrus was found, no one would have imagined the prayer was really that ancient. It addresses St. Mary as Theotokos. 

I remember being taught in school that the term Theotokos was created as a sort of Shibboleth against the Nestorians in the 5th Century. But this prayer proves that the people of God centuries earlier than that had called St. Mary Theotokos, the Birth-Giver of God, from a sense of reverence to her place in Salvation History and a full knowledge of its Christological implications.

It was translated into Latin in equally ancient times. Here is the Latin text and an English translation, followed by my video version reciting the prayer, and a full grammatical description.

Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix.
Under your protection we take refuge, Holy Birth-Giver of God

Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus nostris,
Despise not our intercessions in our necessities,

sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper,
But free us always from all dangers,

Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
Glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.


Here's my video version with text and (ecclesiastical) pronunciation:

Here's how the Latin works:

Latin	English	Parsing	Grammar Points
Sub	Under		Prep.+Acc.
tuum	your	acc. sing. neut. poss. adj.	tuus, tua, tuum; modifies praesidium
praesidium	protection	acc. sing. neut. noun	praesidium, praesidiii
confugimus	we take refuge	1st pers. sing. pres. act. ind. verb	cōnfugiō, cōnfugere, cōnfūgī
Sancta	Holy	voc. sing. fem. adj.	sanctus, sancta, sanctum; modifies Genetrix
Dei	of God	gen. sing. masc. noun	Deus, Dei
Genetrix	Birth-Giver	voc. sing. fem. noun	Genetrix, Genetricis
Nostras	Our	acc. pl. fem. poss. adj.	noster, nostra, nostrum; modifies deprecationes
deprecationes	intercessions	acc. pl. fem. noun	deprecatio, deprecationis
ne	Not		conj.
despicias	may you despise	2nd pers. sing. pres. act. subj. verb	dēspiciō, dēspicere, dēspēxī, dēspectus
in	in		Prep.+Abl.
necessitatibus	necessities	abl. pl. fem. noun	necessitas, necessitatis
nostris	our	abl. pl. fem. poss. adj.	noster, nostra, nostrum; modifies necessitatibus
sed	but		conj.
a	from		Prep.+Abl.
periculis	dangers	abl. pl. neut. noun	periculum, periculi
cunctis	all	abl. pl. neut. adj.	cunctus, cuncta, cunctum; modifies periculis
libera	free	sing. imper.	libero, liberare, liberavi, liberatus
nos	us	acc. pl. pronoun	nos, nostri
semper	always		adv.
Virgo	Virgin	voc. sing. fem. noun	Virgo, Virginis
gloriosa	glorious	voc. sing. fem. adj.	gloriosus, gloriosa, gloriosum; modifies Virgo
et	and		conj.
benedicta	blessed	voc. sing. fem. adj.	benedictus, benedicta, benedictum; modifies Virgo; past part. from benedicere