The devotion of the Thousand Hail Mary’s dates back to our Saint Catherine of Bologna, “The Saint”…”our Saint”. It was she, the first to recite the 1,000 “Hail Mary’s on Christmas Eve. It began back in 1445. With the permission of her superior the saint had spent the night praying and meditating on the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. She was in the midst of reciting the “Hail Mary” a thousand times in honor of our Virgin Mother when Mary appeared to her and placed the infant Jesus in her arms. As she herself expressed it: It was just a moment…the space of only a fifth part of the hour.” (about, 12 minutes) In gratitude for the gift she had received from Our Lady, Saint Catherine was inspired to prepare a pious devotion: a minuscule Joyful Mystery Rosary. Viewing this devotion as the legacy of “The Saint”, and in remembrance of that great wonder, her spiritual daughters at the monastery of Corpus Domini began celebrating that holy night. Today, “our Saint’s” sisters still repeat the thousand “Hail Mary’s”, using a cord of 1,000 beads. It was made in the year 1590, the year of Catherine’s beatification. It is a devotion that is presented to all the faithful.Source : Please visit http://scobp.org/2009/12/02/parish-life-devotion-of-1000-hail-marys/