Praying the Angelus

I started praying the Angelus back during lockdown early in the Covid pandemic. It was a time where I was seeking God even more than I had and as a result, I was looking into different types of prayers that I hadn’t really participated in before.

I wanted to take brief breaks throughout my day where I could pray as a way of regrouping, calming the anxiety, and turning to God more frequently. I set alarms for various times of the day and planned certain prayers for each time.

I have changed some of my prayer practices since then, but one that has persisted is praying the Angelus every day at noon. My alarm goes off and I pause to pray.

You probably know by now that I’m all about living a liturgical life, inviting God into every aspect of it, but doing so in a way that is achievable and feels fulfilling, not overwhelming.

The Angelus Prayer

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary…

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary…

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 

Note: It’s customary to bow or genuflect when saying “and dwelt among us”. This is to demonstrate reverence to God in thanks for the gift of the Incarnation.

History of the Angelus

There was a practice, dating back to the 12th century or earlier, of praying the Hail Mary three times in a row. St. Anthony of Padua highly recommended this practice and then, in 1269, St. Bonaventure and St. Mechtilde of Helfta promoted the idea of praying the three Hail Marys every evening after Compline.

They wanted to, while praying three Hail Marys, draw attention to the Annunciation and Incarnation and reflect on their importance. At that time, a bell would ring and all would know that it was time to pray.

During the time of Pope Pius V, the Angelus that we pray today first appeared in the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Learn more about the history of the Angelus here.

When to Pray the Angelus

Traditionally, it was prayed at six a.m., noon, and six p.m. Praying it in the morning was a means of sanctifying the day and praying it at noon has been tied, along with the connections to the Annunciation and Incarnation, to the devotion of praying and meditating on Christ’s passion each Friday at noon.

Why Pray the Angelus

• It has its roots in Scripture. Refer to Luke 1:26-38 to see its origins.
• As I mentioned above, it’s a great way to regroup and refocus yourself on God in the midst of your day.
• It’s short and easy to recite but powerful. I know, there are some who would cluck their tongues in disgust in me suggesting that you say a prayer because it’s short, but honestly, when faced with the idea of a 20 minute long prayer, my brain starts coming up with all the reasons why I don’t have time for it. Saying shorter prayers more frequently as touch points throughout my day works for me and my high energy household.
• The Angelus is a wonderful way to remind us of all that Mary and Jesus have done for us and the sacred heritage we have behind us.

When Not to Pray the Angelus

During Eastertide, the Angelus is actually replaced with another one of my favorite prayers. The Regina Caeli can be recited or sung (my favorite) and it honors Mary as the Queen of Heaven. There is quite a lovely sung version (in Latin) available on the Hallow app.

Latin version:

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia.
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia.
Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, Alleluia,
Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

Oremus: Deus qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus, ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

English version:

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For he, whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
Has risen as he said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.

For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, Who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.