The Angelus
Also known as: Angelus Domini Angelus
English Text
V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary… V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. R. Be it done unto me according to thy word. Hail Mary… V. And the Word was made flesh. R. And dwelt among us. Hail Mary… V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. 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.
Translation tradition: Traditional English
Latin Text
V. Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae.
R. Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.
Ave Maria…
V. Ecce ancilla Domini.
R. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.
Ave Maria…
V. Et Verbum caro factum est.
R. Et habitavit in nobis.
Ave Maria…
V. Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genitrix.
R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
Oremus.
Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine,
mentibus nostris infunde;
ut qui, angelo nuntiante,
Christi Filii tui Incarnationem cognovimus,
per passionem eius et crucem,
ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur.
Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Scripture: Luke 1:26–38; John 1:14
When to pray: Three times daily at 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM; Sundays with the Pope's broadcast.
History & Background
The Angelus is a devotional prayer recited three times daily — at 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM — marking the hours with a bell. The practice of ringing a bell at evening and reciting three Hail Marys is attested from the 13th century; the Franciscans spread the evening bell under Pope Callixtus III (c. 1456). The noon ringing, originally a peace-prayer following conflicts with the Turks, was propagated by Pope Leo X (1517). The morning bell was added later, fixing the three-daily pattern. The current complete form, with versicles and the concluding collect, developed in the 16th century and appears in its settled form in the Roman Breviary of Pope Pius V (1568). Popes regularly recite and broadcast the Angelus from the Vatican on Sundays and feast days. During the Easter season (from Easter Sunday to Pentecost) it is replaced by the Regina Caeli.
Related Prayers
Source
https://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html verbatim