Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae
Angelus
AN-jeh-lus
The short prayer of the Incarnation — three verses, three Hail Marys and a collect — said at morning, noon and evening, traditionally at the ringing of a bell; replaced by the Regina Caeli in Eastertide.
The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary
The Angelus recalls the Annunciation three times a day: “The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived of the Holy Spirit … Behold the handmaid of the Lord … And the Word was made flesh.” Each versicle is followed by a Hail Mary, and it closes with a prayer for the grace of the Resurrection. The custom of a bell at 6, noon and 6 dates from the Middle Ages, and the pope still leads the Angelus from his window every Sunday at noon. From Easter Sunday until Pentecost the Regina Caeli, “Queen of Heaven, rejoice,” takes its place. Millet's painting The Angelus shows two farm workers pausing to pray it.
Sources
Church teaching
- Directory on Popular Piety and the LiturgyCongregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (17 December 2001), nn. 195–196, on the Angelus and the Regina Caeli.
Sources checked 29 September 2026