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The Angelus (lat. Angel) is a devotion in memory of the Incarnation in Christianity. It has its name from the opening words, Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ. It consists of three texts describing the mystery, recited as versicle and response alternately with the salutation "Hail Mary!" This devotion is recited in Catholic,churches three times daily, traditionally about 6 a.m., noon and 6 p.m, accompanied by the ringing of the Angelus bell. This is still rung in some English country churches, and has often been mistaken for and alleged to be a survival of the curfew bell. Some High Church Anglican and Lutheran churches also use the devotion.

The Angelus is replaced by Regina Coeli during Eastertide, and is not used between the Liturgy of Maundy Thursday and the Easter Vigil.

Contents 1 History 2 Modern usage 3 Angelus Bell 4 Latin text 5 English text 5.1 Another English version 5.2 Anglican Church of Melanesia 6 References 7 External links

The Angelus originated with the eleventh-century monastic custom of reciting three Hail Marys during the evening bell. Pope Gregory IX (d. 1241) ordered a bell to be rung in the evening to remind people to pray for the Crusades. In 1269 St Bonaventure urged the faithful to adopt the custom of the Franciscans of saying three Hail Marys as the evening bell was rung.

The custom of reciting it in the morning apparently grew from the monastic custom of saying three Hail Marys while a bell rang at Prime. The noon time custom apparently arose from the noon time commemoration of the Passion on Fridays. The institution of the Angelus is by some ascribed to Pope Urban II, by some to Pope John XXII. Pope Callixtus III (1455-1458) commended the practice as a prayer for protection against the Turkish invasions of his time. The triple recitation is ascribed to Louis XI of France, who in 1472 ordered it to be said thrice daily. The form of the prayer was standardized by the seventeenth century.

The manner of ringing the Angelus—the triple stroke repeated three times, with a pause between each set of three (a total of nine strokes), sometimes followed by a longer peal as at curfew—seems to have been the norm from the very beginning. The fifteenth-century constitutions of Syon monastery dictate that the lay brother "shall toll the Ave bell nine strokes at three times, keeping the space of one Pater and Ave between each three tollings".

In Italy every Sunday at noon the Pope has an address broadcast by public television (Rai Uno). At the end of the address the Pope recites the Angelus. In the Republic of Ireland, the Angelus is broadcast every night at 6.00 p.m. on the TV channel RTE One, before the Six-One News, and on the radio station Radio 1, at noon and 6.00 p.m. There has been very occasional debate about whether to end the Angelus broadcasts as the station is run by an authority appointed by the Irish Government and this may constitute state support of one faith over others. Critics of this view reply that it is the ringing of a bell, not the broadcast of a prayer, and in any case nobody is compelled to take part. In the city of Monterrey, Mexico, the Angelus is broadcast daily on radio at 6.00 a.m., noon, and 6.00 p.m. In the Philippines, radio stations run by the Catholic Church and some religious orders play the Angelus at 6.00 a.m., noon, and at 6.00 p.m. In the United States and Canada, some lay-run Catholic radio stations play the Angelus daily. In Germany particular dioceses and their radio stations ring the Angelus, additionally each church throughout the republic rings the Angelus bell thrice daily; including all Protestant churches^{[citation needed]}.

The Angelus, in all its stages of development, was closely associated with the ringing of a bell.

Where the town bell and the bells of the principal church or monastery were distinct, the curfew was generally rung upon the town bell. Where the church bell served for both purposes, the Ave and the curfew were probably rung upon the same bell at different hours.

The ringing of the Angelus in the fourteenth and even in the thirteenth century must have been very general. The number of bells belonging to these two centuries which still survive is relatively small, but a considerable proportion bear inscriptions which suggest that they were originally intended to serve as Ave bells. Many bear the words Ave Maria; or, as in the case of a bell at Helfta, near Eisleben, in Germany, dated 1234, the whole sentence: Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Bells with this Ave Maria inscription are also numerous in England, but in England the Angelus bells seem in a very large number of instances to have been dedicated to St Gabriel, the angel mentioned in the prayer (Luke 1:26-27). In the Diocese of Lincoln alone we find nineteen of the surviving medieval bells bearing the name of Gabriel, while only six bear the name of Michael, a much more popular patron in other respects. In France, the Ave Maria seems to have been the ordinary label for Angelus bells; but in Germany we find as the most common inscription of all, even in the case of many bells of the thirteenth century, the words O Rex Gloriæ Veni Cum Pace ("O King of Glory, Come with Peace"). In Germany, the Netherlands, and in some parts of France the Angelus bell was regularly known as the "Peace bell", and pro pace schlagen (to toll for peace) was a phrase popularly used for ringing the Angelus.

The Irish national broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann still broadcasts the angelus bells at 12pm and 6pm every day on the national radio station RTÉ Radio 1 and at 6pm on the national television station RTÉ One. This consists of a bell ringing for the duration of one minute and is accompanied by images of people pausing in contemplation (filmed in North Kildare) for the television version. The Foggy Dew, an Irish rebel ballad commemorating the Easter Rising, contains the line "the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey swell rang out through the foggy dew".

With regard to the manner of ringing the Angelus it seems sufficient to note that the triple stroke repeated three times with a pause between seems to have been adopted from the very beginning.

V/. Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ,
R/. Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

V/. "Ecce Ancilla Domini."
R/. "Fiat mihi secundum Verbum tuum."

Ave Maria, gratia plena...

V/. Et Verbum caro factum est.
R/. Et habitavit in nobis.

Ave Maria, gratia plena...

V/. Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genetrix.
R/. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

Oremus: Gratiam tuam quæsumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; ut qui, angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui Incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem eius et crucem, ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur.
Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

V/. The Angel of the Lord brought tidings unto Mary,
R/. And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. (Lk 1:28) Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. (Lk 1:42).
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V/. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord."
R/. "Be it unto me according to thy Word."

Hail Mary, full of grace...

V/. And the Word was made flesh,
R/. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

V/. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R/. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts, that as we have known the Incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by His Cross and Passion we may be brought unto the glory of His Resurrection; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Angelus

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.

R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, etc.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary, etc.

V. And the Word was made Flesh.

R. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary, etc.

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.

or

LET US PRAY

Lord, fill our hearts with Your love, and as You revealed to us by an angel, the coming of Your Son as man. So lead us through His suffering and death to the glory of His resurrection, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(This version is slightly different. Another, shorter, version is that only the three verses and responses are recited, followed by only one Hail Mary, etc).

The form of the Angelus in the Melanesian English Prayer Book

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord brought news to Mary,
And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your body, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Behold the servant of the Lord;
Let it be to me according to your word.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your body, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

And the Word was made flesh,
And lived among us.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your body, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

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

Let us pray.

We pray you, Lord, pour your grace into our hearts that as we have known through the message of an angel, that your Son, Jesus Christ, became human, so by His cross and suffering we may be brought to the glory of His rising again, through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
May God’s help be with us always, and may the souls of those who died in faith, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

The Angelus is also the name of a United States-based magazine, published by the Society of St. Pius X. The SSPX also owns Angelus Press, based in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Official Catholic Latin and English Translations both for the UK and the USA can be found in: Compendium OF THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Which can be found at: http://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html

These translations into english are officially promulgated by the Pope and are an expression of the Ordinary Universal Magesterium.

These translations are as follows:

Latin:

Angelus Domini Ángelus Dómini nuntiávit Maríæ. Et concépit de Spíritu Sancto.

Ave, María...

Ecce ancílla Dómini. Fiat mihi secúndum verbum tuum.

Ave, María...

Et Verbum caro factum est. Et habitávit in nobis.

Ave, María...

Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei génetrix. Ut digni efficiámur promissiónibus Christi.

Orémus.

Grátiam tuam, quæsumus, Dómine, méntibus nostris infúnde; ut qui, Ángelo nuntiánte, Christi Fílii tui incarnatiónem cognóvimus, per passiónem eius et crucem, ad resurrectiónis glóriam perducámur.

Per eúndem Christum Dóminum nostrum. Amen.

Glória Patri...

English for both the UK and USA:

The Angelus V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.(Lk 1:28) 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.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. R. Be it done unto me according to thy word. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee...

V. And the Word was made flesh. R. And dwelt among us. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee...

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.

Glory be to the Father...

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition article "Angelus", a publication now in the public domain.
• This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.

• The Angelus (Magazine).
• Read this prayer at roman-catholic-prayers.com [1] (Second Version Link)
• The Angelus (Anglo-Catholic wording).
• "I pray the Angelus", an initiative to promote the Angelus to websurfers
• Catholic Encyclopedia "Angelus Bell"