Pray it three times daily: morning, noon and evening, wherever you are, and let a bell, an alarm or the sound of the church bells be the summons. The form is fixed and short: three versicles with their responses — "The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary," "Behold the handmaid of the Lord," "And the Word was made flesh" — each followed by a Hail Mary, then the versicle "Pray for us, O holy Mother of God," and the concluding prayer, "Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts." Stop what you are doing rather than praying it while working; the point is the interruption. Where circumstances make even this difficult, the Directory on Popular Piety says that at least three Hail Marys should be said. Throughout Eastertide, from Easter Sunday to Pentecost, the Angelus is replaced by the antiphon Regina Caeli, a substitution laid down by Benedict XIV in 1742. On solemn occasions — in religious communities, at Marian shrines, at gatherings — it may be sung, with the Gospel of the Annunciation proclaimed and the bells rung.

The Angelus is treated in the Directory on Popular Piety among the practices recommended by the Magisterium, which praises its simple structure, biblical character, quasi-liturgical rhythm sanctifying the times of the day, and openness to the Paschal Mystery.

Vocal prayer

Latin Church

About 3 minutes

Three times daily — morning, noon and evening

vocal_prayer