Herbert Thurston
Catholic
1856–1939
“…we may conclude that the Angelus in its origin was an imitation of the monks' night prayers and that it had probably nothing directly to do with the curfew bell.”
Marian devotion
The Angelus
The threefold daily remembrance of the Incarnation, rung at morning, noon, and evening — grown from the monastic evening bell into a devotion of the whole Church.
The prayer
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
V. And the Word was made flesh. R. And dwelt among us.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. (A Hail Mary is said after each of the first three versicles.)
Where it comes from
The dated sources the library holds, oldest first — in their own words.
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1,269
The evening bell
The custom of a triple Hail Mary at the sound of the evening bell arises in the Franciscan and monastic houses, in memory of the angelic salutation and the Incarnation.
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1,318
Pope John XXII grants an indulgence
The evening Angelus is recommended and indulgenced by Pope John XXII in 1318, and again in 1327 — the first documented papal act for the devotion.
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1,475
Louis XI and the peace bell
Associated with prayer for peace, the Angelus bell is formally commended by Louis XI of France in 1475 for that special object.
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1,550
Morning, noon, and evening
By the sixteenth century the Angelus is rung and prayed three times each day — morning, noon, and evening — throughout the Latin Church.
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1,913