"The Angelus is a short practice of devotion in honour of the Incarnation repeated three times each day, morning, noon, and evening, at the sound of the bell. It consists essentially in the triple repetition of the Hail Mary, to which in later times have been added three introductory versicles and a concluding versicle and prayer. The prayer is that which belongs to the antiphon of Our Lady, 'AlmaRedemptoris,' and its recitation is not of strict obligation in order to gain the indulgence. From the first word of the three versicles, i.e. Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ (The angel of the Lord declared untoMary). the devotion derives its name. The indulgence of 100 days for each recitation, with a plenary once a month. was granted by Benedict XIII, 14 September, 1724, but the conditions prescribed have been somewhat modified by Leo XIII, 3 April, 1884. Originally it was necessary that the Angelus should be said kneeling (except on Sundays and on Saturday evenings, when the rubrics prescribe a standing posture), and also that it should be said at the sound of the bell; but more recent legislation allows these conditions to be dispensed with for any sufficient reason, provided the prayer be said approximately at the proper hours, i.e. in the early morning, or about the hour of noon, or towards evening. In this case. however, the whole Angelus as commonly printed has to be recited, but those who do not know the prayers by heart or who are unable to read them, may say five Hail Marys in their place. During paschal time the antiphon of Our Lady, 'Regina cæli lætare,' with versicle andprayer, is to be substituted for the Angelus. The Angelus indulgence is one of those which are notsuspended during the year of Jubilee."
The Angelus, Jean-Francois Millet, 1857-1859
A few notes before we start the lesson.
The Ave Maria is not included in this lesson. You can find it in Lesson 04.
A Latin letter h is generally thought of as a note of aspiration, not pronounced as it is in English. Ecclesiastical Latin has two peculiar words in which the h sounds like k. One of those words is in this lesson: mihi.
Something we have not addressed before is the Latin words which contain the consonant combination gn, as in digni. We will pronounce it the same way we pronounce the common pasta dish, lasagne: lah-zah-nyah.
The Angelus may not be as familiar today as some other prayers, be they Latin or vernacular. With that in mind, EWTN provides a good translation here.
Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae
(AHN-jay-loos DOH-mee-nee noon-tsee-AH-veet mah-REE-ay)
et concepit de Spiritu Sancto
(eht kohn-CHAY-peet day SPEAR-ee-too SAHNK-toh)
Ave Maria...
Ecce ancilla Domini
(EHK-chay ahn-CHEE-lah DOH-mee-nee)
fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum
(FEE-aht MEE-kee say-KOON-doom VAIR-boom TOO-oom)
Ave Maria...
Et Verbum caro factum est
(eht VAIR-boom KAR-oh FAHK-toom ehst)
et habitavit in nobis
(eht hah-bee-TAH-veet een NOH-bees)
Ave Maria...
Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genitrix
(OR-ah proh NOH-bees SAHNK-tah DAY-ee JAY-nee-treeks)
ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi
(oot DEE-nyee ay-fee-chee-AH-moor proh-mee-see-OHN-ee-boos KREES-tee)
Oremus
(oh-RAY-moos)
Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine,
(GRAH-tsee-ahm TOO-ahm KWAY-soo-moos DOH-mee-nay)
mentibus nostris infunde:
(MEHN-tee-boos NOHS-trees een-FOON-day)
ut qui, Angelo nuntiante,
(oot kwee AHN-jay-loh noon-tsee-AHN-tay)
Christi Filii tui
(KREES-tee FEE-lee-ee TOO-wee)
Incarnationem cognovimus,
(een-kar-nah-tsee-OHN-ehm koh-NYOH-vee-moos)
per passionem eius et crucem,
(pair pahs-see-OHN-ehm AY-oos eht KROO-chehm)
ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur.
(ahd ray-soor-rehk-tsee-OHN-ees GLOH-ree-ahm pair-doo-KAH-moor)
Per eumdem Christum
(pair ay-OOM-dehm KREES-toom)
Dominum nostrum.
(DOH-mee-noom NOHS-troom)
This concludes the sixth lesson. Practice often.
