The Angelus is a powerful Catholic devotion that can add joy, peace and purpose into everyday life. The spiritual benefits of praying this prayer come with the commitment to pray it each day at dawn, midday and dusk.
Very little is said about origin and development of the prayer compared to other Catholic devotions. In general we know that praying The Angelus was a practice that formed as an offshoot of the Liturgy of the Hours. After evening vespers, monks would pray three Hail Marys and meditate on the mystery of the Incarnation. That practice of reciting three Hail Marys grew into a larger devotion of praying the Angelus in the evening, then in later years at dawn, and then finally at midday. The belfries of local churches and monasteries would ring the bells three times at 6:00 AM, Noon, and 6:00 PM to call all people nearby to stop everything and pray together the Angelus. In recent years the prayer has seen greater attention through the Sunday Angelus address by popes, but since Vatican II it has fallen out of practice.
For more information, visit The Angelus Prayer website.