REGÍNA CǼLI | QUEEN OF HEAVEN
PAY TRIBUTE TO OUR BLESSED MOTHER AND EXPRESS JOY AT THE RESURRECTION OF HER SON, OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
About This Prayer
The Regina Caeli (Queen of Heaven) is one of four seasonal Marian antiphons of the Liturgy of the Hours. It replaces the Angelus during the Easter season, from Holy Saturday through Pentecost. According to tradition, this hymn dates to the 6th century or earlier, and it joyfully celebrates the Resurrection of Christ.
Pray Three Times Daily from Easter Day Through Pentecost, the Seventh Sunday After Easter, in Place of Angelus Dómini
REGÍNA CǼLI
V. Regína cǽli, lætáre; allelúia. [TTS: "Regína cǽli, lætáre; allelúia. Quia quem meruísti portáre; allelúia."] R. Quia quem meruísti portáre; allelúia. V. Resurréxit sicut dixit; allelúia. [TTS: "Resurréxit sicut dixit; allelúia. Ora pro nóbis Déum; allelúia."] R. Ora pro nóbis Déum; allelúia. V. Gáude et lætáre, Virgo María; allelúia. [TTS: "Gáude et lætáre, Virgo María; allelúia. Quia surrexit Dóminus vere; allelúia."] R. Quia surrexit Dóminus vere; allelúia. Oremus [TTS: "Déus, qui per resurrectionem Fílii tui Domini nóstri Iésu Chrísti mundum lætificare dignatus es, præsta, quæsumus, ut per éius Genetricem Virginem Mariam perpetuæ capiamus gaudia vitæ. Per eundem Chrístum Dóminum nóstrum. Amen."] Déus, qui per resurrectionem Fílii tui Domini nóstri Iésu Chrísti mundum lætificare dignatus es, præsta, quæsumus, ut per éius Genetricem Virginem Mariam perpetuæ capiamus gaudia vitæ. Per eundem Chrístum Dóminum nóstrum. Amen.
QUEEN OF HEAVEN
V. Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. R. For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia. V. Has risen, as he said, alleluia. R. Pray for us to God, alleluia. V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia. Let Us Pray O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Related Prayers
Common Questions
When is the Regina Caeli prayed?
The Regina Caeli is the Marian antiphon of the Easter season, prayed from Easter Sunday through the Saturday after Pentecost. Throughout this period it replaces the Angelus and is prayed three times a day, traditionally at 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. The Pope himself prays it with the faithful in Saint Peter's Square at noon every Sunday of the Easter season, in place of the Angelus address.
What does the Regina Caeli celebrate?
The Regina Caeli is a song of Easter joy directed to Mary: 'Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia, for he whom you merited to bear, alleluia, has risen, as he said, alleluia.' The antiphon turns to Mary first, since she who bore Christ in his Incarnation is the first to share fully in the joy of his Resurrection. Each line ends with the Easter 'alleluia,' the song of the redeemed.
Where does this antiphon come from?
Catholic tradition associates the Regina Caeli with the 6th century or earlier, and a beloved legend tells of Pope Saint Gregory the Great hearing angels sing the first three lines during a procession through Rome and adding the fourth himself. While the legend cannot be confirmed, the antiphon is certainly ancient. Pope Benedict XIV formally decreed in A.D. 1742 that the Regina Caeli replace the Angelus during the entire Easter season.
How does the Regina Caeli fit with the four seasonal Marian antiphons?
The Regina Caeli is one of four great Marian antiphons sung at Compline (Night Prayer) in the Liturgy of the Hours, each assigned to a particular liturgical season. The Alma Redemptoris Mater is sung from the First Sunday of Advent through February 2; the Ave Regina Caelorum from February 2 through Wednesday of Holy Week; the Regina Caeli throughout the Easter season; and the Salve Regina from after Pentecost through the start of Advent. Together these four antiphons consecrate every season of the Church year to the Mother of God.