Catholic

The Angelus

A brief devotion to the Incarnation prayed three times a day — morning, noon, and evening — built from Scripture and three Hail Marys.

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Marking the Day Around the Incarnation

The Angelus takes its name from its opening Latin words, Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae — "The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary." Its custom of ringing church bells at 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. to call the faithful to pause and pray it dates to medieval Europe, with roots as early as the 11th century and its now-familiar triple-ringing pattern standardized by the 14th-16th centuries. Popes have prayed it publicly at noon from the window of the Apostolic Palace for generations.

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary...

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. R. Be it done unto me according to thy word. Hail Mary...

V. And the Word was made flesh. R. And dwelt among us. Hail Mary...

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Helper

Each of the three versicle-and-response pairs is followed by a full Hail Mary — the devotion takes only two to three minutes in total.
During the Easter season, many parishes replace the Angelus with the Regina Caeli ("Queen of Heaven"), a shorter Easter-joy version of the same three-times-daily custom.
Setting a phone alarm for noon is a simple, modern way to keep the ancient custom of a midday pause for prayer.

Source

USCCB — Angelus