Wednesday, April 11, 2012

It's Regina Coeli season!

During the 50 days of Easter, the Regina Coeli ("Queen of Heaven") takes the place of the Angelus, morning, noon and evening. Here are the words of this prayer in the traditional English translation:
Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
Has risen, as He said, alleluia.
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.

Like the "Ave Maria," the Regina Coeli has countless musical renditions. Here are a few sample, starting with chant:







Nobody does it like Mozart:

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Very beautiful. Is it ever chanted in the english translation?

Sister Anne said...

There are some awkward versions which attempt to fit the English words into the chant music, but they ... don't really work. There are also some hymns which adapt the Regina Coeli to metrical music; these are both in Latin and English (you might find these in a parish hymnal).

About the Angelus Project

We rightly admire Muslim neighbors and co-workers who put everything on hold five times a day in answer to the "call to prayer." But Christians have a call to prayer, too! It is the Angelus. Morning, noon and evening we are invited to pause and reaffirm our faith in the Incarnation: The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14), because "God so loved the world that he sent his only Son" (Jn. 3:16).
The Angelus Project is a personal project of Sister Anne Flanagan, FSP, a Daughter of St Paul. Find out more about the media ministry of the Daughters of St Paul at DaughtersofStPaul.com.

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