P. Gorazd Cetkovský O.Carm.
Years ago, Father Metoděj Minařík encouraged us to get into the habit of adding the prayer Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit... three times each time we pray the Angelus. We listened to him, and since then we have prayed the Angelus in our communities this way.
I thought it was an old Carmelite custom, and that was why Father Metoděj commanded us to do it. However, when I verified this with the brothers, our memories regarding the reasoning given by Father Metoděj at that time were not uniform. The brothers vaguely remember that it perhaps stemmed from a suggestion made by Pope John Paul II or from somewhere else. Recently, when we discussed this topic during meetings of the tertiaries, I gratefully accepted the reminder that even Pope Francis prays the triple Glory be to the Father after the Angelus.
I tried to search for the origin of this custom in the tradition of our order.
On the history of the three daily prayers
The purpose of multiple prayers throughout the day is the effort to sanctify the entire time of the day. Thus, the effort to situate everything we do and experience within one basic framework, which is our constant connection to God.
The three daily prayers were already known in Jewish tradition (cf. Dan 6:11). Early Christians prayed the Our Father three times a day in the first centuries.1 Those who could also tried to pray at nine in the morning, at noon, and at three in the afternoon (translated into our current counting of hours). This prayer later developed in a richer manner, leading to the formation of the Divine Office, commonly known in our area as the breviary.
In the early days of prayer throughout the day, no specific theme was established for prayer at any hour. However, it is noteworthy that Christians sought such themes and liked to connect their prayers with important biblical events that are known to have occurred at the same hour.
Tertullian († around 220), who is one of the first to attest to this prayer practice in the early Christian Church, links it to events from the history of the early church: at nine in the morning, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles (Acts 2:15), at noon Peter had a vision in prayer on the rooftop (Acts 10:9), and at three in the afternoon – the time of prayer according to Jewish custom – Peter and John went to the temple (Acts 3:1) and miraculously healed the lame man by the power of the Lord Jesus. Gradually, the custom emerged (although it was not predominant everywhere) that believers reminded themselves of three pivotal moments of Christ's suffering during their daytime prayers (in the morning the making of the cross, at noon Jesus’ exaltation on the cross, at three o'clock the surrender of the spirit).
In prayer before falling asleep, they remembered Christ's descent into the underworld and at midnight the Lord's resurrection. During the midnight prayer, they also liked to recall Christ's second coming, for which we must always be prepared. Although this focus on the Easter theme weakened over the course of the church's daily prayer, it remained in the prayers of ordinary laypeople. This is evidenced by the books that laypeople used for prayer throughout the Middle Ages.
In subsequent times, the Angelus as we know it today generally prevailed. Thus, contemplation of Easter events was overshadowed by a strong focus on the mystery of the Incarnation. Just as popular awareness and folklore gradually placed greater emphasis on Christmas than on Easter.
The ringing of bells and prayer with it
Originally, ringing had a completely practical significance: in monasteries, the bell called the brothers or sisters to prayer. Therefore, in some places, the custom of ringing to the Angelus with several individual strikes on the bell was preserved. This was traditionally how the signal was given before prayer in monasteries.
Bell ringing "for the public" first appeared in the evening hour. In the Franciscan milieu, it is said,2 that Saint Francis, on his way to the Holy Land, was addressed by the singing of muezzins from the minarets of mosques calling to prayer five times a day.
It is certain that Francis’ Letter to the Rulers of the People contains the exhortation: “And give the Lord among the people entrusted to you that great honor, that every evening a herald or some sign will be announced, that all the people should give praise and thanks to God, Almighty Lord.”3 And to the custodians (provincials) of his order he wrote: “And let His praise be proclaimed and preached to all people in such a way that every hour, and when the bells ring, all the people on the whole earth should give praise and thanks to Almighty God.”4 For Francis, therefore, the theme of evening prayer at the ringing of bells is the praise of God.
Evening bells calling to prayer became a custom in some Italian cities around the middle of the 13th century. In Rome, it was documented in 1327. The first mention of morning ringing comes from Parma in 1317 or 1318, becoming customary by the end of the 14th century. The first evidence of ringing at noon is recorded in 1386 from Prague. The triple ringing each day ultimately became a common custom during the course of the 16th century.
In 1456, Pope Callistus III prescribed ringing every day before evening as a prayer for the averting of the Turkish threat. Even today, bells are sometimes rung exceptionally as a show of solidarity with the suffering or as a prompt to pray for them.
In some regions, bells are currently rung on Thursday evening after the Angelus in remembrance of Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The German context gave this ringing the name "Angstläuten," as it encourages the faithful to join Christ in reverence for his mortal anxiety. A similar custom is the Friday ringing at three o'clock in the afternoon in remembrance of the Lord Jesus' death on the cross. Pope Pius XI also encouraged this in the 20th century.
Since the early Middle Ages, it was also believed that the ringing of bells drives away demons, which is why bells were rung during times of plague or in the danger of storms.5 Even around the time of World War II, among various types of ringing on the church bell in the predominantly German village of Lipolec near Kostelní Vydří, there was also the so-called “storm,” which was used “when there was a bad storm to protect the village from the rage of the elements.”6
Unlike monasteries, in cities and villages, the evening, morning, and noon ringing did not call believers to church, but had the significance of prompting personal prayer: at that moment and in the place where the ringing caught anyone. Originally, people prayed any prayers they wished. However, it is documented that, just like in the breviary, morning prayer was often associated with a thought of the Lord's resurrection, and noon prayer with a reminder of his death. In some regions and orders, it was customary to pray the Hail Mary in the morning while at noon the prayer beginning with the words Tenebrae factae sunt – Darkness fell when the Jews crucified Jesus... was recited (many significant composers have also set it to music). Later, during the course of the 17th century, everything was simplified and it became customary to pray the Angelus three times a day.7
Prayer with the theme of the Annunciation: The Angelus
In searching for the origins of the Angelus prayer, the traces again lead back to the Franciscan milieu. In the entire church, there was an ancient belief that the event of the Annunciation occurred in the evening. Franciscans rang the bell three times in the evening before praying Compline, and Brother Benedict Sinigardi († 1282) advocated that during this time they pray the Marian antiphon three times, speaking of how the angel Gabriel greeted the Virgin Mary. At the general chapter of the order in 1263, Saint Bonaventure, the general minister, encouraged the entire order in this regard. The provincial chapter of the Franciscans in Padua in 1294 stipulated: “In all convents, let there be a short ringing of the bell in the evening in honor of the Mother of God. Let all brothers kneel and pray three times the Hail Mary, full of grace (Ave Maria, gratia plena).” To the citation from Lk 1:28: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you”, were added the words of Elizabeth praising the Virgin Mary: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42), as well as the names Mary and Jesus. The request Holy Mary, etc. is of somewhat later origin, probably from the 14th century.
In the 14th century, this evening prayer spread beyond the Franciscan family, and believers began to pray the same in the morning and later at noon as well. In the 15th century, the three Hail Marys during the evening prayer were supplemented with verses about the angel's announcement to the Virgin Mary, her response, and the subsequent incarnation of God – the Word, as we pray these verses today. Subsequently, these verses were included in the morning and noon prayers and supplemented with the concluding prayer: "Lord, we have known the angelic message..."
The development of the Angelus prayer closed sometime in the late 16th century. We find it, for example, in the Marian little hours published in 1571 under Pope Pius V. The repetition of the Hail Mary in it holds a similar significance to that in the rosary: it serves for deeper meditation on the mysteries of salvation.
The Angelus prayer is thus a kind of popular breviary: we turn to the Virgin Mary, remembering key events of our salvation and begging for God's grace.
Testimony of the Prague Synod from 1605
If we overlook the reference to the Paschal events in the closing prayer: "may his suffering and cross lead us to the glory of the resurrection", it may seem to us that the Angelus prayer is unilaterally focused only on the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. An interesting testimony that our ancestors did not perceive it so narrowly can be found in the provisions of the Prague diocesan synod from 1605. Let us emphasize: the Angelus is just fresh out of being developed into its final form and was becoming a common custom, just like the ringing that accompanied it. Let us translate the synodal text from Latin:
In every parish church, let the faithful be encouraged three times a day – namely in the early morning, at noon, and at dusk – by the voice of the bell to prayer (...). And in those established intervals, it is most necessary to seek and call upon the protection8 of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, that through the outstanding benevolence shown to humanity in those hours by her presence, she may grant mercy to the faithful from her only-begotten Son. For the sound of the bell renews in the morning the memory of the resurrection of Christ the Lord, who – when he rose from the dead – immediately appeared to his most holy Mother. The noon ringing takes place to evoke the memory and to remind of Christ’s Passion, of which Mary was present. The evening (ringing) reminds the mind and spirit of the benefaction of the Incarnation of our Savior in the womb of the most blessed Virgin. That the faithful may thus pray in those three times in a united manner and may obtain indulgences set forth by the highest Bishops, let the pastors take care that all kneel and recite three times the Angelic greeting with the three verses and (the concluding) prayer, as was prayed according to the ancient custom of the Church.
After that, the synod directly presents the text of the Angelus prayer as we pray it today. It is therefore evident that even when in the Baroque period Catholic Christians prayed the prayer of the Incarnation of the Son of God, they had the entire life of the Lord Jesus, which brings us salvation, in mind.
To further root the Angelus in practical religious life contributed the fact that Pope Benedict XIII granted indulgences in 1724 to those who would pray it. As it was customary to pray it kneeling, the ringing associated with it received the name "kneeling" in the Czech language. In 1742, Pope Benedict XIV prescribed that on Saturday evening and Sunday this prayer should be recited standing (as part of the celebration of Christ’s resurrection) and during the Easter season, it should be replaced by the prayer: Rejoice, Queen of Heaven. The latter is also traditionally prayed standing, not kneeling.9
How to pray the Angelus today?
What are your experiences? We pride ourselves on "the ringing at our place." But do we pray with it? In the past, the bell-ringer, who pulled the bell's rope, certainly prayed, but today bells are moved by an automatic electric drive. And we divide our day nearly to the minute and engage in activities that we cannot easily interrupt at will. Thus, I often ask myself: how necessary is it to adhere to the precise noon and the time when the bells ring, or should one rather pray in greater peace at another time? And if I know that I will pray at another time, yet I hear the bells now, I still want to react to it in some way. What form of prayer is bearable for me at such a moment and can please God and me? The ringing is in any case beautiful simple music. This aspect aligns our hearts to praise God. Even just by gratefully listening...
Pope Paul VI expressed "a fervent call to preserve the custom of reciting this prayer whenever possible. (...) And although times have changed, certain moments of the day – morning, noon, and evening – continue to hold significance for the majority of people, dividing the rhythm of work and simultaneously inviting to silent concentration in prayer."10
The oldest mentions in Carmelite tradition
In old Carmelite books containing rules for prayer, we find these mentions of the Angelus prayer.
Ordinale, published in 1544, prescribes ringing in the morning at dawn and in the evening after Compline three times with three strikes, “to inspire the devotion of the people.” I interpret this to mean that the bell from the monastery church could be heard in the surrounding area, allowing people to realize that the Carmelites were currently praying, and they could join them from afar.
Caeremoniale from 1616 states:
“The ringing to the Angel's salutation after sunset should be done three times with three strikes; likewise, in the morning and at noon according to the custom in that country. During this ringing, the brothers (...) should kneel (except on Sundays) and recite three verses 'The Angel of the Lord...,' three Hail Marys with the prayer 'Lord, we have known...' and 'Of souls of the faithful.'”11
Thus, the instruction to add the triple prayer Glory be to the Father is not given here.
The oldest externally found evidence of the triple Glory be to the Father
Father Tomáš Špidlík, without mentioning the Carmelites, writes: “In 1815, Pius VII ordered that three 'Glory be to the Father' should be added (to the Angelus prayer) in gratitude to the Most Holy Trinity for the gifts granted to the Virgin Mary, especially for her Assumption.”12
A similar information is found in the Czech Theological Dictionary in the entry on Doxologia.13 It also states the exact date when Pope Pius VII encouraged the faithful to pray the triple Glory be to the Father. He did so on July 11, 1815. It also quotes another fact, namely that the Pope granted indulgences to those who would pray in this manner. I thank the Premonstratensian priest from Želiv, P. Jindřich Z. Charouza, who pointed out this information in this dictionary. P. Jindřich also expressed the hypothesis that Pope Pius VII may have indeed adhered to the ancient custom of an individual religious community and expanded it to the entire Church; this would not be an isolated case in history. To confirm that this was indeed the case, we would need to ascertain the original wording of the document proclaiming the mentioned indulgences.
Let us first briefly examine the person mentioned, the Pope. (Although it is questionable to what extent the introduction of this prayer could have been his personal initiative. As we will see later, the indulgence decree was issued by the competent papal office – the Congregation for Indulgences.) Pope Pius VII made several notable contributions to the history of Marian devotion in the Catholic Church. In 1814, in gratitude for his rescue from Napoleon's captivity, he prescribed for the whole Church the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, previously celebrated only by the Servite Order. In 1815, for the same reason, he established the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, and prescribed its celebration on May 24. And in the same year, he urged all the faithful to meet for May Marian devotions.14
From our national history, we remember the figure of Archbishop Jan of Jenštejn († 1400), who advocated for the establishment of the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The establishment of a feast is an invitation to repeated prayer. Year after year. This is much more effective than if the Pope wrote a document or organized a solemn event or something else that would reach only a narrow circle of believers or quickly fade away. The feast returns. And there is also the personal reason why Pius VII established the feasts. Do we understand this from our own experience? Yes, we also remember and commemorate dates of various graces received: marriage or ordination, a car accident from which we miraculously survived, etc. Saint Thérèse wrote to her spiritual brother, seminarian Abbot Bellier: “I have one more request: I would like you to write to me the memorable dates of your life, so I can connect with you in a very special way and thank our dear Savior for the graces he has bestowed upon you.”15 And similarly, she then sent him “memorable dates of her life, with the intention that we might be particularly united in prayer and gratitude on these blessed days.”16
But let’s return to the search for the document proclaiming indulgences for those who would pray the triple Glory be to the Father after the Angelus. A thorough book on indulgences,17 which I found in the library of the monastery in Straubing, does not contain directly the wording of the decree, but at least provides further detailed information. It states that Pope Pius VII, by decree of the papal congregation for indulgences on July 11, 1815, granted indulgences to all the faithful who, at the beginning of the day, at noon, and in the evening, pray three “Glory be to the Father, etc.” with the intention of giving thanks to the Most Holy Trinity for the sublime gifts and privileges granted to the Virgin Mary, especially through her Assumption. Believers could obtain partial indulgences this way every day, and plenary indulgences only once a month – on any day of that month, provided they prayed in this manner throughout the month and fulfilled the customary general conditions required for obtaining indulgences on that day.
So there is no mention of any connection with the Angelus prayer! If the Angelus prayer in its current form had already spread in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was thus already taken for granted by 1815. Therefore, the triple Glory be to the Father recommended by Pope Pius VII was not another variant of the Angelus during the daily ringing at morning, noon, and evening, but was added as a supplement to the Angelus prayer.
This is not the only case of combining prayers. Historical evidence shows that around 1735 in a monastery in German Frankfurt, Carmelites sang three Hail Marys after evening prayer.18 This is very similar to the Franciscan three Hail Marys we discussed earlier. Moreover, in earlier times, the personal prayers of many people in their simplest form consisted of simply reciting (some or all) the prayers they knew by heart. And this practice is alive today and certainly will be maintained to some extent in the future.
But let’s return to the core of our investigation: the probability that we maintain an ancient Carmelite custom by praying the triple Glory be to the Father after the Angelus seems very low...
So did we strain ourselves unnecessarily?
Let us not rush to such a judgment. Let’s take a closer look at the triple Glory be to the Father. There is never enough praise to God, acknowledging His glory. And when we remember the mystery of the Trinity directly, it helps us not to lose sight of the fact that our God is great and mysterious – yet simultaneously close like the incarnate Son and the Holy Spirit. If our faith is alive, it bears abundant fruit in our practical life: respect for God, trust in His power, a healthy fear of offending His love, a desire to truly be friends of Jesus, to live by the Spirit, etc. This year, during the exercises of our delegation led by Father Salvador Villota, a Carmelite from Valencia, we could experience this very strongly.
And with this call, Pope Pius VII leads us to a fresh attentiveness to the great reality of Mary’s Assumption into heaven with her resurrected body. It is worth noting: in 1815, this truth of faith had not yet been officially proclaimed as a reliably defined part of the faith of the Catholic Church (dogma). In the most detailed delineation of the history of this dogma that I have had access to,19 it is stated that even after 1668, in France, the belief that Mary was taken up to heavenly glory with body and soul after her death was the subject of much theological debate, accompanied by the publishing of books espousing one position or another. A hundred years later, Pope Benedict XIV (1740–1758) expressed himself only in cautious words, stating that the belief in Mary’s Assumption is “a pious and probable supposition.” Then came the year 1815, which we mentioned. The first requests for the official proclamation of this dogma addressed to the papal throne are noted from 1849. It began to appear necessary to clearly define the teaching of the Catholic Church on this issue.
From all this, I believe it can be concluded that Pope Pius VII, in 1815, by proclaiming indulgences for those who would pray the mentioned prayers and stressing gratitude for Mary’s Assumption into heaven, intended to influence the faithful to strengthen their conviction regarding this truth of faith...
And what about us? Do we have a more personal relationship with this "article of faith"? What does it say to us? In the fact that God received Mary into glory with body and soul after her death, we can see a manifestation of God’s faithfulness. God did not just “use” Mary within His plan of the Incarnation of the Son of God. After Mary fulfilled her task, God did not discard her, did not forget her, but He remained faithful to the intimacy with the Trinity into which He placed Mary through the Incarnation of His Son. And thus, He did not leave Mary, even to the slightest extent, in the power of death; but – as Pope Pius XII formulated in 1950:
"The exalted Mother of God, mysteriously connected from eternity with Jesus Christ, the single and same purpose of predestination, immaculate in her conception, wholly unblemished virgin in her divine motherhood, generous cooperatrix with the divine Redeemer, victor who completely overcame sin and its consequences, ultimately achieved as the crowning glory of her privileges that she was preserved from corruption in the grave and that, like her Son, after victory over death, she was raised up with body and soul to supreme heavenly glory."20
Is there not a beautiful invitation for us to trust in God’s faithfulness as we strive to live with God? In the light of the faith in Mary’s Assumption, we can look forward to when God will show His faithfulness to us as well. Do not worry; this is not a presumptuous ambition on our part. He will not do it for our merits (we have none), but because "even if we are unfaithful, He remains faithful" (2 Tim 2:13).
And let us not think only that God was faithful to Mary because of her closeness to Christ through the bond of motherhood. Mary was also close to Christ as his faithful disciple – in accordance with his word about the blessedness of those who "hear the word of God and keep it" (Lk 11:28). Mary’s Assumption invites us to hope. To wait confidently for God to complete the work of His salvation that He has begun in us.
And (perhaps most importantly) Mary’s Assumption is a clear reminder that God has a greater purpose for us than just earthly life. Today’s age, which is so trapped in practical materialism, needs this reminder very much. We, believing Christians, are not exempt from it. Mary’s Assumption encourages us to take seriously the words of the Apostle Paul regarding how we should live after our baptism, having been united with Christ: "Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on earth" (Col 3:1–2; ecumenical translation).
Moreover, there are certainly other ways to understand and utilize the triple prayer of praise to the Holy Trinity. This act of praise and thanksgiving, we can, for example, easily extend to specific graces we have received that particular day and thank for them.
The evidence that the original intention recommended by Pope VII has been forgotten or that we feel we are not strictly bound by it is, for example, the suggestion of John XXIII, who – at the end of 1959, asked believers worldwide to pray for the forthcoming Second Vatican Council – proposed as a specific form: for example, to dedicate one of the three Glory be to the Father after the Angelus for this intention.21
What does Carmel have in common with the triple Glory be to the Father?
After all the investigation, we must say: the belief that the triple repetition of the Glory be to the Father after the Angelus comes from Carmelite circles is probably historically untrue. But I dare to assert: the truth is, that in the justification of this prayer as mentioned in the document from 1815, and in our Carmelite inclination to this prayer, there is something very close to us!
From the very beginning of the order, Carmelites considered themselves brothers, closely connected to Mary. And all this investigation and pondering has been beneficial for us: it has reminded us that intimacy with the Virgin Mary is part of what Carmel is about, a connection we often do not dare to acknowledge today. How?
Remember: even when we were children, adults admonished us: “Do not speak for others!” They taught us to respect the freedom and independence of others. Because speaking for someone else can easily be a guise that hides pride, arrogance, and manipulation. Imagine: if some stranger came and thanked your parents for giving you life and for everything they ever did for you, how would that come across? What feelings would it evoke in you and in them towards that person? Wouldn't it seem to us to be a presumptuous and arrogant act? Such thanks would only be legitimate to the extent that there was a truly very intense relationship between that person and you.
Let’s explore together: can you think of a situation from life in which we thank someone for what they did for someone close to us, and such gratitude is entirely appropriate? In my opinion, the wedding day thank you from the groom to the bride’s parents is something like that. Before everyone goes to church, he thanks her parents for giving her life, raising her, and all that they have done for her... And it is not a presumptuous act on his part. He has until then been a stranger to their family, but now a strong and brave love connects him with their daughter, who is now becoming his wife, linking her life with his.
When we thank God for what he has given to Mary, it is a bit presumptuous on our part... To put it more precisely: such thanks are only appropriate if there is a very, very close relationship between us and Mary.
It’s essentially a relational triangle
If we adhere to the intention presented by Pope VII and pray this way, then we are strengthening the triangle of relationships shared by these actors:
- God and Mary; we thank God for His love for Mary and for what He has shown her; while we cannot strengthen this relationship between them, we praise it!
- we and God: when we pray "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit...", we express and strengthen our relationship with the Holy Trinity,
- we and Mary: without directly speaking about it, our gratitude for what God has shown to Mary grows out of our intense relationship with her and even strengthens it.
I like visualizing these relationships as a triangle, whose vertices are God, Mary, and myself. The mentioned prayer includes this entire triangle with all three of its sides.
I do not know if this was clear to Pope Pius VII or to his officials who were working in the congregation for indulgences at that time and approved this prayer. But it can be clear to us, and when we pray the triple Glory be to the Father after the Angelus "in gratitude to the Most Holy Trinity for the graces and special privileges bestowed upon the Virgin Mary, especially her glorious Assumption,” we continue in the deepest tradition of Carmel: we surrender our lives to God in a trusting connection with Mary.
The Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection of the Lord are the realities we consider to be the most important for our earthly and eternal lives. Therefore, we remember them at least three times a day and talk about them with God and Mary through the prayer of the Angelus and the triple Glory be to the Father.
