Regina Caeli, laetare, alleluia. Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia. Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia. V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia. R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia. Oremus. Deus, qui per resurrectionem Filii tui Domini nostri Iesu Christi mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus, ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. For He whom thou wast worthy 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.
Reina del Cielo, alégrate, aleluya. Porque el que mereciste llevar en tu seno, aleluya, Ha resucitado, como dijo, aleluya. Ruega a Dios por nosotros, aleluya. V. Gózate y alégrate, Virgen María, aleluya. R. Porque el Señor ha resucitado verdaderamente, aleluya. Oremos. Oh Dios, que por la resurrección de tu Hijo Jesucristo nuestro Señor llenaste de alegría el mundo entero, concédenos, te rogamos, que por la intercesión de su Madre la Virgen María, consigamos los gozos de la vida eterna. Por el mismo Cristo nuestro Señor. Amén.
Reine du Ciel, réjouissez-vous, alléluia. Car Celui que vous avez mérité de porter, alléluia, Est ressuscité comme il l'avait dit, alléluia. Priez Dieu pour nous, alléluia. V. Réjouissez-vous et soyez dans l'allégresse, Vierge Marie, alléluia. R. Car le Seigneur est vraiment ressuscité, alléluia. Prions. Ô Dieu, qui avez bien voulu réjouir le monde par la résurrection de votre Fils Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ, accordez-nous, nous vous en supplions, d'obtenir par l'intercession de sa Mère la Vierge Marie les joies de la vie éternelle. Par le même Christ Notre Seigneur. Amen.
Himmelskönigin, freue dich, Alleluia. Denn der, den du zu tragen würdig warst, Alleluia, Ist auferstanden, wie er gesagt hat, Alleluia. Bitte Gott für uns, Alleluia. V. Freue dich und juble, Jungfrau Maria, Alleluia. R. Denn der Herr ist wahrhaftig auferstanden, Alleluia. Lasset uns beten. O Gott, der du die Welt durch die Auferstehung deines Sohnes, unseres Herrn Jesus Christus, erfreut hast, verleihe uns, wir bitten dich, dass wir durch die Fürsprache seiner Mutter, der Jungfrau Maria, die Freuden des ewigen Lebens erlangen. Durch denselben Christus, unseren Herrn. Amen.
Regina del Cielo, rallégrati, alleluia. Il Figlio che hai meritato di portare, alleluia, È risorto come aveva detto, alleluia. Prega il Signore per noi, alleluia. V. Gioisci ed esulta, Vergine Maria, alleluia. R. Perché il Signore è veramente risorto, alleluia. Preghiamo. O Dio, che hai dato al mondo la gioia mediante la risurrezione del tuo Figlio, nostro Signore Gesù Cristo, concedici, te ne supplichiamo, di ottenere i gaudi della vita eterna per intercessione della Vergine Maria sua Madre. Per lo stesso Cristo nostro Signore. Amen.
Rainha do Céu, alegra-te, aleluia. Pois Aquele que mereceste trazer no seio, aleluia, Ressuscitou como havia dito, aleluia. Roga a Deus por nós, aleluia. V. Alegra-te e exulta, Virgem Maria, aleluia. R. Porque o Senhor ressuscitou verdadeiramente, aleluia. Oremos. Ó Deus, que encheste o mundo de alegria pela ressurreição do teu Filho, Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo, concede-nos, te pedimos, que pela intercessão da sua Mãe, a Virgem Maria, alcancemos as alegrias da vida eterna. Pelo mesmo Cristo Senhor nosso. Amém.
Królowo Nieba, raduj się, alleluja. Bo Ten, któregoś nosić była godna, alleluja, Zmartwychwstał, jak powiedział, alleluja. Módl się za nami do Boga, alleluja. V. Raduj się i wesel, Panno Maryjo, alleluja. R. Bo Pan zmartwychwstał prawdziwie, alleluja. Módlmy się. Boże, który przez zmartwychwstanie Twojego Syna, Pana naszego Jezusa Chrystusa, napełniłeś świat radością, spraw, prosimy Cię, abyśmy przez wstawiennictwo Jego Matki, Dziewicy Maryi, dostąpili radości życia wiecznego. Przez tegoż Chrystusa, Pana naszego. Amen.
Reyna ng Langit, magsaya ka, aleluya. Sapagkat Siya na iyong naging karapat-dapat na dalhin, aleluya, Ay nabuhay na muli, ayon sa Kanyang sinabi, aleluya. Ipanalangin mo kami sa Diyos, aleluya. V. Magsaya at magalak, Birheng Maria, aleluya. R. Sapagkat ang Panginoon ay tunay na nabuhay na muli, aleluya. Manalangin tayo. O Diyos, na nagbigay ng kagalakan sa mundo sa pamamagitan ng muling pagkabuhay ng Iyong Anak, ang aming Panginoong Hesukristo, ipagkaloob Mo, nawa, sa amin na sa pamamagitan ng pamamagitan ng Kanyang Ina, ang Birheng Maria, ay makamit namin ang mga kagalakan ng buhay na walang hanggan. Sa pamamagitan ng mismong Kristong aming Panginoon. Amen.
Reyna ti Langit, agrag-o ka, aleluya. Ta Isuna nga napaypayso a inkargam, aleluya, Nagunor, kas imbaga na, aleluya. Idawatmo kamin iti Dios, aleluya. V. Agrag-o ken agrukod, Birhen Maria, aleluya. R. Ta ti Apo nagunor met laeng a napaypayso, aleluya. Agkararag tayo. O Dios, a pinaragsak mo ti lubong babaen ti panagunor ti Anakmo, ti Apotayo a Jesukristo, ipaay Mo kadakami, pangngaasim, nga babaen ti panamagpaayan ti Inana, ti Birhen Maria, maala mi dagiti rag-o ti biag nga agnanayon. Babaen ti metten ni Kristo Apotayo. Amen.
The Prayer That Replaces the Angelus
For most of the year, Catholics pray the Angelus — the meditation on the Annunciation, the moment when God entered the world as man. But for fifty days each year, from Easter Sunday through Pentecost, the Church sets it aside and replaces it with the Regina Caeli. The shift is deliberate and theologically precise. The Angelus looks back to the Incarnation; the Regina Caeli looks forward from the Resurrection. Where the Angelus is reverent and expectant, the Regina Caeli is exultant. The same Mary who said fiat at the Annunciation now rejoices that the child she bore has conquered death. The word Alleluia, suppressed throughout Lent, rings through every line. The seasonal exchange is one of the most elegant structural features of Catholic liturgical life.
Medieval Antiphon to Papal Mandate
The Regina Caeli is one of four great Marian antiphons that mark the liturgical seasons — the others being the Alma Redemptoris Mater (Advent/Christmas), Ave Regina Caelorum (Lent), and Salve Regina (Ordinary Time). Its origins are medieval and somewhat obscure. The text appears in manuscripts from the 12th century, and it was long associated with Franciscan and Dominican liturgical practice. A famous legend holds that Pope Gregory the Great (590–604) heard angels singing the first three lines of the antiphon in a procession through Rome during a plague, and added the fourth line — Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia — completing the prayer. Modern scholarship regards this story as pious legend rather than history, but its persistence reflects the antiquity the Church has always perceived in the text.
The Structure of Joy
The Regina Caeli has four strophes, each sealed with an Alleluia — a word so saturated with Easter meaning that the Church forbids its use throughout Lent precisely to restore its force at Easter. The first three strophes are addressed directly to Mary: Queen of Heaven, rejoice — because He whom thou wast worthy to bear — has risen, as He said. The fourth pivots to petition: Pray for us to God. A versicle and response follow, then the collect, which gathers the prayer's joy into a formal request: that through Mary's intercession, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. The movement from proclamation to petition to prayer is characteristic of the antiphon tradition — it is not merely a devotional expression but a liturgical act.
The Alleluia and the Silence Before It
To understand the Regina Caeli, one must understand what the Alleluia costs. From Septuagesima Sunday (in the traditional calendar) or Ash Wednesday (in the ordinary form), the Alleluia is suppressed — buried, as the old custom had it. In the traditional rite, there was a ceremony of bidding farewell to the Alleluia before Lent began, as if sending it away in mourning. Seventy days or forty days pass without it. Then at the Easter Vigil, in the darkness before the dawn, the Alleluia returns with an almost shocking force. Into this context comes the Regina Caeli, with its four-fold Alleluia — one for each strophe — as if the prayer cannot contain its exultation in a single utterance. The repetition is not redundancy; it is insistence.
Papal Devotion and Public Life
Pope Benedict XIV formally established the practice of substituting the Regina Caeli for the Angelus during Eastertide in 1742, giving official structure to what had been a widespread but informal tradition. The prayer has since been woven into the public devotional life of the papacy. When Pope John Paul II began his Sunday noon appearances at St. Peter's Square, he followed a consistent pattern: address the crowd, lead the Angelus (or Regina Caeli in Eastertide), then greet pilgrims by language. The tens of thousands gathered in the square would respond to the prayer's versicle — Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia — with the response: Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia. The exchange of antiphon and response between pope and people, in Latin, across the square, is one of the enduring images of 20th-century Catholic life.
How to Pray It
The Regina Caeli is traditionally prayed three times daily during Eastertide, replacing the Angelus at the 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM hours. It is also prayed at the end of Compline (Night Prayer) during the Easter season in the Liturgy of the Hours, and at the conclusion of Mass in some traditional communities. It can be sung — the plainchant melody is one of the most beautiful in the Marian antiphon repertoire, simple enough to be learned quickly and rich enough to repay a lifetime of singing. For those who pray it privately, it is best prayed standing during Eastertide, as kneeling was traditionally discouraged between Easter and Pentecost in the ancient Church — a posture of resurrection rather than penitence, appropriate to the season's character.
Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For He whom thou wast worthy 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.
Regina Caeli, laetare, alleluia.
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia.
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.
Oremus. Deus, qui per resurrectionem Filii tui Domini nostri Iesu Christi mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus, ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For He whom thou wast worthy 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.