REGINA CÆLI - Gregorian chant for Eastertide
During Eastertide, this ancient Marian antiphon replaces the Angelus and invites us to rejoice with Mary in the resurrection of her Son. Like the Angelus, the Regina Coeli is prayed three times a day: at sunrise, at noon, and at sunset (usually at 6:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, and 6:00 p.m.). An ancient legend says that when Pope Gregory the Great led a procession to the Virgin Mary to implore an end to a plague in Rome, he heard angelic voices singing the first three verses of the Regina Coeli and added the line "Ora pro nobis Deum. Alleluia" ("Pray to God for us"). According to legend, the prayers were heard and the plague ended.
