Praying of the Angelus in Some Catholic Basic Schools

DEPSOCOM Accra recently paid a visit to a couple of Catholic Basic Schools in Accra and witnessed how the Schools observe or obey the time for praying the Angelus.

Every day at noon, the PA systems at most of these Catholic Schools comes on with a ping! And an invitation rings out, “Please stand for the Angelus.” Throughout the entire building and campus (playground included), everyone from preschool through administration joins in praying the Angelus, recalling and praying the mystery of salvation that came through Mary’s “yes.”

Speaking to DEPSOCOM Accra, one of the basic school teachers said praying the Angelus interrupts whatever task you are in, just as the arrival of Christ in the Incarnation interrupts the world. “At our school, the example set by teachers shows the students how to make space for God and prayer amidst daily life”, she said.

She went further to say that, far from being a distraction, the welcome interruption of the Angelus teaches a life-long lesson: no activity is more important than prayer—not work, not study, not conversation, not even recess. “The injunction to pray also reminds us of the meaning of our work, that we have been invited to a service of love by the God who first loved us”, she added.

Another teacher also expressed her love and interest in praying the Angelus and reciting the rosary even though she is not Catholic. She acknowledged the moral discipline instilled in the children which will aid in their upbringing.

The Angelus, a prayer with roots back to the 13th century, is a Marian devotion that is traditionally recited three times a day, usually at 6am, noon, and 6pm. Each recitation includes three Hail Marys with antiphons and responses in between each. The genius of this devotion, especially in a place of catechesis like a Catholic school, is that it focuses on the Incarnation (an essential mystery of our faith) and that its practice mirrors its content.

Source: DEPSOCOM Accra/ESD