Discover why the Catholic Church calls Easter Monday the “Monday of the Angel,” rooted in Scripture and papal reflection on Christ’s resurrection.
Newsroom (06/04/2026 Gaudium Press ) Every year, the morning after Easter Sunday unfolds with a quieter grace in Catholic tradition — Easter Monday, or as the Church tenderly names it, the “Monday of the Angel.” Across many European and South American countries, it remains both a public holiday and a spiritual continuation of Easter joy, often called “Little Easter.”
The title itself carries deep theological meaning. In a Vatican Radio reflection from 1994, Pope John Paul II explained the significance. “Why is it called that?” he asked. “Because an angel had to proclaim from the depths of the grave, ‘He is risen.’”
The Pope noted that even the women who found the empty tomb, although first witnesses to the resurrection, could not yet utter the astounding truth. It was the angel who gave voice to it. “The tomb was empty,” John Paul II said, “but it was the angel who declared more: ‘He is not here, he has risen.’”
The Angel’s Proclamation
In the Gospel of Matthew (28:5–7), the divine messenger speaks directly to the faithful:
“Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.”
These lines preserve the angel’s timeless role — proclaiming God’s triumph and dispelling fear with truth.
For the Church, angels embody the serenity and certainty of God’s word. They are his servants and messengers, spiritual beings of intellect and will, surpassing all visible creation in purity and perfection. Christ himself affirmed their nearness to divinity: “The angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).
From the Annunciation to the Resurrection, angels stand as divine heralds. One announced Christ’s conception to Mary; another announced his victory over death to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. Both moments frame salvation’s mystery — life springing forth where none was thought possible.
Joy Renewed: Regina Caeli
The Church’s daily rhythm also changes in the Easter season. From Easter Monday until Pentecost, the faithful pray the Regina Caeli instead of the Angelus. This prayer celebrates the joy of the Virgin Mary and the Resurrection of her Son.
On Easter Monday in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI called the Regina Caeli “a new Annunciation.” But this time, he said, it is Christians themselves who become the messengers, inviting Mary — and through her, all of creation — to rejoice.
“‘Rejoice’ was the first word that the heavenly messenger addressed to the Virgin in Nazareth,” Benedict reflected. “Now after the drama of the Passion, a new invitation rings out: Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia, for the Lord is truly risen.”
A Celebration of Divine Message
“Monday of the Angel” reminds believers that Easter’s truth is first communicated not by human discovery, but by divine proclamation. The angel’s words echo still: He is risen.
In that message, the Church finds the enduring call of Easter — to move from fear to faith, from silence to witness, and to announce, with the certainty of the first messenger, the living presence of Christ in the world today.
Regina Caeli (English)
V. Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
R. For he whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
V. Has risen, as he said, alleluia.
R. Pray for us to God, alleluia.
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
V. 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.
R. Amen.
Regina Caeli (Latin)
V. Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia.
R. Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia.
V. Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia.
R. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.
V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.
V. 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.
R. Amen.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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