Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel
A brief prayer for protection, asking the help of the archangel whom Scripture shows defending God’s people.
Saint Michael appears in Scripture as a defender of God’s people; the Book of Daniel, the Letter of Jude, and the Book of Revelation each mention him. His name is usually explained as a question: “Who is like God?” It is a fitting name for the one invoked against pride and evil.
The Church celebrates Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael together on September 29.
Where the prayer comes from
Pope Leo XIII added this prayer in 1886 to the prayers then said after Low Mass. Those prayers were discontinued in 1964, but the Prayer to Saint Michael never left Catholic devotion. In 1994 Saint John Paul II encouraged the faithful to take it up again, and many parishes and families now pray it after Mass or at the end of the Rosary.
Praying it well
This is not a prayer of fear. It is a prayer of confidence that God is stronger than whatever threatens us, and that he gives us help: his grace, the sacraments, and the company of the angels and saints. It can be prayed in a moment of temptation, before a difficult task, or for someone in danger.
Prayer to Saint Michael
Traditional text.