Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel
Also known as: St. Michael Prayer Saint Michael Prayer Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
English Text
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Translation tradition: Traditional English
Latin Text
Sancte Michael Archangele,
defende nos in proelio;
contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.
Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur:
tuque, Princeps militiae caelestis,
Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos,
qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo,
divina virtute, in infernum detrude. Amen.
Scripture: Revelation 12:7–9; Jude 1:9
When to pray: After Mass; in times of spiritual warfare; as a closing prayer of the Rosary.
History & Background
This short prayer was composed by Pope Leo XIII (r. 1878–1903) and published in 1886 following an apparition or mystical experience that the Pope reportedly had concerning a coming trial of the Church. Leo XIII appended it to the prayers recited after Low Mass (the Leonine Prayers), and it was thus prayed at the end of every low Mass until the liturgical reforms following the Second Vatican Council. Pope John Paul II repeatedly encouraged the faithful to resume praying it after Mass. The longer form of the prayer — beginning "O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts" — also dates to Leo XIII. The current short form became the standard version in the English-speaking world through the USCCB.
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