Prayers We All Should Know: The Saint Michael Prayer

As Catholics, we are blessed to share a rich and vibrant prayer heritage that has accumulated over literally thousands of years. Over time, many of these prayers that once were mainstays of our faith have been sadly neglected or just not taught – and as a result, not said – as often as they once were.

One of those is commonly referred to as The Saint Michael Prayer. Up until 1970, this prayer, along with the Hail Holy Queen, was said at the end of every Low Mass. Let’s delve into this prayer and its importance.

Who was Saint Michael?

St. Michael the Archangel, one of the three archangels whose names are recorded in the Bible, plays a key role in both creation history and Revelation. It is he whose very name means “Who is like to God?” the cry that is attributed to him as he led the battle in heaven between Satan’s followers and the angels who remained faithful to God at the beginning of time. He is also the angel named in the Book of Revelation who ultimately will sound the final trumpet and bring about the defeat of the beast. This leader of God’s angelic armies also has been looked to since the time of the Apostles as the protector of the Church. Given this rich history as God’s warrior and our protector, it’s no wonder that the faithful have turned to Saint Michael for assistance with daily struggles and temptations.

Origin of the prayer

The Saint Michael Prayer was instituted in 1886 by Pope Leo XIII. Although the details of the happenings of that day – and the date on which they are said to have occurred – vary, all the accounts that have been handed down to us center around the aged Pope having a mystical experience. Most accounts say it happened after the Pope Leo XIII finished celebrating Mass. Some accounts say he stopped at the foot of the altar, transfixed by a vision, while other accounts say he passed out or appeared dead for quite some time. When pressed as to what happened later, he supposedly explained that he had a vision of the devil wreaking havoc on the church. Some accounts recount that he heard the voices of God and Satan in conversation, with Satan boasting that he could destroy the church if God but gave him power and time to do so. The Pontiff himself never mentioned the vision, although Cardinal Nasalli Rocca seemingly confirmed the fact that the Pontiff had a vision of some type in his Pastoral Letter for Lent, which he sent to Bologna in 1946.

In any case after the experience, Pope Leo XIII composed the Saint Michael Prayer, and issued instructions that the prayer should be said after all Low Masses said everywhere in the world. This tradition of saying the prayer after Mass continued until the new rite of the Mass was put into place in about 1970. The prayer found new life when on April 24, 1994, Pope John Paul II urged Catholics to once again recite this prayer to Saint Michael: "The prayer can fortify us for that spiritual battle about which the Letter to the Ephesians speaks [of]: ‘Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.’(Ephesians 6:10). And to this same battle that the Book of the Apocalypse refers [to], recalling in front of our eyes the image of St. Michael the Archangel (cf. Revelations 12:7). Surely, this scene was very present to Pope Leon XIII, when, at the end of the previous century, he introduced to the entire Church a special prayer to St. Michael: ‘St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil…’ Even if today this prayer is no longer recited at the end of the Eucharistic celebration, I invite all to not forget it, but to recite it in order to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness and the spirit of this world."

The Prayer of Saint Michael

There are two main versions of The Saint Michael Prayer, a long and a short version, with several minor wording variations. Which came first is also a question of debate, with some versions of the story saying Pope Leo XIII penned the short version quickly and the long version after, and some citing the reverse.

The customary short version, which many American Catholics grew up with, reads:

"Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits, who prowl throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."

The long version can be found on many websites. I’ve posted it in its entirety, taken from the Roman Raccolta, on my blog at countertheculture.wordpress.com.

No matter which version you favor, this prayer can be a powerful resource in times of trial and temptation, and it is incredibly appropriate for the times in which we find ourselves today.