Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

Added to the prayers after Mass by Pope Leo XIII in 1884, originally for the intention of protecting the Church from the Italian nationalists and later for protection from the evils of atheistic Communism.

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in the day of battle;
be our refuge 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,
cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
that prowl the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

Scripture

Daniel 10:13	The prince of the kingdom of Persia stood in my way for twenty-one days, until finally Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. [Gabriel speaking?]
Daniel 10:21	No one supports me against these except Michael, your prince.
Daniel 12:1	At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people. It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since the nation began until that time. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book.
Jude 1:9	Yet the archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil in a dispute over the body of Moses, did not venture to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”
Revelation 12:7-9	Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.

Tradition

Christian tradition gives to St. Michael four offices:

• To fight against Satan.
• To rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death.
• To be the champion of God's people, the Jews in the Old Law, the Christians in the New Testament; therefore he was the patron of the Church, and of the orders of knights during the Middle Ages.
• To call away from earth and bring men's souls to judgment ("signifer S. Michael repraesentet eas in lucam sanctam", Offert. Miss Defunct. "Constituit eum principem super animas suscipiendas", Antiph. off. Cf. The Shepherd of Hermas, Book III, Similitude 8, Chapter 3).