Prayer to Saint Michael
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The Prayer to Saint Michael is a Christian prayer addressed to Michael the archangel. It is used most prevalently among Catholics.
The prayer was introduced by Pope Leo XIII at the end of the 19th century and was customarily recited on behalf of the Church at the end of Mass (liturgy). Following the changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council of 1963-1966, it was no longer typically recited in this manner. However, the late Pope John Paul II has urged Christians to renew their devotion to saying the prayer.
The Prayer
- 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 Divine Power of God --
- cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
- who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
- Amen.
History
It is reported that this prayer was inspired by a vision regarding demons which Leo XIII experienced in the 1880s. A journal from Rome published in 1947 contains the account of a priest who worked at the Vatican during the time of Leo XIII, Domenico Pechenino, who stated that while the Pope was attending Mass, he began to look upwards and displayed an unusual expression on his face. He left Mass and went to his private office, and a short time later called for the Secretary of the Congregation of Rites, handing him a document. This document contained the prayer to St. Michael. The Pontiff requested that the prayer be disseminated to all Catholic ordinaries throughout the world to be recited, and that the congregation kneel when praying it.
The truth of this account is not fully known, but the prayer was indeed to sent to the ordinaries in 1886. Moreover, in 1946 a cardinal reported that Pope Leo XIII truly experienced the vision and spoke about it with his private secretary Rinaldo Angeli.
In 1930, Pope Pius XI linked this prayer with his intention to pray for Russia, then the Soviet Union, and the masses who were experiencing religious persecution there, under the Christian belief that the forces of dictatorship and cruelty were linked to demonic activity.
Reference
Amorth, Gabriele. An Exorcist Tells His Story. trans. N.V. Mackenzie. Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1999. (trans. of Un esorcista racconta, 1994.)