The St Michael prayer asks Saint Michael the Archangel to defend us and protect us from evil. Pope Leo XIII wrote it in the 1880s, and many parishes still pray it after Mass.
Pray it with Clara
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.
Pope Leo XIII, 1880s. Saint Michael appears in Daniel 10 and 12, Jude 9 and Revelation 12.
Pray it with Clara at bedtime, in the Little Prayer Stories app.Get the app →For little ones, “Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle” is a whole prayer. Add the rest as they grow.
After a bad dream or a scary noise, say it together and remind them that God is stronger than anything.
Children pray more gladly to someone they know. Read how Michael led God’s angels in the Book of Revelation.
One of the archangels named in the Bible (Daniel, Jude and Revelation). His name means “Who is like God?”, and his feast, with Gabriel and Raphael, is September 29.
It names the devil, so read it first yourself. Many families begin with the first line only and explain that Saint Michael protects us because God is stronger than every evil.
Praying on your own? The version for grown-ups is on Angelus, our prayer site for adults.
