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,
cast into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
CATHOLIC 1886 AD
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
Also known as St. Michael Prayer ยท Saint Michael the Archangel
About this prayer
The Prayer to St. Michael was composed by Pope Leo XIII and published in 1886 AD. According to accounts recorded after his death, Leo XIII had a vision or locution following Mass in which he was shown a future period of severe trial for the Church, after which he composed the prayer. Leo XIII ordered the prayer to be said after Low Mass throughout the Catholic Church, a practice that continued until the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. The prayer asks St. Michael, the archangel identified in Revelation 12 as the leader of the heavenly armies against Satan, to defend the Church against spiritual adversaries. Pope John Paul II encouraged the revival of the prayer in 1994 AD. It is one of the few prayers in the Catholic tradition with a documented papal author.
When it's said
The Prayer to St. Michael is said after Mass in many traditional Catholic parishes, where it was restored following its removal after the Second Vatican Council. It is also said as a private devotional prayer, particularly at the start of any endeavor requiring spiritual protection. The feast of St. Michael and All Angels (Michaelmas) is celebrated on September 29 in the Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran calendars.
Notes on the text
A longer version of the prayer exists, composed at the same time by Leo XIII, which includes a fuller exorcism prayer. The short form given here is the one most widely said. St. Michael appears by name in Daniel 10, Jude 1:9, and Revelation 12 in the Old and New Testaments.
Source
Composed by Pope Leo XIII, 1886 AD. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.