The Saint Michael prayer is a short Catholic prayer asking the archangel Michael to defend us against the devil and his traps. Pope Leo XIII added it to the prayers said after Mass in 1886, and it takes about twenty seconds to pray. Below is the full text, what each line means, its real history, and when to pray it.
✦ In this guide
The Saint Michael prayer: full text
St. 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.
This is the version printed by many American dioceses and Catholic publishers. You'll also meet small differences: "protection" instead of "defense," or "roam" in place of "prowl." They're all faithful translations of the same Latin original, which begins Sancte Michael Archangele, so pray the one you learned.
What the prayer means, line by line
It's short, but every phrase is borrowed from Scripture or sharpened by it. Read it slowly once and it stops sounding like a magic formula and starts sounding like the Bible.
"Defend us in battle"
The battle is spiritual, not military. St. Paul writes that our real struggle isn't against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). Think temptation, discouragement, the lie that you're too far gone to come back.
"The wickedness and snares of the Devil"
A snare is a trap you don't see until it closes. Most temptation doesn't show up with horns and a pitchfork; it shows up sounding reasonable at 11 p.m. The prayer asks for help noticing the trap before you step in it.
"May God rebuke him, we humbly pray"
This is the humblest line in the prayer, and it comes straight from the Letter of Jude. Even Michael, the commander of heaven's angels, didn't rebuke the devil on his own authority. He left that to God.
✝ "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."
— Jude 1:9 (KJV)
"O Prince of the heavenly hosts"
The book of Daniel calls Michael the great prince who stands guard over God's people (Daniel 12:1). Revelation shows him leading the charge: "there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon" (Revelation 12:7).
"By the power of God, thrust into hell Satan"
Look at the order of the words. Michael acts "by the power of God," not his own. The request isn't for a show of force; it's for evil to be sent back where it belongs, away from the people we love. Revelation describes exactly that: the dragon and his angels "prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven" (Revelation 12:8).
"Who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls"
This echoes St. Peter's warning: "your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). The lion prowls. The Christian stays awake and asks for help.
Notice what the prayer never does. It doesn't address the devil, argue with him or command him. It speaks to God and to Michael. That's deliberate, and it matters for the history below.
The history of the Saint Michael prayer
In 1884, Pope Leo XIII ordered a set of prayers to be said after every Low Mass, now known as the Leonine Prayers. In 1886 he added the prayer to St. Michael. For nearly eighty years, Catholics knelt and said it together before leaving church.
About the famous vision: you may have read that Leo XIII wrote the prayer after a terrifying vision during Mass, usually dated October 13, 1884. It's a gripping story, but it first appeared in print in a German newspaper in 1933, and sources from the 1880s don't mention it. Treat it as a pious tale rather than documented history; the prayer doesn't need it.
In 1890, Leo XIII also published a much longer exorcism text that opens with an appeal to St. Michael. That one is a different animal. In 1985 the Vatican's doctrinal office reminded bishops that the faithful should not use the exorcism formula, while urging everyone to keep praying to be delivered from evil, as Jesus taught (read the 1985 letter). The short prayer is for everyone.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1884 | Leo XIII orders prayers after every Low Mass |
| 1886 | The prayer to St. Michael is added to them |
| 1890 | A longer exorcism text is published, separate from the short prayer |
| 1949 | Pius XII names St. Michael patron of police |
| 1964 | The prayers after Mass are dropped in the liturgical reform (in force March 7, 1965) |
| 1985 | A Vatican letter says the exorcism formula is not for lay use |
| 1994 | John Paul II asks Catholics not to forget the prayer |
| 2018 | Pope Francis asks for it at the end of the Rosary each day in October |
Dropping it from the end of Mass was never a ban. On April 24, 1994, John Paul II asked everyone "not to forget it, and to recite it to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness," as Vatican News recounts. Today you'll hear it after the final blessing in plenty of parishes, said together by the whole congregation.
When and how to pray the St. Michael prayer
There's no wrong time. It's short enough to memorize in a week and pray anywhere, including places where you couldn't open a prayer book.
✓ Quick checklist
- ✓ After Mass, once the final blessing is given, if your parish prays it together.
- ✓ At the end of the Rosary (if you're new to it, start with how to pray the Rosary).
- ✓ Before a shift, a hard conversation or getting behind the wheel.
- ✓ At night, for a child, a spouse or a friend who has drifted from God.
A few habits make it stick. Begin with the Sign of the Cross. Slow down on the last sentence, which runs long. Name the person you're praying for: "for my son on patrol tonight."
Learn it by heart, because the moments you need it most are the ones when you're too rattled to read. Kids often love it at bedtime; a prayer with an angel and a battle in it beats most bedtime stories.
St. Michael, patron of police, soldiers and first responders
Michael's name is a Hebrew question: "Who is like God?" His feast, known as Michaelmas, is September 29, shared with the archangels Gabriel and Raphael. Pope Pius XII named him patron of police in 1949, and soldiers, paratroopers and paramedics claim him too. That makes this prayer a natural fit for anyone who runs toward danger for a living.
For the officer or soldier in your family, a Saint Michael Medal Necklace ($35.00) sits under a uniform shirt without fuss. Where a necklace isn't practical, the Saint Michael Archangel Bracelet ($34.90) is a red cord with a small medal. One honest note: a medal isn't body armor. It's a reminder to pray, worn by someone who's being prayed for.
If they already pray the Rosary, the Saint Michael Rosary ($36.00), five decades of white beads with a St. Michael medal, is our bestseller for a reason. For other professions and needs, our guide to patron saint medals matches ten saints to the people they suit.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pray the St. Michael prayer every day?
Yes. Many Catholics pray it every morning or night, and it's a common way to close the daily Rosary. There's no limit and no required posture. A daily habit works well precisely because the prayer is short: twenty seconds that turn your attention to God before the day's first temptation arrives.
Is the St. Michael prayer an exorcism?
No. The short prayer asks for St. Michael's help and God's protection, and every Christian may pray it. It's different from the longer 1890 exorcism text, which a 1985 Vatican letter said the lay faithful should not use. The short prayer speaks to God and to Michael, never to the devil.
Can non-Catholics pray the St. Michael prayer?
Yes. Michael appears in Daniel, Jude and Revelation, so he belongs to every Christian's Bible. Anglicans and Lutherans also keep his feast on September 29. Christians who prefer to address God alone can pray the same petitions directly to the Lord: defend us, protect us, rebuke the enemy.
Why was the St. Michael prayer removed from Mass?
It was dropped along with the other prayers after Low Mass when the 1964 instruction Inter Oecumenici took effect in 1965, as part of the liturgical reform after Vatican II. It was never banned. John Paul II urged Catholics to keep praying it in 1994, and many parishes pray it after the final blessing.
What is St. Michael the patron saint of?
St. Michael is the patron of police officers, a title Pope Pius XII gave him in 1949, and of soldiers, paratroopers and paramedics. Tradition also links him to the sick and the dying, since he's pictured guarding souls at the hour of death. Many families invoke him for anyone whose work carries real danger.
The prayer doesn't ask for an easy life. It asks for a defender, and it trusts that God answers. Teach it to someone this week; it takes less time than reading this paragraph did.
