Prayer to St Michael the Archangel
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
Our parish of St James in Tupelo will now be praying the Prayer to St Michael the Archangel after communion at our weekend masses. We will pray this prayer for our country, for our families, for our communities, for an end to the evil acts of terrorism, fear, and violence that have taken place throughout our country and the world. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, this prayer was prayed at the end of mass. In recent years, this prayer has been promoted by Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, with there being a resurgence of the prayer at mass. The Saint Michael’s prayer, originally composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1884, was in response to a vision the Pope had in which he was shown an image of evil spirits trying to fulfill Satan’s boast of destroying our Lord’s Church within a certain century as they waged an attack against it. Amid the tribulation, there appeared in the vision Saint Michael the Archangel, who cast Satan and all the evil spirits back into hell. The Pope was so horrified by what he had seen, he felt compelled to help defend our faith in this world by composing the prayer to Saint Michael. Pope Leo saw to it that the Saint Michael’s prayer was recited after every low Mass throughout the world. Many parishes are reintroducing this prayer to the mass in recent years, which our parish’s liturgy commission has approved. Your children and youth may have questions about the content of this prayer and why we are praying it at mass now. Hopefully this explanation will help you explain it to your children and youth.
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