Saint Michael the Archangel

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The St. Michael Prayer:

St. Michael the Archangel
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickeness
and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him we humbly pray.
And do thou O prince
of the heavenly Host,
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.

(We say this prayer at the end of every Mass.)

FEAST DAY: September 29th

Who is St. Michael:

St. Michael the Archangel, whose name means, “one who is like God,” led the army of angels who cast Satan and the rebellious angels into Hell; at the end of time, he will wield the sword of justice to separate the righteous from the evil (Revelation 12:7). 

In our Catholic tradition, St. Michael has four duties: 

1. To continue to wage battle against Satan and the other fallen angels.
2. To save the souls of the faithful from the power of Satan especially at the hour of death.
3. To protect the People of God, both the Jews of the Old Covenant and the Christians of the New Covenant.
4. To lead the souls of the departed from this life and present them to our Lord for the particular judgment, and at the end of time, for the final judgment. 

For these reasons, Christian iconography depicts St. Michael as a knight-warrior, wearing battle armor, and wielding a sword or spear, while standing triumphantly on a serpent or other representation of Satan.  Sometimes he is depicted holding the scales of justice or the Book of Life, both symbols of the last judgment.

History of the St. Michael Prayer:

Pope Leo XIII had a prophetic vision of the coming century of sorrow and war.  After celebrating Mass, the Holy Father was conferring with his cardinals.  Suddenly, he fell to the floor.  The cardinals immediately called for a doctor.  No pulse was detected, and the Holy Father was feared dead.  Just as suddenly, Pope Leo awoke and said, “What a horrible picture I was permitted to see!”   In this vision, God gave Satan the choice of one century in which to do his worst work against the Church.  The devil chose the twentieth century.  So moved was the Holy Father from this vision that he composed the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.  Pope Leo ordered this prayer said at the conclusion of Mass in 1886.

The St. Michael Chaplet:

The Chaplet of Saint Michael the Archangel, also called the Rosary of the Angels is a chaplet resulting from a reported private revelation by the Archangel Michael to the Portuguese Carmelite nun Antónia de Astónaco. The chaplet was approved by Pope Pius IX in 1851.

Promises of St. Michael for reciting the chaplet:

"Whoever would practice this devotion in his honour would have, when approaching the Holy Table, an escort of nine angels chosen from each of the nine Choirs. In addition, for the daily recital of these nine salutations, he promised his continual assistance and that all the holy angels during life, and after death deliverance from Purgatory for themselves and all their relations." 

Click here to see how to pray the Chaplet of Michael Archangel.
Youtube video of the Chaplet:

The St. Michael Novena:

Click here to see how to pray the Novena to St. Michael.