PRAYERS WITH THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL

From the earliest days of the Church, prayers with Saint Michael the Archangel have been a popular and pious practice. Devotion to the Archangel was very common among the early Roman coverts – whose culture and society respected military strength, honor, duty, loyalty and the discipline which are hallmarks of Saint Michael. In our modern world, where these traits are often sadly lacking but are still esteemed, devotion to the Archangel is more important and spiritually vital than ever.

Saint Michael the Archangel is a powerful patron, and he is able to intercede for us and ask for many blessings and graces on our behalf. As with all Saints, we do not pray to him, nor do we worship him, but instead we pray with him as one would pray with a family member, a friend, a co-worker or perhaps a stranger.

There are no right or wrong ways to pray – provided one does it with a sincere heart and with a genuine devotion to Our Lord, then all prayers are good prayers. Often, people like to pray in their own words, speaking of their own hopes, fears, desires and failings. Prayer like this can be very powerful, but there are times when it is difficult to be so open. Sometimes, we are tired or ashamed, or we simply cannot think of what to say.

For times like these – or as a companion to personal prayer in your own words – we present a number of prayers which Christians have used for many years. Some of these prayers as as old as the Church, and some are only about a century old – but they are all great gifts to us in our personal devotional lives.

In addition to providing English versions of these prayers, we have provided them in Latin where they are available. Prayers in Latin were a traditional part of Church Liturgy for many hundreds of years, and there is a timeless beauty to them. Also, when praying with a group of people of different nationalities and languages, Latin provides a common ground.