This prayer was composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1886 after a mystical experience, and was recited after Low Mass until 1964. Many parishes have restored this practice, and the prayer remains a powerful invocation of angelic protection.
English
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness 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.
Latin
Sancte Michael Archangele,
defende nos in praelio;
contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.
Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur:
tuque, Princeps militiae caelestis,
Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos,
qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo,
divina virtute, in infernum detrude.
Amen.
Origin: Composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1886 and ordered to be recited after Low Mass. According to tradition, the Pope had a vision of demonic forces threatening the Church, prompting him to compose this prayer.