Saint Michael Prayer Card

Size 2.7 inches by 4.0 inches 

Professionally printed on high quality card glossy card stock and cut to size

Prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII after a vision of the future.

There are many accounts that Pope Leo XIII had a vision in which he heard God and Satan conversing. The gist of the conversation was that Satan told God he could destroy the church, at which the Lord told him to go ahead. Satan replied that he needed more time and more power.

The Lord asked how much time and how much power. Satan answered that he needed 100 years and greater power over the people of the earth.

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.

How the Prayer Became Part of Catholic Devotion

Let’s dive into the gritty, fascinating history of how the Saint Michael Prayer carved its place into the heart of Catholic devotion. This isn’t just a string of holy words; it’s a spiritual battle cry, born from a vision so intense it shook the very foundations of the Church. Picture this: it’s 1884, and Pope Leo XIII is at the helm of a world where faith is under siege from secular forces. After celebrating Mass one day, he collapses, struck by a vision of demonic forces swarming the Church, with Saint Michael the Archangel standing as the ultimate defender, sword raised against the darkness. This wasn’t some fleeting daydream—it was a gut punch of divine insight. Leo XIII, rattled to his core, penned the Saint Michael Prayer on the spot, a plea for protection that would echo through generations.

From there, the prayer wasn’t just tucked into a dusty Vatican archive. Pope Leo XIII mandated its recitation at the end of every Low Mass starting in 1886, embedding it into the daily rhythm of Catholic life. This wasn’t a casual suggestion; it was a call to arms for the faithful to stand with Saint Michael against spiritual warfare. For nearly a century, until the liturgical reforms of Vatican II in the 1960s, this practice held strong, a reminder of the unseen battles waged beyond the physical world. Though its mandatory use at Mass faded, the prayer’s power didn’t—it lingered in the hearts of the devout, passed down through families, whispered in moments of fear or uncertainty.

What’s striking is how this prayer, born from a singular, apocalyptic vision, became a universal shield. It’s not just about one pope’s experience; it reflects a timeless Catholic truth—the belief that evil is real, but so is the heavenly army ready to fight for us. The Saint Michael Prayer, with its raw plea for defense against “the wickedness and snares of the devil,” became a lifeline, a way for every believer to tap into the might of the archangel who cast Satan out of Heaven. It’s a piece of spiritual armor, forged in a moment of crisis, yet enduring as a source of strength for anyone who utters it.

Reciting the Prayer After Mass: A Brief History

Let’s step back into the echoing halls of Catholic history for a moment, where the clink of incense burners and the murmur of Latin chants still linger in the air. The practice of reciting the Saint Michael Prayer after Mass isn’t some ancient, unbroken tradition stretching back to the Apostles. No, it’s a relatively modern devotion, born out of a specific moment of crisis and a pope’s urgent plea for spiritual defense.

In 1886, Pope Leo XIII, a man who navigated the Church through the turbulent waters of industrialization and secularism, reportedly had a chilling vision. As the story goes, after celebrating Mass, he fell into a trance and witnessed a terrifying dialogue between Satan and God, where the devil boasted he could destroy the Church if given enough time and power. Shaken to his core, Leo XIII penned the Saint Michael Prayer, a cry for the archangel’s protection against the forces of evil. He ordered it to be recited after every Low Mass across the world, embedding it into the rhythm of Catholic life. This wasn’t just a prayer; it was a spiritual call to arms, a reminder that the battle between good and evil wasn’t confined to dusty theology books but raged in the here and now.

For nearly a century, this practice held firm. From grand cathedrals to humble village chapels, the faithful would kneel after Mass, their voices uniting in a plea for Saint Michael’s intercession. It became a quiet, powerful moment of communal defiance against the darkness. But then came the liturgical reforms of Vatican II in the 1960s. The prayer, along with other devotions after Mass, was no longer mandated. Its recitation faded in many parishes, relegated to memory or private devotion. Yet, like a stubborn ember refusing to die, the tradition persists in pockets of the faithful. Some parishes, moved by a renewed hunger for spiritual warfare in an increasingly chaotic world, have revived it. Others whisper it silently, a personal shield against unseen enemies.

This history isn’t just a footnote; it’s a window into the Church’s soul, revealing how deeply Catholics have felt the need for divine protection in times of uncertainty. The Saint Michael Prayer after Mass wasn’t about rote repetition—it was, and still is for many, a lifeline to the heavenly warrior who stands guard over God’s people.