Chapter 4 - Prayers of Protection & Spiritual Warfare
A Powerful Prayer for Protection Against Evil
The St. Michael Prayer, composed by Pope Leo XIII after a harrowing vision of Satan’s power unleashed in the world, holds particular urgency in our present age of apostasy. In these dark times, when the Catholic Church has been eclipsed by a counterfeit sect birthed at Vatican II, we cling to the weapons of the true Faith—chief among them, the traditional prayers of Holy Mother Church.
The Latin version of the St. Michael Prayer is especially powerful, invoking the Prince of the Heavenly Host to defend us against the snares of the devil who prowls about the world in these latter days. Pope Leo XIII mandated its recitation after Low Mass precisely because he foresaw the increasing attacks on the Church, her doctrine, and her hierarchy—attacks we now see fully realized in the modernist, heretical Novus Ordo sect that claims the name “Catholic” yet promotes false ecumenism, religious liberty, and other condemned errors. This prayer, in its original Latin form, is a daily spiritual weapon for all true Catholics striving to remain faithful to the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church of all time.
1. Sancte Míchaël Archangele
Latin:
Sancte Míchaël Archangele, defénde nos in proélio,
contra nequitiam et insídias diáboli esto præsídium.
Imperet illi Deus, súpplices deprecámur:
tuque, Prínceps militiae caeléstis,
Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos,
qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in mundo,
divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde.
Amen.
English Translation:
St. 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 evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
📌 Key Notes:
"Defénde nos in proélio" (Defend us in battle) highlights St. Michael’s role as protector of the faithful.
"Imperet illi Deus" (May God rebuke him) asks for divine intervention against Satan’s attacks.
"Divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde" (By divine power, cast them into hell) expresses God’s supreme power over evil.
2. Pronunciation Guide
To pray correctly, it’s important to speak Latin with confidence and clarity. Below is a step-by-step breakdown of each word:
Sancte Míchaël Archangele - Pronunciation Guide
| Latin Phrase | Phonetic Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Sancte Míchaël Archangele | SANK-teh MEE-kah-el AHR-kahn-jeh-leh | St. Michael the Archangel |
| Defénde nos in proélio | Deh-FEN-deh nos een proh-EH-lee-oh | Defend us in battle |
| Contra nequitiam et insídias diáboli esto præsídium | KON-trah neh-KWEE-tee-ahm et een-SEE-dee-ahs dee-AH-bo-lee ES-toh prae-SEE-dee-oom | Against the wickedness and snares of the devil, be our protection |
| Imperet illi Deus | EEM-peh-ret EEL-lee DEH-oos | May God rebuke him |
| Súpplices deprecámur | SOO-plee-ches deh-preh-KAH-moor | We humbly pray |
| Tuque, Prínceps militiae caeléstis | TOO-kweh, PREEN-cheps mee-LEE-tee-eh CHAY-les-tees | And do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host |
| Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos | SAH-tah-nahm ah-lee-OHS-kweh SPEE-ree-toos mah-LEE-nyos | Satan and all evil spirits |
| Qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in mundo | Kwee ahd pehr-dee-tee-OH-nehm ah-nee-MAH-room pehr-vah-GAHN-toor een MOON-do | Who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls |
| Divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde | Dee-VEE-nah veer-TOO-teh een een-FEHR-noom deh-TROO-deh | By divine power, cast them into hell |
| Amen | AH-men | Amen |
📌 Key Pronunciation Notes:
"Míchaël" (MEE-kah-el) – The "ch" sounds like "k", and "ae" is pronounced as "eh".
"Archangele" (AHR-kahn-jeh-leh) – The "ch" sounds like "k", and the final "e" is pronounced.
"Defénde" (Deh-FEN-deh) – Stress on "FEN", not "dee".
"Prínceps militiae caeléstis" (PREEN-cheps mee-LEE-tee-eh CHAY-les-tees) – The "c" before "e" and "i" sounds like "ch".
3. Videos
LATIN: Sancte Míchaël Archangele, defénde nos in proélio, contra nequitiam et insídias diáboli esto præsídium. Imperet illi Deus, súpplices deprecámur: tuque, Prínceps militiae caeléstis, Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos, qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in mundo, divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde. Amen.
PHONETIC: SANK-teh MEE-kah-el AHR-kahn-jeh-leh deh-FEN-deh nos een proh-EH-lee-oh, KON-trah neh-KWEE-tee-ahm et een-SEE-dee-ahs dee-AH-bo-lee ES-toh prae-SEE-dee-oom. EEM-peh-ret EEL-lee DEH-oos, SOO-plee-ches deh-preh-KAH-moor. TOO-kweh, PREEN-cheps mee-LEE-tee-eh CHAY-les-tees, SAH-tah-nahm ah-lee-OHS-kweh SPEE-ree-toos mah-LEE-nyos, kwee ahd pehr-dee-tee-OH-nehm ah-nee-MAH-room pehr-vah-GAHN-toor een MOON-do, dee-VEE-nah veer-TOO-teh een een-FEHR-noom deh-TROO-deh. AH-men.
LATIN: Sancte Míchaël Archangele, defénde nos in proélio, contra nequitiam et insídias diáboli esto præsídium. Imperet illi Deus, súpplices deprecámur: tuque, Prínceps militiae caeléstis, Sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos, qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in mundo, divína virtúte, in inférnum detrúde. Amen. PHONETIC: SANK-teh MEE-kah-el AHR-kahn-jeh-leh deh-FEN-deh nos een proh-EH-lee-oh, KON-trah neh-KWEE-tee-ahm et een-SEE-dee-ahs dee-AH-bo-lee ES-toh prae-SEE-dee-oom. EEM-peh-ret EEL-lee DEH-oos, SOO-plee-ches deh-preh-KAH-moor. TOO-kweh, PREEN-cheps mee-LEE-tee-eh CHAY-les-tees, SAH-tah-nahm ah-lee-OHS-kweh SPEE-ree-toos mah-LEE-nyos, kwee ahd pehr-dee-tee-OH-nehm ah-nee-MAH-room pehr-vah-GAHN-toor een MOON-do, dee-VEE-nah veer-TOO-teh een een-FEHR-noom deh-TROO-deh. AH-men.
4. When to Use the St. Michael Prayer
This Prayer is Recited:
After Mass (Traditionally said at the end of Low Mass).
In times of temptation or spiritual attack.
For protection against evil, oppression, and demonic influence.
Before starting important tasks, journeys, or spiritual work.
📌 Traditional Catholic Practice:
Pope Leo XIII introduced this prayer after a vision of a satanic attack on the Church.
It was prayed after Low Mass for over 80 years and is still widely used today.
5. Lesson Summary
Learn the St. Michael Prayer in Latin, as it was traditionally prayed by faithful Catholics after every Low Mass. This short but potent prayer invokes St. Michael’s protection against the devil’s assaults—spiritual warfare essential in this time of apostasy, confusion, and the counterfeit Vatican II church. Strengthen your soul with the words Holy Church entrusted to us before the great falling away.
6. Final Thought – Why Does This Prayer Matter?
The St. Michael Prayer matters now more than ever. We are living in quite possibly the age of the Great Apostasy, foretold in Scripture and by many saints, when the institutional structures once occupied by the Catholic hierarchy have been usurped by those promoting modernism, ecumenism, and religious indifferentism. Vatican II did not merely represent a shift in tone or discipline—it ushered in a new religion, with a new Mass, new doctrines, and a new orientation entirely incompatible with the Catholic Faith of all time. True Catholics recognize that the Church cannot defect, cannot teach heresy, and cannot change what has been definitively handed down. Hence, those who hold fast to the pre-Vatican II Faith must resist the errors of the Novus Ordo establishment and reject it as a false church.
The St. Michael Prayer, especially in its Latin form, ties us directly to the spiritual legacy of Pope Leo XIII and the Church before the rupture. It is not merely a pious devotion—it is a battle cry. By praying it daily, we reaffirm our allegiance to the true Church of Christ, and beg St. Michael to protect us from the lies, deceptions, and diabolical confusion of our times. This is not about nostalgia or preference; it is about fidelity to the one true Faith. Reciting the prayer in Latin reinforces our connection to the universal Church and the unchanging truths it has always taught. In an age when even those who call themselves Catholic have abandoned Tradition, the St. Michael Prayer is a line of defense against spiritual ruin. Hold fast to it. Teach it to your children. And never stop fighting under the banner of St. Michael, the champion of God’s holy cause.
"Sancte Míchaël Archangele, defénde nos in proélio, contra nequitiam et insídias diáboli esto præsídium..."
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