Catholic Prayer for Deliverance from Evil: Safe, Approved Prayers

Every Catholic prays for deliverance every day: “but deliver us from evil” are the last words of the Our Father. When we feel oppressed by temptation, fear, addiction or a sense of evil around us, the Church gives us safe and powerful prayers, the sacraments and the protection of the angels and saints. Below are prayers for deliverance that any Catholic may pray, Scripture for spiritual battle, what the Church teaches about exorcism and deliverance, and when to ask a priest for help.

“Deliver us from evil”

“In this petition, evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God” (CCC 2851). After the Our Father at Mass the priest continues: “Deliver us, Lord, we beseech you, from every evil and grant us peace in our day, so that aided by your mercy we might be ever free from sin and protected from all anxiety” (quoted in CCC 2854). Praying the Our Father slowly, with faith, is the first prayer of deliverance.

The St. Michael prayer

Pope Leo XIII’s prayer to St. Michael, from Father Lasance’s With God (1911), is the best-known prayer of protection against evil:

Holy Michael, Archangel, defend us in the day of battle;
be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do thou, prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God, thrust down to hell Satan
and all wicked spirits, who roam through the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

See the St. Michael prayer and the Novena to St. Michael.

A prayer for deliverance and protection

Written for this page:

Lord Jesus Christ, you came to destroy the works of the devil
and you have overcome sin and death by your Cross.
I renounce every sin and everything that is not of you.
By the power of your Precious Blood, deliver me from every evil,
from temptation, fear, and every influence of the Evil One.
Fill me with your Holy Spirit and keep me always in your grace.
Mary, my Mother, St. Michael, my guardian angel and all the saints, pray for me. Amen.

A prayer for deliverance from addiction or a habit of sin

Lord, you know the chains I cannot break by myself.
Free me from (name the addiction or sin).
Give me humility to ask for help, courage to avoid what leads me to fall,
and the grace to come back to you each time I stumble.
I trust in your mercy, which is greater than my weakness. Amen.

This prayer was written for this page. See also the Catholic prayer for strength.

A prayer for protection of the home

The Church’s night prayer, from With God (1911):

Visit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this habitation, and drive far from it all the snares of the enemy: let Thy holy angels dwell herein, to keep us in peace, and may Thy blessing be always upon us. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

See the Catholic house blessing.

Scripture for spiritual battle

The praise of a canticle for David. He that dwelleth in the aid of the most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of Jacob.
He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my protector, and my refuge: my God, in him will I trust.
For he hath delivered me from the snare of the hunters: and from the sharp word.
He will overshadow thee with his shoulders: and under his wings thou shalt trust.
His truth shall compass thee with a shield: thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night.
Of the arrow that flieth in the day, of the business that walketh about in the dark: of invasion, or of the noonday devil.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand: but it shall not come nigh thee.
But thou shalt consider with thy eyes: and shalt see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou, O Lord, art my hope: thou hast made the most High thy refuge.
There shall no evil come to thee: nor shall the scourge come near thy dwelling.
For he hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways.
In their hands they shall bear thee up: lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk: and thou shalt trample under foot the lion and the dragon.
Because he hoped in me I will deliver him: I will protect him because he hath known my name.
He shall cry to me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him.
I will fill him with length of days; and I will shew him my salvation.

Finally, brethren, be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of his power.
Put you on the armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil.
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.
Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect.

Be subject therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will fly from you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners: and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

The weapons the Church gives us

Confession and the Eucharist. A good confession frees us from sin, the devil’s real hold on us; Holy Communion unites us to Christ. See how to go to confession.
Prayer and fasting. “This kind is not cast out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:20).
Sacramentals: holy water, a blessed crucifix, the St. Benedict medal, the scapular, blessed salt. They are not charms, but signs of the Church’s prayer.
The Rosary and devotion to Mary, who crushes the serpent’s head. See the Rosary prayers.
The angels: pray to your guardian angel and to St. Michael.

What the Church teaches about exorcism and deliverance

Exorcism is the Church’s public, authoritative prayer, in the name of Jesus, for a person or object to be freed from the power of the Evil One. “The solemn exorcism, called ‘a major exorcism,’ can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop” (CCC 1673).
Laypeople may and should pray for deliverance, for themselves and others, using prayers like those above: asking God to deliver us, not commanding demons.
Laypeople should not attempt exorcisms or lead sessions in which demons are directly addressed and commanded. In 1985 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith reminded bishops that the faithful may not use the formula of exorcism against Satan and the fallen angels published under Pope Leo XIII, which is reserved to priests (letter Inde ab aliquot annis).
Discernment matters. Many experiences that feel like spiritual attack have medical or psychological causes. The Church asks priests to consult doctors and mental health professionals, and real possession is rare.

When to talk to a priest

Talk to your parish priest if you are struggling with persistent temptation, fear, involvement in the occult (fortune-telling, Ouija boards, spells), or anything that troubles you spiritually. He can hear your confession, bless your home, pray with you, and, if necessary, refer you to the diocesan exorcist, whom every bishop may appoint. If you are in crisis or thinking of harming yourself, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the United States) or your local emergency number.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Catholic pray a deliverance prayer for themselves?

Yes. Any Catholic may ask God to deliver them from evil, in their own words or with the Church’s prayers, such as the Our Father and the St. Michael prayer.

What is the most powerful Catholic prayer against evil?

The Mass and the sacraments come first. Among private prayers, the Our Father, the St. Michael prayer, the Rosary and the name of Jesus are the Church’s classic weapons.

Is a deliverance prayer the same as an exorcism?

No. A deliverance prayer asks God to free us from evil; an exorcism is a liturgical rite of the Church, and a major exorcism may be performed only by a priest with the bishop’s permission.

More prayers of protection

Texts and sources

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1673, 2851, 2854.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, letter Inde ab aliquot annis to local ordinaries on the norms concerning exorcisms (September 29, 1985).
St. Michael prayer and “Visit, we beseech Thee”: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), public domain (Wikisource).
Scripture: Psalm 90 (91 in modern Bibles); Ephesians 6:10–13; James 4:7–8; Matthew 17:20 (17:21 in modern Bibles), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The other prayers were written for this page.