St. Michael the Archangel, whose name means “Who is like God?”, is the great defender of God’s people against the powers of evil. Catholics turn to him for protection in spiritual battle and temptation, for the Church, for their families and homes, and at the hour of death. This novena walks through the passages of Scripture where Michael appears: each day has a reading, an intention, a short novena prayer and the St. Michael prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII.
How to pray the novena
Each day:
- Make the Sign of the Cross and name your intention.
- Read the day’s Scripture passage.
- Pray for the day’s intention and the novena prayer below.
- Pray the St. Michael prayer.
- End with an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.
When to pray it: at any time of spiritual struggle or danger. The traditional dates are September 20 to 28, ending on the eve of the Feast of the Archangels (September 29). Some pray it within the “Lent of St. Michael,” the forty days from August 15 to September 29 that St. Francis of Assisi kept in prayer and fasting.
The novena prayer (said every day)
Written for this page:
St. Michael the Archangel, faithful servant of God,
you stood firm when the angels rebelled, crying “Who is like God?”
Defend me and those I love in every danger of body and soul.
Obtain for me the grace I ask in this novena: (name your intention).
Help me to stay close to Jesus, to resist temptation,
and to be found faithful at the hour of my death. Amen.
The St. Michael prayer (said every day)
The prayer that Pope Leo XIII added to the prayers after Low Mass in 1886, as given in Father Lasance’s With God (1911):
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.
Day 1: The angel who helps God’s people
And he said to me: Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand, to afflict thyself in the sight of thy God, thy words have been heard: and I am come for thy words.
But the prince of the kingdom of the Persians resisted me one and twenty days: and behold Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I remained there by the king of the Persians.
Intention: that God will hear my prayer from the first day, as he heard Daniel’s, and send me help.
Day 2: The great prince
But at that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people: and a time shall come such as never was from the time that nations began even until that time. And at that time shall thy people be saved, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Intention: for the protection of my family and all God’s people in times of trouble.
Day 3: The battle in heaven
And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels:
And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Intention: for victory over evil in my own life and in the world.
Day 4: “The Lord command thee”
When Michael the archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses, he durst not bring against him the judgment of railing speech, but said: The Lord command thee.
Intention: for humility in spiritual combat: to rely on God’s power, not my own.
Day 5: The armor of God
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.
Intention: for strength against temptation, especially (name a struggle).
Day 6: Be sober and watch
Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour.
Whom resist ye, strong in faith: knowing that the same affliction befalls your brethren who are in the world.
Intention: for those caught in addiction, despair or sin, and for all who are tempted to give up.
Day 7: Guardians on the way
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.
Intention: for the protection of my home, my children and everyone who travels.
Day 8: Protector of the Church
St. Michael has long been honored as the protector of the Church. Read the St. Michael prayer slowly once more.
Intention: for the Pope, the bishops and priests, and for the unity and holiness of the Church.
Day 9: At the hour of death
For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again; even so them who have slept through Jesus, will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you in the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them who have slept.
For the Lord himself shall come down from heaven with commandment, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead who are in Christ, shall rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, into the air, and so shall we be always with the Lord.
Wherefore, comfort ye one another with these words.
Intention: for the dying, especially (name), and for the souls in purgatory. In the ancient Requiem Mass, the Church asked that “the standard-bearer, holy Michael, bring them into the holy light.”
Who is St. Michael?
Michael is one of the three archangels named in Scripture, with Gabriel and Raphael. He appears in the Book of Daniel as the “great prince” who stands for God’s people, in the Letter of Jude disputing with the devil, and in the Apocalypse (Revelation) leading the angels against the dragon. Christian tradition sees him as the leader of the faithful angels, the protector of the Church and the one who accompanies souls at death. His feast is September 29, with Gabriel and Raphael. See the St. Michael prayer page for its history and the Chaplet of St. Michael.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start the St. Michael novena?
On September 20, to end on September 28, the eve of the feast. But it can be prayed at any time of need.
Can I pray the novena for someone else?
Yes: for a child, a spouse, a friend in temptation or danger, or for someone who is dying.
Is St. Michael a saint or an angel?
An archangel. The Church calls the angels “saints” because they are holy, which is why we say “St. Michael.”
More prayers to the angels
- Feast of the Archangels (September 29)
- Catholic prayer for deliverance
- St. Michael prayer
- Chaplet of St. Michael
- Novena to St. Raphael
- St. Gabriel prayer
- Guardian Angel prayer
- Catholic prayer for protection
Texts and sources
- St. Michael prayer: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), Prayers after Mass, public domain (Wikisource).
- Scripture: Daniel 10:12–13; 12:1; Apocalypse (Revelation) 12:7–9; Jude 9; Ephesians 6:10–13; 1 Peter 5:8–9; Psalm 90:11–12 (Psalm 91 in modern Bibles); 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- “Signifer sanctus Michael”: Offertory of the Requiem Mass, Missale Romanum (1962).
- The novena prayer and daily intentions were written for this page.