The prayer known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate (Lorica) is an ancient Irish hymn of protection, traditionally attributed to St. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland. Its most famous lines, “Christ be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me,” have been prayed for centuries by Christians setting out on a journey, a day’s work or a spiritual battle. A lorica was a soldier’s breastplate: the prayer clothes the one who prays in the protection of the Trinity and of Christ.
Below is the full Breastplate in Whitley Stokes’s classic translation from the Old Irish, its meaning, a prayer to St. Patrick, and his story.
St. Patrick’s Breastplate
I bind myself to-day to a strong virtue in the invocation of the Trinity.
I bind myself to-day to the virtue of Christ’s birth with his baptism, to the virtue of his crucifixion with his burial, to the virtue of his resurrection with his ascension, to the virtue of his coming to the judgment of Doom.
I bind myself to-day to the virtue of the choirs of Cherubim, in the obedience of angels, in the service of Archangels, in the hope of resurrection unto reward, in the prayers of patriarchs, in the predictions of prophets, in the preaching of apostles, in the faith of confessors, in the innocence of holy virgins, in the deeds of righteous men.
I bind myself to-day to the virtue of heaven, in the light of sun, in the brightness of snow, in the splendour of fire, in the speed of lightning, in the swiftness of wind, in the depth of sea, in the stability of earth, in the compactness of rock.
I bind myself to-day to God’s virtue to pilot me. God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s path to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me, God’s host to secure me, against snares of demons, against seductions of vices, against lusts of nature, against everyone who wishes ill to me, afar and anear, alone and in a multitude.
So have I invoked all these virtues to be with me, against every cruel merciless power which may come against my body and my soul; against the incantations of false prophets, against the black laws of heathenry, against the false laws of heretics, against the craft of idolatry, against the spells of druids, against every knowledge that defiles men’s souls.
Christ protect me to-day, against poison, against burning, against drowning, against death-wound, until a multitude of rewards come to me.
Christ be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ below me, Christ above me; Christ at my right, Christ at my left; Christ in the fort, Christ in the chariot, Christ in the poop; Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.
I bind myself today to a strong virtue in the invocation of the Trinity.
Domini est salus, Domini est salus,
Christi est salus, Salus tua Domine
sit semper nobiscum.
The Latin ending means: “Salvation is of the Lord, salvation is of the Lord, salvation is of Christ. May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.”
The well-known hymn I bind unto myself today is a verse paraphrase of this prayer by the Irish poet Cecil Frances Alexander (1889), often sung on St. Patrick’s Day and at ordinations.
What the prayer means
- “I bind myself today” is the language of armor: each morning the Christian puts on the strength of God.
- The Trinity and the mysteries of Christ come first: his birth, baptism, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and return.
- The angels, saints and all creation are invoked as allies: sun and fire, wind and sea, earth and rock.
- God’s eye, ear, word and hand guard the one who prays against every evil.
- “Christ with me, Christ before me…”: Christ surrounds the Christian on every side, and is found in everyone he meets.
It is a perfect morning prayer, and a prayer for protection before a journey or a difficult task. See also our Catholic prayer for protection.
A prayer to St. Patrick
Written for this page:
St. Patrick, you were carried as a slave to Ireland
and returned as a shepherd to bring its people to Christ.
Pray for Ireland and for all who share your faith around the world.
Give us your courage to forgive, your zeal to proclaim the Gospel,
and your trust in the Holy Trinity in every danger. Amen.
A short “Christ be with me” prayer
For children and for busy days, the heart of the Breastplate in a few lines:
Christ be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ below me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left.
The story of St. Patrick
Patrick was born in Roman Britain around 385. At sixteen he was captured by raiders and sold as a slave in Ireland, where he tended sheep and learned to pray “a hundred times a day.” After six years he escaped, returned home and became a priest. In a dream he heard “the voice of the Irish” begging him to come back. Ordained a bishop, he returned to Ireland around 432 and spent the rest of his life preaching, baptizing and founding churches, despite opposition and danger. He tells his own story in his Confession. He died around 461. Tradition says he used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.
His feast, March 17, is a holy day in Ireland and is celebrated by Irish people all over the world. When it falls in Holy Week it is moved.
Frequently asked questions
Did St. Patrick write the Breastplate?
It is traditionally attributed to him. Scholars date the Old Irish text to the seventh or eighth century, so it may come from his followers, but it breathes his spirit and has been prayed under his name for over a thousand years.
When is St. Patrick’s Day?
March 17. In 2027 it falls on a Wednesday during Lent; Lenten penance may be relaxed in Ireland and in dioceses where it is a solemnity.
Is St. Patrick the patron saint of Ireland?
Yes, with St. Brigid and St. Columba. See patron saints of countries.
More prayers and saints
- St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)
- St. Brigid prayer
- Catholic prayer for protection
- Catholic morning prayers
- Patron saints of countries
- The St. Michael prayer
- Saint of the day
Texts and sources
- The Breastplate: Old Irish prayer attributed to St. Patrick, trans. Whitley Stokes, as printed in Patrick F. Moran, The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations (1883), public domain (Wikisource); capitals and ligatures normalized.
- St. Patrick, Confession (on his captivity, escape and call).
- The prayer to St. Patrick was written for this page.