The Chaplet of St Michael: How to Pray and PDF Guide

The Chaplet of Saint Michael the Archangel is a chaplet that was approved by Pope Pius IX in the year 1851. It is also known as the Rosary of the Angels.

What is the Chaplet of St Michael?

The Chaplet of Saint Michael the Archangel invokes the intercession of Saint Michael and the Nine Choirs of Angels.

The prayers are typically recited using a chaplet, and the repetitions are counted using the chaplet in the same way that one would count beads on a rosary. According to legend, Saint Michael made a promise to those who would recite the Chaplet on a daily basis that they would have his and the assistance of all the holy angels throughout their lives.

“And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world — he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” - Revelation 12:7-9

Pray this chaplet daily o tap into abundant graces promised by the Lord through the chaplet of St. Michael and our powerful protective angel.

How to pray the Chaplet of Saint Michael?

The act of contrition serves as the opening prayer of the chaplet. Following are nine salutations, one for each choir of angels; each salutation is followed by an Our Father and three Hail Marys. In total, there are nine choirs of angels. After these, there are four Our Fathers said in honor of Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, Saint Raphael, and the Guardian Angel. A prayer to Saint Michael serves as the conclusion of the chaplet. To pray it you’ll need to know the Hail Mary and Our Father prayers as well.

Introduction Prayers

O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, to the Son and Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, the end. Amen.

Nine Choirs of Angels Salutations

Say one salutation, followed by one Our Father, and three Hail Mary prayers.

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin and run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Thrones may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Dominations may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and overcome any unruly passions. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Virtues may the Lord preserve us from evil and falling into temptation. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Powers may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Angels may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted in the life to come to Heaven. Amen.

Our Fathers

Say one Our Father in honor of each of the following leading Angels: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and our Guardian Angel.

Say one Our Father to honor of St. Michael the Archangel.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. **
Say one Our Father to honor of St. Gabriel the Archangel.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Say one Our Father to honor of St. Raphael the Archangel.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Say one Our Father to honor of your Guardian Angel.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Concluding prayers:

O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor, you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day.

Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ, that we may be made worthy of His promises.

Almighty and Everlasting God, Who, by a prodigy of goodness and a merciful desire for the salvation of all men, has appointed the most glorious Archangel St. Michael Prince of Your Church, make us worthy, we ask You, to be delivered from all our enemies, that none of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by him into Your Presence. This we ask through the merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The Chaplet of Saint Michael PDF Guide

A free printable PDF Guide to the Chaplet of Saint Michael. Download here.

Additional Questions about Saint Michael Chaplet and PDF Guide

What is the History of the Saint Michael Chaplet?

Antonia d'Astonac, a devout Servant of God, is credited with having a vision of Saint Michael, which is where the Chaplet gets its start in history. He instructed Antonia to pay him tribute by extending nine salutations to each of the nine choirs of angels. St. Michael made a promise that whoever would practice this devotion in his honor would be escorted to Holy Communion by nine angels, one chosen from each of the nine Choirs. This would happen whenever that person would approach the altar. St. Michael and the other angels pledge their protection to anyone who prays the chaplet on a daily basis, both while they are living on earth and after they have left it.

In the year 1851, Pope Pius gave his blessing to Antonia's vision as well as the Chaplet of St. Michael.

“Whoever would practice this devotion in his honour would have, when approaching the Holy Table, an escort of nine angels chosen from each of the nine Choirs. In addition, for the daily recital of these nine salutations, he promised his continual assistance and that all the holy angels during life, and after death deliverance from Purgatory for themselves and all their relations.”

(Promises of St. Michael to Antonia d’Astonac)

What are the Choirs of Angels, in the Chaplet of St Michael?

What do we mean when we talk about choirs of Angels? It would appear that God has established many different orders of angels, as listed in the bible.

Sacred Scripture identifies nine distinct angelic orders, which are the Seraphim, the Cherubim, the Thrones, the Dominations, the Powers, the Virtues, the Principalities, and the Angels (Isa. 6: 2; Gen. 3: 24; Col. 1: 16; Eph. 1: 21; Rom. 8: 38).

There may be additional classifications, but these are the only ones that have been brought to our attention so far. It is believed that the Seraphim are on the highest level of the Choir and are the most closely connected to God, while the Angelic Choir is on the lowest level.

When we pray the Chaplet of St. Michael we honor and ask for the intercesson of each of the anglic orders.

Why do we pray the Chaplet of St. Michael?

The shorter St. Michael Prayer is one of the most well-known intercessory prayers in the Christian world, and while the Chaplet is quite popular, it is not among the most well-known. During the course of celebrating Mass, Pope Leo XIII had a vision, which inspired him to write the prayer. In the prayer, which is included below, a similar request is made to St. Michael to always protect us in combat and to intercede on our behalf:

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, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

The prayer and the chaplet both lead us in the direction of asking for the intercession of Saint Michael the Archangel in the conflicts that we face as individuals, communities, and the Church.

St. Michael the Archangel is a spiritual warrior who defends us against Satan and the forces of evil, according to the Book of Revelation. The St. Michael Chaplet helps us recognize St. Michael's ability and desire to protect us, and asks for his intercession in times of difficulty.

When do we pray the Chaplet of Saint Michael?

When faced with difficult circumstances, such as fear or temptation, many people pray the St. Michael Chaplet. There are times when we have a hard time finding the words to ask God for help. The St. Michael Chaplet was recommended by St. Padre Pio to all of his spiritual children and to those who were suffering from temptations.

Whenever you find yourself in the midst of a "battle" of your own, pray to Saint Michael. Make the request that he protect and advocate for you in your stead.

It is also especially recommended on the following feasts:

Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel, May 8
Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, September 29
Holy Guardian Angels, October 2
Archangel St. Raphael, October 24

Can you Pray the chaplet of Saint Michael on Rosary Beads?

The Rosary is a different structure than that of the Saint Michael Chaplet. The Chaplet consists of nine sections of three beads, while the Rosary is five sets of ten beads. Still, you can use the Rosary Beads to keep track of your prayers during the St Michael Chaplet. It may be difficult to achieve a perfect system, but you can adapt a Rosary by simply starting at the first bead of a decade, and stopping after passing three beads. This would allow for three sets of beads in each decade of the Rosary, before you’d need to jump to the next decade to keep counting.

We also recommend using a PDF Guide to help guide you or purchasing your own St Michael Chaplet. Another option is using a wallet rosary to count to nine each time, before starting over again.

Other Resources for Chaplet of St Michael

St. Michael Chaplet beads can be purchased online.

Pray along with the Chaplet of Saint Michael, video.

Learn more about St Michael from The Life and Prayers of Saint Michael the Archangel by Wyatt North

Other Prayers to St Michael

The Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

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 the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Saint Michael Novena
(Say the following for nine consecutive days)

Saint Michael the Archangel, loyal champion of God and His Catholic people, I turn to thee with confidence and seek thy powerful intercession. For the love of God, Who hast made thee so glorious in grace and power, and for the love of the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of the Angels, be pleased to hear my prayer.

Thou knowest the value of my soul in the eyes of God. May no stain of evil ever disfigure its beauty. Help me to conquer the evil spirit who tempts me. I desire to imitate thy loyalty to God and Holy Mother Church and thy great love for God and men. And since thou art God’s messenger for the care of His people, I entrust to thee this special request: here mention your request.

Saint Michael, since thou art, by the will of the Creator, the powerful intercessor of Christians, I have great confidence in thy prayers. I earnestly trust that if it is God’s holy will, my petition will be granted.

Pray for me, Saint Michael, and also for those I love. Protect us in all dangers of body and soul. Help us in our daily needs. Through thy powerful intercession, may we live a holy life, die a happy death and reach Heaven where we may praise and love God with thee forever. Amen

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How to Pray a 54 Day Novena.

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