Bishops asks parishes to pray St. Michael Prayer

By William T. Clew
The Catholic Free Press
Bishop McManus, in a message to the priests of the diocese, has asked that the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel be recited by the faithful at Mass.
The prayer:
“St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, oh Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”
In his message the bishop said that, at the beginning of October, “Pope Francis stated the following in light of the contentious and pastorally troubling atmosphere that has engulfed the Church, not only in the United States but globally, as a result of the new wave in the sexual abuse crisis. ‘This is our power: not to dominate or to cry out more loudly, according to the logic of the world, but rather to exercise the gentle power of prayer.’”
“As a response to the Holy Father’s wise and spiritually compelling pastoral direction, I am asking that in every parish in the Diocese of Worcester that the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel be recited by the faithful attending Mass. The prayer should be led by the celebrant of the Mass or the deacon who may be exercising his liturgical role at Mass, after the Prayer after Communion and before the Final Blessing and dismissal,” the bishop said.
The prayer, “which the Church has prayed in turbulent times,” was composed in 1886 by Pope Leo XIII, the bishop said.
At St. Joseph Parish, Charlton, parishioners at daily Mass have been saying the prayer for many years, ever since Father Robert A. Grattaroti, pastor, arrived 28 years ago.
He said someone asked for the prayer. He said he always has liked the prayer. He took the name Michael as his confirmation name, after the saint, and because it was the name of his pastor when he was a youngster.
The prayer now is said at the weekend Masses as well as during the week at St. Joseph’s.
At John Parish in Worcester, Father John Madden, pastor, had the prayer printed on one side of a card, which has a replica of a painting of St. Michael on the other side. The cards have been placed in the pews and will be replenished if people take them home.
In the parish bulletin, Father Madden wrote that the prayer “has continued to be a staple of Catholic prayer and is a prayer many recommend to anyone who needs to combat the presence of evil in their lives.”
At St. Cecilia Parish in Leominster the prayer was printed on the front of the parish bulletin. Father Robert Bruso, pastor, said in a message to parishioners that the prayer was well known to older Catholics because it was prayed from the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) until the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1965).
Father Bruso said the Church is both human and divine. It is divine, he said, insofar as it is the Church of Christ on earth. It is human in that it is administered by humans who are capable of sinning.
“As we pray the Prayer to St. Michael, let us pray for ourselves and for the entire Church, for forgiveness of our sins. Let us also, in a special way, pray for Pope Francis and all the bishops, especially Bishop McManus, that they will be true servants to the people of God, inspiring us to true holiness and humble service to all the world.