The Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel
The Chaplet of St. Michael is a devotion in honor of the great Archangel and of the nine choirs of angels who stand before the throne of God. It is prayed on a small set of beads, shorter than the rosary, and it moves through nine salutations, one for each rank of the heavenly host, before closing with prayers to St. Michael and to the Guardian Angel.
Many Catholics turn to St. Michael for protection, and this chaplet gathers that trust into a simple, ordered prayer. It is often prayed alongside the rosary, especially by those who want the help of the angels in the daily fight against sin and temptation. What follows is the story of how the chaplet came to us, how it is prayed, and what each of the nine salutations asks for.
The Origin of the Chaplet
The chaplet comes from a private revelation given to a devout Portuguese Carmelite, the Servant of God Antonia d'Astonac. According to the account she left, St. Michael appeared to her and asked to be honored by nine salutations, one addressed to each of the nine choirs of angels. In return he made a striking promise to those who would keep this devotion.
St. Michael promised that whoever prayed the chaplet before receiving Holy Communion would be attended to the altar by an angel from each of the nine choirs. He further promised his continual assistance, and that of all the holy angels, during life to those who honored the heavenly host in this way. It is a promise of companionship: not that the pray-er is left alone in the struggle, but that the whole of heaven is enlisted at his side.
As with every private revelation, the Church does not oblige the faithful to believe the details of the account. What the Church does approve is the substance of the devotion: the honor given to St. Michael and the angels, and the sound prayers that make up the chaplet. Countless Catholics have prayed it with fruit, and it remains a much loved part of Catholic piety.
How the Chaplet Is Prayed
The chaplet has a clear and easy shape. It opens with an invocation, moves through the nine salutations, and finishes with four Our Fathers and a closing prayer. The order runs like this:
- The opening invocation. Begin by making the Sign of the Cross and saying: "O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen."
- The nine salutations. Pray each of the nine salutations in turn, one for each choir of angels. After each salutation, say one Our Father and three Hail Marys. This is the heart of the chaplet.
- Four concluding Our Fathers. After the nine salutations, pray four Our Fathers: the first in honor of St. Michael, the second in honor of St. Gabriel, the third in honor of St. Raphael, and the fourth in honor of your Guardian Angel.
- The concluding prayer. Finish with the concluding prayer to St. Michael, given further down this page.
Counting it out, the nine salutations each carry one Our Father and three Hail Marys, and the chaplet ends with four more Our Fathers. It takes only a few minutes, which is one reason it fits so easily into a daily rule of prayer.
The Nine Choirs of Angels
Scripture and Tradition speak of nine choirs, or ranks, of angels, arranged in three groups of three. Each salutation of the chaplet greets one choir and asks, through their prayers, for a particular grace. Here are the nine, in the order they are honored:
1. The Seraphim
By the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of the Seraphim, we ask the Lord to make us worthy to be inflamed with the fire of perfect charity. The Seraphim burn closest to God, and so we begin by asking for love.
2. The Cherubim
By the intercession of St. Michael and the choir of the Cherubim, we ask the Lord to grant us the grace to forsake the ways of sin and to run along the path of Christian perfection.
3. The Thrones
By the intercession of St. Michael and the choir of the Thrones, we ask the Lord to infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility.
4. The Dominations
By the intercession of St. Michael and the choir of the Dominations, we ask the Lord to grant us grace to govern our senses and to subdue our unruly passions.
5. The Powers
By the intercession of St. Michael and the choir of the Powers, we ask the Lord to protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil.
6. The Virtues
By the intercession of St. Michael and the choir of the Virtues, we ask the Lord to preserve us from evil and to keep us from falling into temptation.
7. The Principalities
By the intercession of St. Michael and the choir of the Principalities, we ask the Lord to fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience.
8. The Archangels
By the intercession of St. Michael and the choir of the Archangels, we ask the Lord to grant us the gift of perseverance in the faith and in all good works, that we may attain the glory of heaven.
9. The Angels
By the intercession of St. Michael and the choir of the Angels, we ask the Lord to grant that the holy angels may protect us during life and, after death, conduct us into the everlasting glory of heaven.
Remember that after each of these nine salutations you pray one Our Father and three Hail Marys before moving on to the next choir.
The Four Concluding Our Fathers
When the nine salutations are finished, the chaplet honors the three archangels named in Scripture and the Guardian Angel with four Our Fathers:
- The first Our Father in honor of St. Michael, the prince of the heavenly host.
- The second Our Father in honor of St. Gabriel, the messenger who announced the coming of Christ to Our Lady.
- The third Our Father in honor of St. Raphael, the healer who walked with Tobias.
- The fourth Our Father in honor of your own Guardian Angel, who watches over you day and night.
The Prayer to St. Michael
The best known prayer to St. Michael, composed by Pope Leo XIII, is often added at the end of the chaplet. It is a plea for the Archangel to stand between us and the enemy of our souls:
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.
The Concluding Prayer of the Chaplet
The chaplet closes with its own prayer to St. Michael, which sums up the whole devotion and begs his protection:
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, thou who dost shine with excellence and superhuman virtue, deliver us from every evil, we who turn to thee with confidence, and enable us by thy gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day. Amen.
When to Pray the Chaplet
There is no rule that binds this chaplet to a fixed hour. Many pray it in the morning, to place the day and its struggles under the care of the angels. Others pray it before Mass, in the light of St. Michael's promise that an angel of each choir would attend those who prayed it before receiving Holy Communion.
The feast of St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael falls on September 29, and the memorial of the Guardian Angels on October 2. These are natural days to take up the chaplet, and some keep a novena of nine days leading to the feast of the archangels. It is also a fitting prayer in times of spiritual attack, temptation, or fear, when the help of the angels is most keenly felt.
Whatever the hour you choose, the value of the chaplet grows with steadiness. A short prayer said every day does more over a year than a long one said once and forgotten.
The Spiritual Benefits
The promise at the root of the chaplet is one of companionship and protection. Those who honor the nine choirs are promised the continual help of the holy angels through life, and an escort of angels drawing near at Holy Communion. Read prayerfully, the nine salutations trace a path of the interior life: from charity, through humility and self control, to obedience and final perseverance.
- Protection against temptation: Several of the salutations ask directly for defense against the snares of the devil and for freedom from temptation.
- Growth in virtue: The choirs are asked to obtain charity, humility, mastery of the passions, and obedience, the very virtues that mark a soul growing toward God.
- A holy death: The ninth salutation begs that the angels protect us in life and conduct us to the glory of heaven, a grace echoed in the closing prayers.
- Friendship with the angels: By honoring St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the Guardian Angel, the pray-er draws closer to the unseen friends God has given for the journey.
Common Questions
Is the chaplet the same as the rosary?
No. The rosary has fifty Hail Marys arranged in five decades, prayed while meditating on the mysteries of Christ. The Chaplet of St. Michael is shorter, built around nine salutations to the choirs of angels, each with one Our Father and three Hail Marys. Many Catholics pray both.
Do I need special beads?
Chaplet beads for this devotion do exist, with nine sets of one large and three small beads and four beads at the end. They are not required. You can pray the chaplet using a rosary or simply by keeping count on your fingers.
Are the promises approved by the Church?
The promises come from a private revelation, which no Catholic is bound to believe. The Church approves the devotion itself, meaning the prayers and the honor given to St. Michael and the angels, which are entirely sound.
Can I pray it every day?
Yes. Because it takes only a few minutes, the chaplet is well suited to daily prayer. Praying it each morning is a good habit for those who want the angels' help through the day.
Pray With the Whole of Heaven
The Chaplet of St. Michael and the rosary belong together, both calling on heaven for help along the way. Explore these guides to deepen your prayer.
