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 hosts,
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.
Most glorious Prince of the Heavenly Armies, Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in our battle against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.
Come to the assistance of men whom God has created to His likeness and whom He has redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil.
Holy Church venerates you as her guardian and protector; to you, the Lord has entrusted the souls of the redeemed to be led into heaven. Pray therefore the God of Peace to crush Satan beneath our feet, that he may no longer retain men captive and do injury to the Church.
Offer our prayers to the Most High, that without delay they may draw His mercy down upon us; take hold of the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, bind him and cast him into the bottomless pit so that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.
O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Your holy Name, and humbly implore Your clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin Immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious Archangel Saint Michael, You would deign to help us against Satan and all the other unclean spirits who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of souls. Amen.
St. Michael's Lent
The forty days of prayer and fasting from the Assumption to Michaelmas.
From the Church’s tradition: Kept by St. Francis of Assisi and many saints after him — a traditional season of penance in honor of St. Michael the Archangel, running from the Feast of the Assumption (August 15) to Michaelmas (September 29).
St. Michael's Lent is a traditional devotion: roughly forty days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving offered in honor of St. Michael the Archangel, kept between the Feast of the Assumption on August 15 and the Feast of St. Michael — Michaelmas — on September 29. It is not a season of the universal Church calendar, but a private devotion handed down through the saints, most famously St. Francis of Assisi, who kept this fast each year. It was during St. Michael's Lent, on Mount La Verna in 1224, that St. Francis received the stigmata.
The devotion is a "little Lent" of spiritual combat: a set time to put on the armor of God, to lean on the prince of the heavenly hosts, and to prepare the soul for Michaelmas. Below you will find the St. Michael Prayer that anchors the devotion, narrated audio, a prayer card to keep or share, and a way to walk the forty days with us as a guided cohort.
BEGINS IN 62 DAYS · August 15 – September 29
Walk St. Michael's Lent with us
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Listen — St. Michael Prayer, narrated
The St. Michael Prayer — the anchor of the devotion
Pope Leo XIII (1886). Prayed daily through the forty days, and especially as the Michaelmas novena (September 21–29) draws the devotion to its close.
Keep this prayer with you
Download the St. Michael's Lent card
A prayer card you can save to your phone, print for your wall, or send to someone who needs it tonight.
Free download. The app reads it aloud with you, every day.
About St. Michael's Lent
The practice has deep roots in Franciscan tradition. St. Francis kept a forty-day fast in honor of St. Michael from the Assumption to Michaelmas, writing that "we ought to honor and venerate" the Archangel and all who stand before God. Many Catholics today take up a gentler form of the same season — daily prayer to St. Michael, a chosen act of fasting or self-denial, and works of mercy — as a way to grow in the spiritual combat the whole Christian life requires.
Its register is the same as every prayer of the Church's tradition: humble and deprecatory. We do not address the enemy or command spirits — that is never the work of the laity. We ask God, through the intercession of St. Michael and the holy angels, for protection, and we ask for the grace to stand firm. "May God rebuke him, we humbly pray," the St. Michael Prayer says, echoing the Archangel himself in the Epistle of Jude, who would not rebuke Satan by his own authority but said, "The Lord command thee."
St. Michael's Lent is for everyone. It asks no special permission and involves no rite reserved to priests — only prayer, penance, and trust, ordered toward the Feast of St. Michael. If during these days you sense a burden heavier than ordinary temptation, speak with your parish priest; the Church cares for her people through her ministers.
When to pray it
- ✦Each morning from August 15 through September 29 — the St. Michael Prayer to begin the day.
- ✦With a chosen act of fasting or self-denial, offered for protection over your home and family.
- ✦As the Michaelmas novena to St. Michael, September 21–29, as the forty days draw to a close.
- ✦On September 29 — the Feast of St. Michael — giving thanks for the season kept, in whatever measure.
Pray the devotion
More prayers of protection
Questions about St. Michael's Lent
What is St. Michael's Lent?+
St. Michael's Lent is a traditional Catholic devotion of roughly forty days — prayer, fasting, and almsgiving offered in honor of St. Michael the Archangel — kept from the Feast of the Assumption (August 15) to the Feast of St. Michael, called Michaelmas, on September 29. It is a private devotion, not a season of the universal Church calendar, handed down especially through the Franciscan tradition.
When is St. Michael's Lent?+
It runs every year from August 15, the Feast of the Assumption, to September 29, Michaelmas — the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. That span is about forty days, which is why it is called a "Lent."
Who started St. Michael's Lent?+
The devotion is most associated with St. Francis of Assisi, who kept a forty-day fast in honor of St. Michael each year from the Assumption to Michaelmas. It was during this fast, on Mount La Verna in 1224, that he received the stigmata. The practice spread through the Franciscan tradition and remains a beloved private devotion today.
Is St. Michael's Lent an official season of the Church?+
No. Unlike Lent before Easter or Advent before Christmas, St. Michael's Lent is not part of the universal liturgical calendar and is not required. It is a traditional private devotion — a freely chosen season of penance and prayer that many Catholics keep to honor St. Michael and prepare for his feast.
How do I keep St. Michael's Lent?+
There is no fixed rule — it is a devotion, freely chosen. Common practices: pray the St. Michael Prayer daily, take up a modest fast or act of self-denial, give alms or do a work of mercy, and pray the Michaelmas novena (September 21–29) as the season closes. The aim is a rule kept faithfully in whatever measure you can, not a perfect streak.
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