O glorious St. Michael, guardian and defender of the Church of Jesus Christ, come to the assistance of this Church, against which the powers of hell are unchained, guard with especial care her ...

The Prayer to St. Michael was a regular feature of the Mass until the Vatican II era, though Pope John Paul II in 1994 urged Catholics to make the prayer a regular part of their lives.

St. Michael, the Archangel! Glorious prince, chief and champion of the heavenly hosts; guardian of the souls of men; conqueror of the rebel angels! How beautiful art thou, in thy heaven-made armor.

I’ll always remember the day my eldest son came home from kindergarten reciting the Angel of God prayer. Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here… I’m a convert.

He said the St. Michael’s prayer does not reach that bar. Father Ruff noted that the Roman rite is “rigorously theocentric” and has relatively little invocation of Mary or the saints.

Background: Bonifacio de’ Pitati, “St. Michael the Archangel,” oil on canvas, 1530, ... Beside You Stands a Guardian Angel — a Protector and Shepherd Leading You to Life ...

Since the late 19th Century, Catholics have recited the Prayer to St. Michael when facing disease, disaster and despair. It proclaims, in part: "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. … ...