✦ History & Origin
The Prayer to Saint Michael was written by Pope Leo XIII in 1884. According to historical accounts, the Pope had just finished celebrating Mass when he collapsed into a state of ecstasy, during which he allegedly had a prophetic vision of spiritual warfare and dark forces threatening the Church in the 20th century. Upon awakening, he immediately penned this petition.
✦ Historical Insights & Trivia
Pope Leo XIII ordered that it be recited at the foot of the altar after low Masses, a practice known as the Leonine Prayers.
It is considered one of the Church's most powerful prayers for spiritual warfare and protection.
Although the Leonine Prayers were suspended in the liturgical reforms of the 1960s, John Paul II and subsequent Popes have urged the faithful to continue praying it daily.