The Chaplet of St Michael the Archangel

The Chaplet of St Michael is a devotion in honour of the great Archangel and the nine choirs of angels. Through nine salutations — one for each choir — it asks, by St Michael's intercession, for the gifts proper to each rank of the angelic host. To each we join one Our Father and three Hail Marys, then close with four Our Fathers and a prayer to St Michael. It is a fitting companion to the short Prayer to St Michael the Archangel, and was revealed to the Servant of God Antonia d'Astonac and indulgenced by Pope Pius IX on 8 August 1851.

How to pray the Chaplet of St Michael (step by step)

The Chaplet has a simple, fixed shape. Pray it slowly:

1. Sign of the Cross, then the opening versicle:

   V. O God, come to my assistance.
   R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
   Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

2. The nine salutations. For each choir, say its salutation (in full below), then one Our Father and three Hail Marys.
3. Four Our Fathers — for St Michael, St Gabriel, St Raphael, and your Guardian Angel.
4. Concluding prayer to St Michael, with versicle and collect (below).

That is the whole devotion. It is traditionally prayed on a chaplet of thirty-nine beads — nine sets of four, plus four for the holy angels — though it may be said on any beads.

The nine salutations to the nine choirs of angels (full text)

After each, say one Our Father and three Hail Marys.

1. Seraphim. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Seraphim, may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen.
2. Cherubim. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Cherubim, may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin and run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen.
3. Thrones. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Thrones, may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen.
4. Dominations. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Dominations, may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and subdue our unruly passions. Amen.
5. Powers. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Powers, may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen.
6. Virtues. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Virtues, may the Lord preserve us from evil and suffer us not to fall into temptation. Amen.
7. Principalities. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Principalities, may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen.
8. Archangels. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Archangels, may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works, that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen.
9. Angels. By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial choir of Angels, may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted hereafter to eternal glory. Amen.

The concluding prayers

After the salutations, say four Our Fathers — for St Michael, St Gabriel, St Raphael, and one's Guardian Angel — then the concluding invocation:

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 all evil, who turn to thee with confidence, and enable us by thy gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O glorious St Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, who in Thy wondrous goodness and power didst appoint St Michael the Archangel to be the defender of Thy Church, grant, we beseech Thee, that under his protection we may be delivered from all our enemies, that at the hour of our death no adversary may hinder us, but that we may be conducted to the heavenly glory. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The nine choirs of angels and the gift each one asks

The Chaplet is built on the Church's ordering of the angels into nine choirs, in three hierarchies. Each salutation begs the gift proper to that choir — making the Chaplet a small ladder of the spiritual life, from the fire of charity asked of the Seraphim, through humility and obedience, down to the daily guidance sought from the Angels who watch over us.

This ordering is the teaching of Scripture and the Fathers. St Paul names the choirs in writing of Christ enthroned "above all principality, and power, and virtue, and dominion" (Ephesians 1:21), and St Michael stands at the head of the host (Apocalypse 12:7).

The Latin text of the salutations

In the traditional form, the salutations follow a single Latin pattern, Per intercessionem Sancti Michaelis et caelestis militiae — "By the intercession of St Michael and the celestial host." The first:

Per intercessionem Sancti Michaelis et caelestis militiae Seraphim, dignetur nos Dominus facere dignos qui igne perfectae caritatis inflammemur. Amen.

Iter Fidei carries the complete Latin of all nine salutations, each beside the English, in the app.

The promises and the origin (Antonia d'Astonac)

Tradition holds that the Chaplet was made known in the eighteenth century to a devout Servant of God, Antonia d'Astonac, to whom St Michael is said to have promised that whoever should pray these nine salutations before Holy Communion would be attended to the altar by an angel from each choir, and that those who pray it daily will enjoy his continual assistance in life and in death. The Church does not bind us to accept the details of any private revelation; what she has done is weightier — she indulgenced the devotion herself under Pope Pius IX in 1851. We may pray it with full confidence, leaning not on a vision but on the Archangel's office and the Church's approval.

When to pray the Chaplet of St Michael

The Chaplet is fittingly prayed on the feast of St Michael (Michaelmas, 29 September), throughout its novena, on the feasts of the holy angels and of St Gabriel and St Raphael, and whenever one seeks protection against the devil. Many take it up as a daily armour in the spiritual combat, much as one prays the Rosary: it joins vocal prayer to meditation, here on the nine orders of angels who stand before the face of God.

The St Michael Chaplet beads (and how they are strung)

The St Michael Chaplet has its own distinctive set of beads, and once you have seen the pattern it explains the whole devotion at a glance. The traditional chaplet is a string of thirty-nine beads arranged as nine groups of four — one larger bead for the Our Father and three smaller beads for the Hail Marys of each choir — followed by four beads for the concluding Our Fathers said in honour of St Michael, St Gabriel, St Raphael, and one's Guardian Angel. It usually carries a medal of St Michael where the loop joins, and ends in a small crucifix for the opening and closing Signs of the Cross.

You do not need a special set of beads to begin: the Chaplet may be counted on the fingers, on a piece of paper, or even on an ordinary Rosary by keeping track of the nine choirs in your mind. The dedicated beads simply make the nine-times-four rhythm easy to keep without counting.

Is the St Michael Chaplet a rosary?

People often search for the St Michael chaplet rosary, and the two are close cousins but not the same. A rosary in the strict sense is the Dominican Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary — fifteen decades of ten Hail Marys each. A chaplet is any shorter, fixed set of prayers counted on beads; the word simply means "a little crown." The Chaplet of St Michael is therefore a chaplet, not the Rosary — it has its own structure of nine salutations rather than decades, and it honours the Archangel and the nine choirs of angels rather than the mysteries of Christ's life. Many of the faithful pray both: the Rosary for the Mother of God, and the Chaplet of St Michael for the protection of the holy angels.

Praying along: audio, EWTN, and Mother Angelica

Because the salutations repeat a fixed pattern, the Chaplet of St Michael is easy to pray along with a recording until you have it by heart. It became widely known to English-speaking Catholics through EWTN and the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, and many associate it with Mother Angelica, who fostered devotion to it. To pray along, simply join the leader's salutation for each choir, then answer with the Our Father and three Hail Marys, and continue through all nine choirs to the closing prayer.

Iter Fidei serves the full Chaplet with audio so you can pray it aloud or follow along, each salutation in Latin and your own language, without needing to find a video. This keeps the devotion exactly as the Church approved it, free of any later additions.

A printable Chaplet of St Michael (PDF)

If you would like the full text to keep in a missal or hand to a friend, the entire Chaplet is set out above — the opening versicle, the nine salutations with the Our Father and three Hail Marys, the four concluding Our Fathers, and the prayer to St Michael with its versicle and collect. You may copy or print this page as a simple PDF for personal devotion. Iter Fidei also carries the complete Chaplet in the app, formatted for prayer with the Latin alongside, so you always have it to hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I pray the Chaplet of St Michael the Archangel?

Begin with the Sign of the Cross and the versicle O God, come to my assistance, with a Glory Be. Then, for each of the nine choirs, say its salutation followed by one Our Father and three Hail Marys. Conclude with four Our Fathers — for St Michael, St Gabriel, St Raphael, and your Guardian Angel — and the closing prayer to St Michael.

What are the nine choirs of angels in the Chaplet?

The Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels — three hierarchies of three. Each salutation honours one choir and asks its proper gift.

Who is Antonia d'Astonac?

Antonia d'Astonac was a devout Servant of God of the eighteenth century to whom, by tradition, St Michael made known this Chaplet and its promises. The devotion was later indulgenced by Pope Pius IX in 1851. Its firm ground is the Archangel's intercession and the Church's approval, not the revelation itself.

How many beads does the St Michael Chaplet have?

Thirty-nine: nine groups of four beads (one Our Father and three Hail Marys per choir), plus four for the concluding Our Fathers. It may also be counted on the fingers.

When is the best time to pray the Chaplet of St Michael?

It is especially fitting on Michaelmas (29 September) and during its novena, on the feasts of the holy angels, and before Holy Communion. Many pray it daily as a defence in spiritual combat, but it may be said whenever you seek heavenly protection.

Is the St Michael Chaplet the same as a rosary?

No. The Rosary is the Marian devotion of fifteen decades of Hail Marys. A chaplet is any shorter set of prayers on beads. The Chaplet of St Michael has its own structure — nine salutations to the nine choirs of angels, each with one Our Father and three Hail Marys — and honours the Archangel rather than the mysteries of the Rosary.

What kind of beads do I need for the St Michael Chaplet?

A traditional St Michael Chaplet has thirty-nine beads: nine groups of four (one Our Father bead and three Hail Mary beads per choir) plus four for the concluding Our Fathers, usually with a St Michael medal and a crucifix. You do not need special beads, though — it can be prayed on a Rosary, on the fingers, or from the text.

Is there a PDF of the Chaplet of St Michael?

The full text — the versicle, the nine salutations, the four Our Fathers, and the closing prayer — is given in this article and may be printed for personal use. Iter Fidei also carries the complete Chaplet in the app, with the Latin alongside and audio.

Who is the St Michael Chaplet associated with on EWTN and Mother Angelica?

The Chaplet became widely known to English-speaking Catholics through EWTN and the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration founded by Mother Angelica, who fostered the devotion. The Chaplet itself is far older, having been indulgenced by Pope Pius IX in 1851.

(Iter Fidei serves the Chaplet of St Michael in full — every salutation in Latin and your own language, with audio. Download it here.)

Sources. The Chaplet of St Michael, revealed to Antonia d'Astonac and indulgenced by Pope Pius IX (8 August 1851); the nine choirs of Catholic tradition; Scripture from the Douay-Rheims (Apocalypse 12:7; Ephesians 1:21).