Novena to Your Guardian Angel

The novena to your Guardian Angel is nine days of prayer to the pure spirit whom God has appointed to guard, guide, and defend you from your birth to your last breath. It is prayed for protection in danger, for light in doubt, for grace against temptation, and — most of all — for a happy death, since it is the office of the Guardian Angel to conduct the soul it kept on earth into the presence of God. The most fitting nine days are the ones leading to the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels on 2 October, but the novena may be made at any time and for any honest need. Below we give the complete authentic prayer — the daily prayer and the nine distinct petitions — together with the doctrine, the history, and the answers to the questions people most often ask.

The full novena to the Guardian Angel

This is the traditional novena. Each day you say the same daily prayer first, then that day's distinct petition, then the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, and close with the Angel of God. Begin, if you wish, with the Sign of the Cross. If you are new to this form of prayer, our guide to what is a novena explains why the Church prays for nine days.

The daily prayer (said every day)

O holy angel, whom God, by the effect of His goodness and His tender regard for my welfare, has charged with the care of my conduct, and who assists me in all my wants and comforts me in all my afflictions, who supports me when I am discouraged and continually obtains for me new favours; I return thee profound thanks, and I earnestly beseech thee, O most amiable protector, to continue thy charitable care and defence of me against the malignant attacks of all my enemies.

I pray especially that thou keep me away from all occasions of sin. Obtain for me the grace of listening attentively to thy holy inspirations and of faithfully putting them into practice. In particular, I implore thee to obtain for me the favour which I ask for by this novena. (Here name your request.)

Protect me in all the temptations and trials of this life, but more especially at the hour of my death, and do not leave me until thou hast conducted me into the presence of God in the mansions of everlasting happiness. Amen.

The nine daily petitions

Day 1 — Sorrow for sin.

O most powerful angel, thou who art my guardian, I beseech thee, by the sovereign hatred thou hast for sin, because it offends God, whom thou lovest with a pure and perfect love, obtain for me a sincere and lasting sorrow for my sins, and an implacable hatred against all sin, of what kind soever, so that I may never more offend my God, till the last moment of my life.

Day 2 — To live in God's presence.

Most mighty spirit, my angel-guardian, I pray thee, by that supreme felicity thou dost enjoy in seeing God without a veil, even whilst watching over me, obtain for me grace to walk without ceasing in the presence of God, so that I may live as a perfect Christian till my last breath.

Day 3 — To do God's will.

Most perfect executor of the will of God, my faithful guardian, I pray thee, by the vigilant and loving eagerness with which thou fulfillest the duty of my guardianship which God has confided to thee, obtain for me the grace of being always anxious to know and accomplish perfectly, to the last moment of my life, everything that God asks of me.

Day 4 — Against temptation.

My most zealous protector and dear angel-guardian, I pray thee, by the charge which God hath given thee to guard me in all my ways, as a mother carries in her arms her beloved child, avert from me all occasions of sin, and preserve me from all perils which could make me offend God; and for that, repress the temptations of the infernal enemy and my own passions, so that, having conquered the enemies of my salvation, I may walk with ease, by the grace of God, in the way of His commandments, till I die.

Day 5 — To follow God's guidance.

Most faithful guide, my angel-guardian, I pray thee, by the mission which God has confided to thee to lead me on the road to heaven, obtain for me grace to follow faithfully and constantly the light which thou hast shown me, of the evil which I must avoid, and of the good which I must do, and do not cease to excite me to the practice of all virtue, till the last moment of my life.

Day 6 — To pray well in trouble.

Dearest friend, my good angel, I pray thee, by the great love thou hast for me, thou who lovest God so ardently, and who seest how much He loved me and still loves me, obtain for me the consolation of always praying, and praying well, in my troubles, so that I may obtain His mercy, till the last moment of my existence.

Day 7 — Zeal for others.

Most powerful intercessor, my faithful guardian, I pray thee, by the zeal which God hath given thee for the eternal salvation of my soul, obtain for me the grace of having also an ardent and prudent zeal for the salvation of my neighbour, so that I may merit eternal salvation.

Day 8 — Purity of soul and body.

O most pure spirit, dear angel-guardian, I pray thee, by the burning love thou hast for the Immaculate Virgin-Mother of God, the Queen of Angels, to obtain for me great purity of soul and body, that at my death I may be found worthy to associate with thee in Paradise.

Day 9 — Thanksgiving and eternal union.

O sweetest angel, my faithful and loving guardian, how can I thank thee sufficiently for the ardent love and faithful vigilance with which thou hast ever watched, and wilt watch, over me, till thou hast led me safely into the sweet presence of God? Ah! pray for me, that I may thank thee by my obedience to thy holy inspirations, so that, loving thee daily more and more, I may merit to be with thee for all eternity.

The Angel of God (said each day at the close)

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom His love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

This little verse — in Latin Angele Dei, qui custos es mei — is the oldest and most beloved of all prayers to the Guardian Angel, and carries an indulgence in the traditional books. We treat it more fully in the Guardian Angel prayer.

Variants of the novena

Novena to my Guardian Angel / to our Guardian Angels

Some pray this novena to their own Guardian Angel, and some pray it to all the Holy Guardian Angels together — one's own, those of the people one loves, those of a whole family or parish. The words above serve either intention: keep them as they stand for your own angel, or, when you wish to embrace all the angel-guardians, simply address them in the plural (O holy angels…) and name the souls you commend to their care. In Spain it was long the custom to honour the Guardian Angels not only of persons but of whole cities and provinces, and there is no reason a family may not do the same.

A short novena for a specific intention

If you cannot pray the full form, the heart of the devotion is the daily prayer alone, said once a day for nine days with your one intention named at "the favour which I ask for by this novena." Add the Angel of God and, where you can, an Our Father. This is a true novena, complete and sufficient; the nine daily petitions are a fuller meditation, not a condition of the prayer being heard.

A printable version (PDF)

There is no single official "PDF" of this novena — the text above is the whole devotion, and you may copy it to keep beside you for the nine days. Better still, the Iter Fidei app carries the complete novena with a reminder for each of the nine days and audio, so it can be prayed from a phone without a printed sheet.

How to pray this novena

A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer. Pray at a fixed hour each day — morning is fitting, since the Guardian Angel keeps us "this day" — and do not break the chain; if a day is missed, most simply resume rather than starting over, for God looks at the heart. Name your intention plainly and ask in submission: Thy will be done. Join the novena, where you can, to Mass, Confession, or a decade of the Rosary. Above all, remember what you are asking: not a favour from a stranger, but the constant help of a friend who has never once left your side.

When do you start a novena to your Guardian Angel? For any need, on any day — count back nine days from when you want it to end. To pray it toward the feast, begin on 23 September so that the ninth day falls on 1 October, the eve of the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels on 2 October.

Who are the Guardian Angels?

The angels are pure spirits — persons, but without bodies — created by God with keener intelligence and greater power than men. Their office is to praise God, to carry His messages, and to watch over man. That God appoints a particular angel to guard each particular person born into the world is the constant teaching of the theologians and the plain sense of Scripture, though the Church has not defined it as an article of faith. The Guardian Angel leads the soul toward heaven by defending it from evil, helping it in prayer, and prompting it to good — acting upon the senses and the imagination, but never forcing the will, so that our own free co-operation is always required.

Scripture is full of them. "He hath given His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" (Psalm 90). "The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear Him, and shall deliver them" (Psalm 33). The patriarch Jacob blessed his grandsons through "the angel that delivereth me from all evils"; Judith confessed, "His angel hath been my keeper, both going hence, and abiding there, and returning." Our Lord Himself warned against scandalizing the little ones, "for their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father." And when St Peter was loosed from prison and stood knocking at the door, the disciples, unable to believe it, said, "It is his angel" (Acts 12) — so certain and universal was the belief that each of us has one.

The feast and its history

Liturgical honour was paid to the angels from early times. A votive Mass of the Angels was in use at least from the days of Alcuin, who died in 804. In Spain a proper office of the Guardian Angels was composed for Valencia as early as 1411; and in 1518 Pope Leo X approved a special office for their annual commemoration. Pope Paul V authorised a Mass and Office, and, at the request of the Emperor Ferdinand II, granted the feast to the whole empire. Finally Pope Clement X, in 1670, extended the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels to the universal Church and fixed it for 2 October, the first free day after the feast of St Michael the Archangel — which is why the two celebrations stand so close together in autumn. The Guardian Angels are honoured as the protectors of body and soul, the companions of our pilgrimage, and the escorts of the dying: it is theirs to bear the faithful soul home, as the angels bore Lazarus into Abraham's bosom.

The Guardian Angels and the whole angelic court

Devotion to your own angel opens naturally onto the whole company of heaven. It stands beside the great devotion to St Michael the Archangel, the captain of the heavenly host whose feast on 29 September opens this season; to St Raphael, the angel who guided and healed Tobias on his road; and to St Gabriel, the messenger of the Annunciation, whom we honour in St Gabriel the Archangel. For the fuller doctrine of these blessed spirits and the prayers proper to them, see our page on the Guardian Angels. Because so much of this novena looks to our last hour, it is well joined to a sober meditation on the four last things and to the reparation of the First Fridays, that death when it comes may find us watched and ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a novena to one's Guardian Angel?

Yes. The traditional novena is given in full above: a daily prayer beginning "O holy angel, whom God has charged with the care of my conduct," said for nine consecutive days with one intention named, followed on each day by a distinct petition, the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and the Angel of God. It is a genuine part of the Church's treasury of prayer and may be made for any honest need.

When do you start a novena to your Guardian Angel?

For a particular intention, start whenever you like — count back nine days from the day you wish the novena to end. To pray it in honour of the feast, begin on 23 September, so that the ninth day is 1 October and the novena closes on the eve of the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, 2 October.

When is the feast of the Guardian Angels?

The feast of the Holy Guardian Angels is kept on 2 October. Pope Clement X extended it to the whole Latin Church in 1670 and fixed it for that date, the first free day after the feast of St Michael on 29 September.

Can I pray a novena to learn my Guardian Angel's name?

No — and it is better not to try. The names of the angels are not revealed to us except for the three Scripture gives, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. The Church has always discouraged the practice of inventing or seeking to "discover" a name for one's Guardian Angel, since it easily slides into curiosity or superstition and can open the door to deception. Love your angel, thank him, obey his inspirations, and call on him as your guardian and friend; God has told you all you need to know of him.

Do I have my own Guardian Angel, or do I share one?

Each person has his own. The constant teaching of the theologians, following the words of Our Lord about "their angels" and the disciples' "it is his angel," is that God appoints a particular angel to guard each individual soul from birth. That angel is yours alone, tireless and unfailing, and will keep you to your last hour.

What is the Guardian Angel novena prayed for?

For whatever a soul rightly needs: protection in danger, guidance in doubt, strength against temptation, purity, perseverance, help in trouble, the good of those we love — and, above every other intention, a happy death. The novena's own words ask the angel to guard us "more especially at the hour of my death," and not to leave us until he has led us "into the presence of God in the mansions of everlasting happiness."

What do I do if I miss a day of the novena?

The nine days are meant to be consecutive, but a novena is measured by the heart, not by an unbroken tally. If you miss a day, simply take it up again the next day and carry on to the ninth. God and your angel look at your fidelity and your love, not at a perfect record.

Pray this novena to your Guardian Angel in the Iter Fidei app, with a gentle reminder for each of the nine days and the prayers in Latin and your own language with audio. Download it here.

Sources. Holy Scripture (Psalm 33:8; Psalm 90:11; Genesis 48:16; Judith 13:20; Matthew 18:10; Luke 16:22; Acts 12:15); Butler's Lives of the Saints, "The Guardian Angels" (2 October), on the doctrine and the history of the feast (votive Mass of the Angels from the time of Alcuin; office approved by Leo X, 1518; the feast extended to the universal Church and fixed for 2 October by Pope Clement X, 1670); the traditional novena prayer "O holy angel, whom God has charged with the care of my conduct" with its nine daily petitions, and the Angel of God (Angele Dei), as carried in the traditional prayer-books.