The Chaplet of St. Michael: History and Meaning

Among the Church's many chaplets, the Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel stands apart in its scope. Where most chaplets are anchored in the mysteries of Christ's earthly life or in the mercy of God, this one raises the soul's gaze to the entire hierarchy of heaven — the nine celestial choirs that surround the throne of God — and places the faithful under the protection of the mightiest of all the angels.

St. Michael in Scripture and Tradition

St. Michael appears by name three times in Sacred Scripture. In the Book of Daniel (10:13, 12:1) he is called "one of the chief princes" and the great guardian of God's people. In the Epistle of Jude (v.9) he contends with the devil over the body of Moses. And in the Apocalypse (12:7–9) it is Michael who leads the heavenly host in the war against the dragon: "And there was a great battle in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon."

From the earliest centuries, the Church has honoured Michael as the guardian of souls, the weigher of souls at judgement, the healer (associated with the healing spring at Monte Sant'Angelo in the fifth century), and above all as the protector of the Church. The great prayer to St. Michael composed by Pope Leo XIII — Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio — was for decades prayed after every Low Mass, a recognition that the Church is always in a state of spiritual combat.

The Apparition to Antonia d'Astonac, 1751

The chaplet's origin is traced to a Portuguese Carmelite nun named Antonia d'Astonac, to whom St. Michael is said to have appeared in 1751 at the convent in Varatojo. In the apparition, St. Michael expressed his desire to be honoured with nine salutations corresponding to the nine choirs of angels, promising that those who prayed the chaplet would have, at the moment of death, himself and nine of the holy angels accompanying them to the throne of God. He further promised that those who recited it daily would have his continual assistance and that of all the holy angels during life.

The nine choirs of angels — drawn from the Scriptures and systematised by the Pseudo-Dionysius and later by St. Thomas Aquinas — are:

1. Seraphim
2. Cherubim
3. Thrones
4. Dominions
5. Powers
6. Virtues
7. Principalities
8. Archangels
9. Angels

To each choir, one salutation is addressed, followed by three Hail Marys in their honour.

Papal Approval

Pope Pius IX approved the chaplet in 1851 and granted an indulgence to those who pray it daily. The devotion has since spread quietly but steadily through the Church, kept alive especially in periods of particular spiritual danger — precisely the circumstances in which the intercession of the Prince of the Heavenly Hosts seems most urgently needed.

Why Pray It Today

In an age of acute spiritual warfare — when the enemy is often more aggressive and more clever in his deceptions than in any previous generation — the Chaplet of St. Michael offers a powerful weapon. It is not a timid prayer. It honours the warrior who cast Satan out of heaven, who guards the souls of the faithful in their final agony, and who stands ready to assist all who call upon him.

Pray the complete Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel — all 52 steps — in the Traditio Prayer Chapel.