When you need a Latin prayer for exorcism, you’re in the right place.
Exorcism is a prayer of faith. It’s a ritual that asks God to banish evil and bless your home or person with His presence. The word exorcism comes from the Greek word exorkizein, which means “to bind.” This makes sense, because an exorcist is someone who binds himself to God and asks him to banish evil from his person or home.
This prayer is in Latin, which was once the universal language of Christianity and continues to be used in certain sects today.
Latin prayers for exorcism are the traditional language used to dispel evil spirits and cast them out of a person’s body. Latin is the official language of the Roman Catholic Church and is used in Christian liturgy and prayer. The Latin word exorcism means “to drive out” or “to deliver from.”
Exorcism is practiced by many religions, including Christianity, Islam and Judaism. In each religion, exorcism has a different meaning and purpose. In Christianity, exorcism is used to rid people of evil spirits who have taken control of their bodies. In Jewish traditions, an exorcist is someone who has been trained to perform rituals that will protect him from evil forces throughout his lifetime.
Latin prayers for exorcism are used to drive out demons and other evil spirits from a person or place. The Catholic Church uses them in official exorcisms, but they’re also part of many religious traditions.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most common Latin prayers for exorcism.
In the Catholic Church, exorcism is a ritual performed by priests to help people who are thought to be possessed by evil spirits. The ritual is based on the belief that demons and other evil entities can possess humans and make them act in ways they normally wouldn’t—and it’s up to the priest to expel those spirits.
Before performing an exorcism, the priest must first determine whether or not there is truly something supernatural going on. This requires extensive investigation and research into the individual’s history, as well as consulting with other priests and medical professionals who may have experience in dealing with similar cases. If it is determined that this is a possession, then an exorcism can proceed.
Exorcisms are generally done in private and done away from public view as much as possible. They are not intended to be shows or put on for entertainment purposes; rather, they are meant to be solemn rituals conducted with respect for both God and humanity.
Exorcism is the practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person, or an area, they are believed to have possessed.
The word exorcism comes from the Greek word exorkizein (to bind by oath) and ekô (out). The Greek word was used in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible in 1 Samuel 28:3.
The Hebrew term for “evicting” or “casting out” evil spirits is mazzaloth which means “to cast out”.
latin prayer for exorcism
The Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel usually refers to one specific Catholic prayer to Michael the Archangel, among the various prayers in existence that are addressed to him. It falls within the realm of prayers on spiritual warfare. From 1886 to 1964, this prayer was recited after Low Mass in the Catholic Church, although not incorporated into the text or the rubrics of the Mass. Other prayers to Saint Michael have also been officially approved and printed on prayer cards.
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel by Pope Leo XIII:
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle. Be our safe guard against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world seeking for the ruin of souls. Amen
Contents
In the Leonine Prayers
In 1886, Pope Leo XIII added a Prayer to Saint Michael[1] to
the Leonine Prayers, which he had directed to be prayed after Low
Mass two years earlier.[2]
|
Sancte Míchael Archángele, |
Blessed Michael, archangel, |
The English translation which was used in Ireland is quoted in James
Joyce’s novel Ulysses.[5] Variant English
translations include: “Holy Michael”, “Saint Michael”,
“defend us in battle”, “malice and snares”, “may God
rebuke him”, “thrust into hell”, “all evil spirits”,
“prowl about the world seeking the ruin”, and “roam throughout
the world seeking the ruin”.[6][7][8]
The prayer’s opening words are similar to the Alleluia verse
for Saint Michael’s feasts on 8 May and 29 September in the Roman
Missal of the time, which ran:[9]
|
Sancte Michael, |
Saint Michael, |
History[edit]
Pope
Leo XIII
The ‘Leonine Prayers’ originated in 1884, when Pope Leo XIII ordered
certain prayers to be said after Low Mass, in defense of the independence of
the Holy See. God’s help was sought for a satisfactory solution to the loss of
the Pope’s temporal sovereignty, which deprived him of the independence
felt to be required for effective use of his spiritual authority.[2] The
prayer to St Michael described above was added to the Leonine Prayers in 1886.
The Pope’s status as a temporal leader was restored in 1929 by the creation
of the State of Vatican City, and in the following year, Pope Pius XI ordered
that the intention for which these prayers should from then on be offered was
“to permit tranquility and freedom to profess the faith to be restored to
the afflicted people of Russia”.[10]
The practice of reciting this and the other Leonine prayers after Mass was
officially suppressed by the 26 September 1964 Instruction Inter
oecumenici which came into effect on 7 March 1965.
Removing the obligation to recite this prayer (along with the three Hail
Marys, the Hail Holy Queen, and the prayer for the Church) after Low Mass did
not mean forbidding its use either privately or publicly in other
circumstances. Thirty years later, Pope John Paul II recommended its
use, saying:[11][12]
May prayer strengthen us for the spiritual battle that the Letter to the
Ephesians speaks of: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his
might” (Ephesians 6:10). The Book of Revelation refers to this same
battle, recalling before our eyes the image of St Michael the
Archangel (cf. Revelation 12:7). Pope Leo XIII certainly had
this picture in mind when, at the end of the last century, he brought in,
throughout the Church, a special prayer to St Michael:
“Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection
against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly
pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust
into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin
of souls. Amen.”
Although this prayer is no longer recited at the end of Mass, I ask everyone
not to forget it and to recite it to obtain help in the battle against the
forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world.
— Pope John Paul II, Regina Caeli, 24 April 1994
On 29 September 2018, Pope Francis asked Catholics everywhere to
pray the Rosary each day during the following month of October and to
conclude it with the ancient prayer “Sub tuum praesidium” and the
Leonine prayer to Saint Michael. He asked them “to pray that the Holy Mother
of God place the Church beneath her protective mantle: to preserve her from the
attacks by the devil, the great accuser, and at the same time to make her more
aware of the faults, the errors and the abuses committed in the present and in
the past, and committed to combating without any hesitation, so that evil may
not prevail”.[3]
A month earlier, Pope Francis called more generically to “a penitential
exercise of prayer and fasting” in view of scandals concerning Catholic
Church sexual abuse cases.[13]
Exorcism prayer[edit]
A quite different prayer to Saint Michael was included in an exorcism
formula published in the 1890−1891 edition of Acta Sanctae Sedis for
use by bishops and by those priests authorized to perform exorcisms. To any of
these who devoutly recited the formula daily Pope Leo XIII granted on 18 May
1890 a partial indulgence on each day and a plenary indulgence
whenever they did so for a whole month.
This “Exorcism against Satan and the apostate angels” (Latin: Exorcismus
in Satanam et angelos apostaticos) opens with some verses from the Psalms and
then presents a long prayer to Saint Michael followed immediately by the actual
prayer of exorcism, which began with a series of ten conjurations.[14][15]
The exorcism formula, with its incorporated prayer to Saint Michael, wasinserted into the 1898 edition of the Roman Ritual.[16]
The 1890 prayer to Saint Michael
|
Latin text[14] |
English |
|
Princeps gloriosissime caelestis militiae, sancte Michael |
O glorious Archangel St. Michael, Prince of the heavenly |
|
Veni in auxilium hominum, quos Deus creavit |
Come to the aid of men, whom God created immortal, made in |
|
Proeliare hodie cum beatorum Angelorum exercitu proelia |
Fight this day the battle of the Lord, together with the |
|
En antiquus inimicus et homicida vehementer erectus est. |
Behold, this primeval enemy and slayer of man has taken |
|
Virus nequitiae suae, tamquam flumen immundissimum, draco |
This wicked dragon pours out, as a most impure flood, the |
|
Ecclesiam, Agni immaculati sponsam, faverrimi hostes |
These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with |
|
Ubi sedes beatissimi Petri et Cathedra veritatis ad lucem |
In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of |
|
Adesto itaque, Dux invictissime, populo Dei contra |
Arise then, O invincible prince, bring help against the |
|
Te custodem et patronum sancta veneratur Ecclesia; te |
The Church venerates thee as protector and patron; in thee |
|
Deprecare Deum pacis, ut conterat satanam sub pedibus |
Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under |
|
Offer nostras preces in conspectu Altissimi, ut cito |
Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that |
The 1902 prayer to Saint Michael
In 1902, a year and a half before the death of Pope Leo XIII, a new edition
of the Roman Ritual considerably shortened the exorcism
formula as a whole and in particular the prayer to Saint Michael within it.[18]
|
Latin text[19] |
English |
|
Princeps gloriosissime caelestis militiae, sancte Michael |
St. Michael the Archangel, illustrious leader of the |
|
Veni in auxilium hominum, quos Deus ad imaginem |
Come to the rescue of mankind, whom God has made in His |
|
Te custodem et patronum sancta veneratur Ecclesia; tibi |
Holy Church venerates you as her patron and guardian. The |
|
Deprecare Deum pacis, ut conterat Satanam sub pedibus |
Entreat the Lord of peace to cast Satan down under our |
|
Offer nostras preces in conspectu Altissimi, ut cito |
Carry our prayers up to God’s throne, that the mercy of |
In 1999, the Holy See issued a revised version of its Rite of
Exorcism. In its “supplication and exorcism that may be used in
special circumstances affecting the Church”, it includes, for optional
use, the 1902 prayer to Saint Michael and also allows it to be replaced by
another prayer better known by the people (pp. 76−77). It includes the
1886 (Leonine Prayers) text as one of the “supplications that the faithful
can use in their struggle against the powers of darkness” (p. 83).
The 1890 prayer is not included.[21]
Historical context
Saint
Michael fighting the dragon (miniature from the Book of Hours of the Knight
Étienne)
The 1890 text was composed and published twenty years after the capture
of Rome had deprived the Pope of the last vestige of his temporal
sovereignty. The papal residence at the Quirinal Palace had been
converted into that of the King of Italy. In the view of Anthony Cekada,
that situation explains the phrases: “These most crafty enemies have
filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the
Immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on her most sacred
possessions”; and “In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up
the See of the most blessed Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the
world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the
iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be
scattered.” Cekada considers that the omission of these phrases from the
1902 revision of the text reflected improved relations between the Holy See and
the Kingdom of Italy.[22]
Unauthorized use[edit]
On 29 September 1985, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote to Catholic Ordinaries,
recalling the need to maintain the canonical norm that exorcisms are to be
performed only by select priests who have been authorized by the local
Ordinary, and that it is therefore illicit for other Catholics to use the
formula of exorcism against Satan and the fallen angels, extracted from the one
published by order of Pope Leo XIII, still less to use the integral text of
this
