.:: God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life ::.  
- John 3:16 - 

St Francis Xavier Cathedral

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

May the Divine assistance remain always with us. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace, amen.

St. Michael, Michael of the morning,
Fresh chord of Heaven adorning,
Keep me safe today,
And in time of temptation,
Drive the devil away. 

Amen. 

Angel of God Prayer 

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

Amen.

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 the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

The History of the Chaplet of St. Michael

The Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel is a chaplet resulting from a private revelation by the Archangel Michael to the Portuguese Carmelite nun Antónia d'Astónaco. It was approved by Pope Pius IX in 1851 and was granted indulgences.

Praying the chaplet is said to provide great benefits for those who pray it often, among which are the continuous assistance from Saint Michael the Archangel and the company of one angel of each of the nine celestial choirs when approaching Holy Communion.

In addition, for those who would recite the Chaplet daily, he promised his continual assistance and that of all the holy angels during life.
Praying the chaplet is also believed gradually to defeat demons and grant a Pure Heart thus delivering from Purgatory. These blessings extend to the direct family.

How to Pray the Chaplet of St. Michael

The chaplet begins with an act of contrition. Then there are nine salutations, one for each choir of angels, each one followed by an Our Father and three Hail Mary's. These are followed by four Our Fathers, honoring Saints Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and the Guardian Angel. The chaplet concludes with a prayer to Saint Michael. 

Steps to Pray the Chaplet of St. Michael

Opening Prayer to Our Lady

Oh, Immaculate Heart!
Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths towards the future!

  • From famine and war, deliver us.
  • From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us.
  • From sins against the life of man from its very beginning, deliver us.
  • From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us.
  • From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us.
  • From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us.
  • From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us.
  • From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us, deliver us.

Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of whole societies.
Let there be revealed, once more, in the history of the world your infinite power of merciful Love. May it put a stop to evil. May it transform consciences.
May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of Hope.

Taken from L’Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English 24 May 1982

Act of Consecration

Saint Michael the Archangel, invincible prince of the angelic hosts and glorious protector of the universal Church,
I greet you and praise you for that splendor with which God has adorned you so richly.
I thank God for the great graces he has bestowed upon you, especially to remain faithful when Lucifer and his followers rebelled, and to battle victoriously for the honor of God and the divinity of the Son of Man. 

Saint Michael, I consecrate to you my soul and body.
I choose you as my patron and protector and entrust the salvation of my soul to your care.
Be the guardian of my obligation as a child of God and of the Catholic Church as again I renounce Satan, his works and pomps.
Assist me by your powerful intercession in the fulfillment of these sacred promises, so that imitating your courage and loyalty to God, and trusting in your kind help and protection, I may be victorious over the enemies of my soul and be united with God in heaven forever.

Amen.

Then recite a sincere Act of Contrition 

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; 
But most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. 

Amen.

V. O God, come to my assistance
R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

Glory be to the Father, etc.  

1. 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.  

1 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary's 

2. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim, may the Lord vouchsafe to grant us grace to leave the ways of wickedness to run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen.  

1 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary 's 

3. 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.  

1 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary's  

4. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Dominions, may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and subdue our unruly passions. Amen  

1 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary's 

5. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Powers, may the Lord vouchsafe to protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen.  

1 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary's  

6. 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.  

1 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary's 

7. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities, may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. 

1 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary's 

8. 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, in order that we gain the glory of Paradise. Amen.  

1 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary's 

9. 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.  

1 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary's  

1 Our Father In honor of St. Michael. 
1 Our Father In honor of St. Gabriel. 
1 Our Father In honor of St. Raphael. 
1 Our Father In honor of our Guardian Angel.

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, vouchsafe to 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.  

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

Almighty and Everlasting God, who by a prodigy of goodness and a merciful desire for the salvation of all men, hast appointed the most glorious Archangel, St. Michael, Prince of Thy Church, make us worthy, we beseech Thee, to be delivered from all our enemies that none of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by him into the august presence of Thy Divine Majesty. This we beg through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen. 

Prayer to St. Michael 

O glorious Prince of the heavenly host, Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in the battle and in the fearful warfare that we are waging against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the evil spirits.

Come thou to the assistance of men, whom Almighty God created immortal, making them in His own image and likeness and redeeming them at a great price from the tyranny of Satan.

Fight this day the battle of the Lord with the legions of holy Angels, even as of old thou didst fight against Lucifer, the leader of the proud spirits and all his rebel angels, who were powerless to stand against thee, neither was their place found any more in heaven.

And that apostate angel, transformed into an angel of darkness who still creeps about the earth to encompass our ruin, was cast headlong into the abyss together with his followers. But behold, that first enemy of mankind, and a murderer from the beginning, has regained his confidence.

Changing himself into an angel of light, he goes about with the whole multitude of the wicked spirits to invade the earth and blot out the Name of God and of His Christ, to plunder, to slay and to consign to eternal damnation the souls that have been destined for a crown of everlasting life.

This wicked serpent, like an unclean torrent, pours into men of depraved minds and corrupt hearts the poison of his malice, the spirit of lying, impiety and blasphemy, and the deadly breath of impurity and every form of vice and iniquity.

These crafty enemies of mankind have filled to overflowing with gall and wormwood the Church, which is the Bride of the Lamb without spot;
They have laid profane hands upon her most sacred treasures.

Make haste, therefore, O invincible Prince, to help the people of God against the inroads of the lost spirits and grant us the victory.

Amen.

(indulg. By Leo XIII, 25 Sep. 1888]

How to pray:

Begin with the Sign of the Cross

  1. Then Say One: Our Father...

  2. Say One: Hail Mary...

  3. Say One Apostles' Creed: I believe...

  4. Say "Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world"

  5. Say "For the sake of his sorrowful passion have mercy on us and on the whole world" (Ten times)

  6. Conclude with (three times)
    "Holy God, Holy Mighty one, Holy Immortal one, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world"

The history of "The Chaplet of Divine Mercy" 

In 1933, God gave Sister Faustina a striking vision of His Mercy, 

Sister tells us:

"I saw a great light, with God the Father in the midst of it. 

Between this light and the earth I saw Jesus nailed to the Cross and in such a way that God, wanting to look upon the earth, had to look through Our Lord's wounds and I understood that God blessed the earth for the sake of Jesus."

Of another vision on Sept. 13, 1935, she writes:

"I saw an Angel, the executor of God's wrath... about to strike the earth...I began to beg God earnestly for the world with words 

which I heard interiorly. As I prayed in this way, I saw the Angel's helplessness, and he could not carry out the just punishment...."

The following day an inner voice taught her to say this prayer on ordinary rosary beads:

"First say one 'Our Father', 'Hail Mary', and 'I believe'. Then on the large beads say the following words:

'Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.'

On the smaller beads you are to say the following words:

'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.'

In conclusion you are to say these words three times:

'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world'.

Jesus said later to Sister Faustina:

"Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have taught you. Anyone who says it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as the last hope. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy...." 

"....When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior".

The 15 Promises of the Holy Rosary How The Rosary is divided and how it is Prayed
The History of the Rosary

According to Catholic traditions, the Rosary was given to Saint Dominic in a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary sometime in the 13th century, and it was then promoted by Alan de la Roche. It was during that vision when The Blessed Virgin Mary gave The Fiftneen Promises of the Holy Rosary which are listed below:

The 15 Promises of the Holy Rosary


  1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.

  2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

  3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

  4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

  5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.

  6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.

  7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.

  8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.

  9. I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

  10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.

  11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.

  12. All those who propagate the holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

  13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.

  14. All who recite the Rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only Son Jesus Christ.

  15. Devotion of my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

How The Rosary is divided and how it is Prayed

The Rosary is divided into five decades.
Each decade represents a mystery or event in the life of Jesus. For centuries, the Church has used three sets of mysteries; (Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious).

It was until 2002 when Pope John Paul II, guided by the Holy Ghost, proposed a fourth set of mysteries called The Mysteries of Light, or Luminous Mysteries, making it four sets of Mysteries (Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious).

These four "Mysteries of the Rosary" contain a total of twenty mysteries and are prayed on specific days of the week as shown below:

The Joyful Mysteries are prayed on the Mondays, Saturdays, and Sundays of Advent:

  1. The Annunciation "Luke 1:26 & Isaiah 7:14"

    2. Mary learns that she has been chosen to be the mother of Jesus.

  2. The Visitation "Luke 1:39"

    3. Mary visits Elizabeth, who tells her that she will always be remembered.

  3. The Nativity "Luke 2:1"

    4. Jesus is born in a stable in Bethlehem.

  4. The Presentation "Luke 2:22"

    5. Mary and Joseph take the infant Jesus to the Temple to present him to God.

  5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple "Luke 2:41"

    6. Jesus is found in the Temple discussing his faith with the teachers.

The Mysteries of Light, also called The Luminous Mysteries, are prayed on Thursdays and it starts with:

  1. The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan "Matthew 3:17"

    2. God proclaims that Jesus is his beloved Son.

  2. The Wedding Feast at Cana "John 2:11"

    3. At Mary’s request, Jesus performs his first miracle.

  3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God "Mark 1:15">

    4. Jesus calls all to conversion and service to the Kingdom.

  4. The Transfiguration of Jesus "Matthew 17:2"

    5. Jesus is revealed in glory to Peter, James, and John.

  5. The Institution of the Eucharist "Matthew 26:26"

    6. Jesus offers his Body and Blood at the Last Supper.

The Sorrowful Mysteries are prayed on the Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays of Lent:

  1. The Agony in the Garden "Matthew 26:36"

    2. Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before he dies.

  2. The Scourging at the Pillar "Matthew 27:26"

    3. Jesus is lashed with whips.

  3. The Crowning With Thorns "Matthew 27:27"

    4. Jesus is mocked and crowned with thorns.

  4. The Carrying of the Cross "Matthew 27:32"

    5. Jesus carries the cross that will be used to crucify him.

  5. The Crucifixion "Matthew 27:33"

    6. Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies.

The Glorious Mysteries are prayed on the Wednesday and Sundays outside of Lent and Advent:

  1. The Resurrection "John 20:1"

    2. God the Father raises Jesus from the dead.

  2. The Ascension "Luke 24:36"

    3. Jesus returns to his Father in heaven.

  3. The Coming of the Holy Spirit "Acts 2:1"

    4. The Holy Spirit comes to bring new life to the disciples.

  4. The Assumption of Mary "Revelation 12:1"

    5. At the end of her life on earth, Mary is taken body and soul into heaven.

  5. The Coronation of Mary "Judith 15: 9-11" & "Revelation 12:1"

    6. Mary is crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

And now, since most of us don’t understand the Blessed Virgin Mary’s unique connection to Jesus and her role in the Incarnation and the salvation of souls, let us ask God the Father, by reciting the following prayer:

Father God in heaven, we come before you now with a humble heart to beg you that with your grace and mercy through your Son - our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to please open our mind and give us a discerning heart so we can see and understand the real meaning of The Rosary, Amen.

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