Archbishop Sample revives St. Michael prayer after Mass to combat Satan’s plan to ‘divide, disrupt’

PORTLAND, Oregon (LifeSiteNews) — Catholics in the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, should ask for St. Michael the Archangel’s protection after every Mass, local Archbishop Alexander Sample urged recently.

“Several years ago, I reintroduced the traditional practice of praying the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer” after Masses, the prelate wrote in a May 12 “Pastoral Letter on the Spiritual Foundation of Our Mission Renewal in the Archdiocese.”

“l am again directing that this is prayed after the conclusion of every Mass celebrated in the archdiocese,” he wrote.

“There will, of course, be exceptions from time to time due to the solemnity or nature of the celebration,” Sample said. “This prayer remains an important spiritual support as we seek the Lord’s work of renewal among us.”

It is a good protection against Satan, the archbishop wrote, as the devil “seeks to divide, disrupt and interfere in our cooperation with God.”

He also called on the faithful to pray the Sacred Heart Novena from May 30 to June 7 and announced he would be consecrating the archdiocese to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The prelate also asked his flock to pray or fast for the archdiocese and to perform both spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

“When we pray and sacrifice together as one Church, we open the door for the Lord to act in powerful ways,” he concluded. “If we entrust this work to Him with faith, we will surely see the fruits of His grace.”

The prayer’s origins trace back to 1884, when Pope Leo XIII first composed the prayer, according to the Saint Benedict Center.

He asked that the prayer be said after all low Masses. Though a “low Mass” distinction does not exist outside of the Traditional Latin Mass, there has been a resurgence in recitation of the prayer in recent years.

This reporter can attest to hearing the prayer recited after a variety of Novus Ordo Masses in his home diocese.