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Japanese The traditional guardian angel prayer is a short Catholic verse said to the angel himself: “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.” In Catholic books today the second line reads “God’s love,” and at night Catholics say “ever this night.”
The older wording, with “His love,” is the one printed in A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity, which was published in 1888 by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. The Baltimore Catechism lists it among its morning prayers, and Francis Xavier Lasance gives it the title “Prayer to the Angel Guardian” in his prayer book With God (1911). Lasance also records that on October 2, 1795, Pope Pius VI attached an indulgence to the prayer for those who say it morning and evening. The newer form, “to whom God’s love commits me here,” is the one printed in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2005).
Where does the Angel of God prayer come from?
The prayer was first said in Latin, as the Angele Dei. Medieval copyists counted it among the works of St. Anselm of Canterbury, though it closely follows a longer verse prayer in the Life of St. Malchus by Reginald of Canterbury, a Benedictine monk of Anselm’s own day who died after 1109. We cannot be sure whether Reginald wrote the short prayer himself. Here is the Latin as the Compendium gives it:
Ángele Dei,
qui custos es mei,
me, tibi commíssum pietáte supérna,
illúmina, custódi, rege et gubérna.
Amen.Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Appendix
Word for word, the Latin asks the angel, “who art my guardian,” to enlighten, guard, rule and govern the one “committed to thee by heavenly kindness.” The English verse keeps those four verbs as “light and guard, rule and guide.” Some Latin versions add hodie, “today,” or hac nocte, “tonight.”
Who prays to a guardian angel, and why?
Catholics and Orthodox Christians speak to their guardian angels in prayer, while most Protestants pray to God alone and ask him to send his angels.
Catholics ground their teaching in a few passages of Scripture, among them what Jesus said of children: “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). The psalmist promises, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways” (Psalm 91:11). When Peter knocked at the door after an angel had freed him from prison, the believers praying inside at first said, “It is his angel” (Acts 12:15). And the Letter to the Hebrews calls the angels “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). There are more passages in Bible verses about guardian angels.
The Baltimore Catechism of 1885 teaches that angels “are also appointed our guardians,” and today’s Catechism of the Catholic Church says that “from infancy to death” human life is surrounded by the angels’ “watchful care and intercession.” It quotes St. Basil: “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life” (paragraph 336). The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1910 adds that the belief that every soul has a guardian angel “has never been defined by the Church,” so it is not an article of faith. Still, it calls the belief the “mind of the Church,” and it cites St. Jerome, who wrote that “each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it.”
The Orthodox Church’s Greek book of daily services, the Horologion, contains “a supplicatory canon to man’s Guardian Angel,” according to the Catholic Encyclopedia. In Isabel Hapgood’s 1906 translation of the Russian Orthodox service book, a canon to the guardian angel is among the prayers a priest reads before he celebrates the Liturgy, and in the morning service the deacon asks God for “an Angel of Peace, the faithful guide and guardian of our souls.”
The Protestant reformers went on believing that angels protect believers, but they would not pray to them. In his Smalcald Articles of 1537, Luther grants that “the angels in heaven pray for us,” and then says “it does not follow thence that we should invoke and adore the angels and saints.” John Calvin wrote that he “dare not positively affirm” that each believer has one angel of his own, and held instead that all the angels “with one consent watch for our safety.” He warned us not to turn to angels in place of God, and quoted the angel who stopped John from bowing down to him: “See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant … worship God” (Revelation 22:9). When Luther asks for an angel in his own morning and evening prayers, he asks God: “Let Thy holy angel be with me.”
Catholics do not count a prayer to an angel as worship, for, as the Compendium puts it, the Church “joins with the angels in adoring God” and “invokes their assistance” (question 61).
Traditional prayers for the protection of the angels
These prayers speak to God and ask him to send his angels, and Christians of any church can use them.
Luther’s morning prayer
I thank Thee, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Thy dear Son, that Thou hast kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray Thee to keep me this day also from sin and all evil, that all my doings and life may please Thee. For into Thy hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Thy holy angel be with me, that the Wicked Foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Martin Luther, Small Catechism, Morning Prayer (Concordia Triglotta, 1921)
Luther’s evening prayer thanks God, who “hast graciously kept me this day,” asks forgiveness for the day’s sins, and ends with the same request for God’s holy angel.
The collect for St. Michael and All Angels
The Episcopal Church’s 1928 Book of Common Prayer keeps September 29 as the feast of St. Michael and All Angels. Its Gospel for that day includes Matthew 18:10, and its collect is this prayer:
O Everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted the services of Angels and men in a wonderful order; Mercifully grant that, as thy holy Angels always do thee service in heaven, so, by thy appointment, they may succour and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1928), Saint Michael and all Angels, p. 251
A Catholic prayer to God for the guardian angels
In With God this versicle and prayer come after the Angel of God, and they suit anyone who asks for “all guardian angels” at once.
V. Pray for us, O holy angel guardian,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.O God, Who, in Thine ineffable providence, hast deigned to send thy holy angels to watch over us: vouchsafe to us Thy suppliants in all our days to find safety in their protection, and in eternity to share their happiness.
F. X. Lasance, With God (1911)
A prayer before a journey
Lasance credits this travelers’ prayer to Félix Dupanloup, a nineteenth-century French bishop.
O Almighty and merciful God, Who hast commissioned Thy angels to guide and protect us, command them to be our assiduous companions from our setting out until our return; to clothe us with their invisible protection; to keep from us all danger of collision, of fire, of explosion, of falls and hurts; and finally, having preserved us from all evil, and especially from sin, to guide us to our heavenly home. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
F. X. Lasance, With God (1911)
An Orthodox prayer from the Hours
The Orthodox service of the First Hour ends with a prayer to Christ that includes this request:
Compass us round about with thy holy Angels; that, guided and guarded by their host, we may attain unto the unity of the faith, and unto the comprehension of thine ineffable glory.
Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church, trans. Isabel F. Hapgood (1906), The First Hour, p. 41
A night verse for children
This popular Catholic verse speaks to the guardian angel himself. It appears in With God under the heading “To my Angel,” and it is a rhyme for private devotion rather than a prayer of the Church’s liturgy.
Good night, my guardian Angel!
The day has sped away;
Well spent or ill, its story
Is written down for aye.
And now, of God’s kind providence
Thou image pure and bright!
Watch o’er me while I’m sleeping —
My Angel dear, good night!F. X. Lasance, With God (1911)
Short prayers asking God for his angels’ care
Where you see [name], put in the name of the person you are praying for.
For a child at bedtime
Father, thank you for [name] and for this day. Give your angels charge over [name] tonight, as you promised in the psalm, and keep [him or her] safe until morning. Amen.
For someone far away or in danger
Lord, I cannot be with [name] now, and I do not know everything [he or she] faces today. Send your angel ahead of [him or her], keep [him or her] from harm, and bring [him or her] home. Amen.
When you are afraid at night
God, the house is quiet and my mind will not stop. You see what I cannot see, and your angels keep watch where I cannot. Let me rest. “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). Amen.
When you are tempted
Lord, I know what I am about to do, and I do not want to do it. You promised that you “will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Show me the way out now, and guard me through your angels. Amen.
In thanks for protection
God, I came through today, and some of the danger I will never know about. Thank you for your care of me, and for the angels you send to serve those who belong to you. Amen.
When you want to start praying again
Lord, I have not prayed in a long time, and I am not sure how to begin. You have not stopped watching over me. Take me back, teach me to pray again, and keep me in your care. Amen.
How do you reconnect with your guardian angel?
In Catholic teaching the angel has never gone away, so there is nothing to reconnect. The Catechism speaks of the angels’ care “from infancy to death,” and St. Jerome wrote that each soul has its angel “from his birth.” After years without praying, a Catholic turns back to the guardian angel the same way as before, with the Angel of God said morning and night. Christians who pray to God alone can ask him for his protection directly, in any of the prayers above.
When is the feast of the Guardian Angels?
The Catholic Church keeps the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels on October 2. The Catholic Encyclopedia records that the feast began as a local celebration in Spain in the sixteenth century, and that Pope Clement X made it a feast for the whole Church in the seventeenth century, fixing it on October 2 as the first free day after the feast of St. Michael on September 29. The Gospel of the feast’s Mass, as the encyclopedia describes it, includes Matthew 18:10, the verse the 1928 Prayer Book also reads on St. Michael and All Angels. Catholic custom also sets aside a day of each week for the angels: With God lists Tuesday as the day devoted to the holy angels.
Prayer for Daily Protection
This is a prayer for the days when the world feels unsafe and uncertain. It asks your guardian angel, God’s messenger, to keep you from all harm, seen and unseen, as you go about your day.
O holy angel, my faithful guardian, whom God in His mercy has appointed to be my protector, I ask you to stand guard over me today. Spread your wings of light around me and my family, creating a shield of heavenly peace that no darkness can break. Keep me safe from all accidents, harm, and danger as I travel.
Guard my mind from negative thoughts and my heart from unkindness. If I should encounter any person or situation that means me harm, stand between me and the danger. Turn away any ill will or spiritual attack that is sent my way, and let it be replaced with God’s love.
Help me to walk with confidence and without fear, knowing that I am not alone. Let me feel your comforting presence beside me, a constant reminder of God’s never-ending love and protection. Guide my steps and keep me on a path of safety and peace throughout this entire day, in all that I do and in every place I go. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
God wills our safety, and the psalm promises it: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11).
Prayer for Clear Guidance
Pray this when you have a choice to make, big or small, and cannot tell which way to go. It asks your guardian angel to light your path and help you hear God’s wisdom, so that what you choose honors him.
My beloved guardian angel, God’s messenger and my guide, I stand at a crossroads and my heart is confused. I need the wisdom that comes only from Heaven, and I ask you to help me receive it with a clear and open heart. Please help quiet the noise of the world and the doubts within my own mind, so I can hear the gentle whisper of God’s direction.
Illuminate the path that God has laid out for me. Help me to see the doors He is opening and to have the courage to walk through them. Also, help me to recognize the doors He has closed and grant me the peace to accept them. Give me a sign or a feeling of deep peace to confirm the right choice.
Protect me from making decisions based on fear, pride, or selfishness. I want my life to bring glory to God, and I know that starts with these choices I make today. Please stay close and steer my thoughts and my heart toward what is good, right, and true. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When you feel lost, you are not left to find the way alone, for God promises, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go” (Psalm 32:8).
Prayer for Comfort in Sadness
This is a prayer for the times when we feel sad or lonely. It asks your guardian angel to stay close and comfort you, and to remind you of God’s love and of the hope that comes from him.
O gentle angel, my comforter sent from God, my heart is heavy today. I feel weighed down by sadness and a sense of being alone in my struggle. I ask you now to draw near and surround me with your heavenly presence. Let me feel the warmth of your wings.
Please help lift this burden from my soul. Remind me that God sees my tears and that He has not forgotten me. Whisper truths of His love into my spirit—that I am cherished, that I am valued, and that this pain will not last forever. Help me to feel the peace that surpasses all understanding, a peace that can only come from our Father in Heaven.
Stay with me in this quiet moment of sorrow. Be my companion, my silent friend who understands my pain without words. Help me to rest in the knowledge that even in the darkest valley, God’s light and love are with me, sent through you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
In grief or loneliness we are never as alone as we feel, and the psalm tells us so: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
Prayer for Strength in Difficult Times
We all meet trials that feel too big to carry alone, and this prayer asks your guardian angel to lend you strength and endurance from heaven, so that you can face them with courage and faith.
Mighty angel, my strong defender, I come to you today feeling weak and overwhelmed. The challenge before me feels like a mountain I cannot climb. I ask you to fight beside me and fill me with courage and strength from God Almighty.
When my faith wavers, remind me of God’s power. When I want to give up, help me to take one more step. Shield my heart from despair and my mind from the lie that I am defeated. Help me to stand firm in the face of adversity, rooted in the truth that with God, all things are possible.
Lend me your endurance so that I can persevere with grace and dignity. Help me to see this trial not as a punishment, but as a chance for my spirit to grow stronger and my trust in God to become deeper. Be my strength when I have none left, and carry me when I cannot walk. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When we ask for strength, we admit that we cannot do it all on our own, and God’s power is made perfect in that weakness. With him we can say, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
Prayer of Gratitude for Your Angel’s Presence
It is easy to spend all our prayers asking for help, so this one gives thanks: to God for the gift of your guardian angel, and for all the unseen ways your angel helps you every day.
O faithful angel, my constant companion and friend, today I don’t want to ask for anything. Instead, I want to offer my heartfelt gratitude. Thank you, loving God, for giving me such a wonderful protector and guide to walk with me on my earthly journey.
Thank you, dear angel, for your patience with me, for all the times you have protected me from dangers I never even saw. Thank you for guiding me away from wrong choices and for comforting me in times of silent pain. Thank you for lifting my prayers to the throne of God and for bringing His messages of hope back to my heart.
My heart swells with thankfulness for your unseen but ever-present care. You are a sign of God’s personal and intimate love for me. Help me to never take your presence for granted and to live my life in a way that brings joy to you and glory to our Heavenly Father, who sent you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Thanks belongs in every part of our life with God, and Paul asks us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Prayer for Peaceful Sleep and Protection at Night
Night can bring fears and anxious thoughts, and this prayer asks your guardian angel to stand watch while you sleep, guarding body, mind and spirit, so that you rest in peace and wake refreshed.
Holy Guardian Angel, as darkness falls and I prepare for rest, I ask for your watchful care throughout the night. Please ask the Lord to forgive me for my failings this day and entrust my soul into His loving hands as I fall asleep.
Stand guard at my bedside and create a circle of divine light around me. Protect me from all harm, from any disturbing dreams, and from all the powers of darkness that roam the night. Let my room be a sanctuary of peace and tranquility where only God’s presence is welcome. Calm my mind and soothe my heart, taking away any worries or anxieties that I am holding onto from the day.
Allow my sleep to be deep, restful, and restorative. Protect my subconscious mind and let my spirit rest securely in God’s love. Watch over me until the morning light, so that I may wake up refreshed in body and soul, ready to serve the Lord with a joyful heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When we give our rest into our angel’s keeping, we can let the day go, and the psalmist gives us the words for it: “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).
Prayer to Resist Temptation
Temptation can be quiet and strong, and it pulls us away from what is good and right. This prayer asks your guardian angel to strengthen your will and help you turn from sin to God’s path of righteousness.
O pure and holy angel, my defender against evil, I know that I am weak and easily tempted. Be with me in my moments of trial when I am faced with a choice between right and wrong. I ask for your strength to fight against the temptations that lead me away from God.
When I am tempted by pride, anger, or selfishness, whisper humility into my soul. When I am tempted by gossip or unkind words, place a guard over my mouth. When I am tempted to choose the easy road over the right one, show me the lasting peace that comes from obedience to God.
Help me to see temptation for what it is: a trap that promises happiness but delivers only emptiness. Strengthen my resolve to choose virtue. Be my spiritual warrior, fighting alongside me to keep my heart and my conscience clean and pure before the Lord. Remind me of my true identity as a beloved child of God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
In this fight we do not stand alone, for God is faithful and promises that “he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear… he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Prayer for Your Angel to Help a Loved One
Pray this for a friend or family member who is in need. It asks your guardian angel to work with theirs, and to bring them protection, comfort and help from God.
My dear guardian angel, you know the love and concern I have in my heart for [Name of person]. They are struggling right now, and I feel helpless to ease their burden. I ask you, as a messenger of God, to go to them in a special way.
Please work with their own guardian angel to bring them comfort, strength, and hope. Surround them with a double portion of your heavenly light and protection. If they are in danger, guard them. If they are sad, comfort them. If they are confused, guide them toward God’s truth and peace. Let them feel an unmistakable sense of God’s love surrounding them.
Open their heart to receive the help that Heaven is sending them. Help me to be a better friend to them, to say the right words and to listen with a compassionate heart. Let our angels work together to lift this person up and bring them safely through their trial. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When we pray for someone in trouble, we help to carry what they are carrying, as Paul asks of us: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
Prayer to Hear God’s Voice More Clearly
In a noisy, busy life it is hard to hear the quiet, gentle voice of God. This prayer asks your guardian angel to help quiet the noise, so that you can hear God’s guidance, wisdom and love more clearly.
O wise angel, who stands in the presence of God, my soul longs to hear my Father’s voice. But my mind is so often filled with distraction, worry, and the noise of the world. I ask you to help me find spiritual stillness.
Please help to quiet my anxious thoughts and calm my restless heart. Cleanse the ears of my soul so that I can become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Help me to distinguish between God’s voice and my own desires or the world’s opinions. If God is speaking through Scripture, through nature, or through another person, help me to recognize it.
I want to be more attentive to His presence in my daily life. Guide me to moments of quiet prayer and reflection. Protect me from the spiritual deafness that comes from being too busy or distracted. I want to know God’s will and follow it closely. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Your angel always beholds the face of God, and this prayer asks for the humility to listen more than we speak, as Jesus’ sheep do: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
Prayer for Courage Overcoming Fear
Fear and anxiety can freeze us and take away our peace and joy. This prayer calls on your guardian angel to fill you with courage from God, so that you face what frightens you with faith instead of dread.
O valiant angel, my fearless protector, my heart is filled with fear. Anxiety is trying to steal my peace and my trust in God. I ask you to infuse my spirit with the unshakeable courage that comes from Heaven. Remind me that I am a child of the King, and I do not have to be a slave to fear.
Stand with me as I face the situations and thoughts that scare me. Be my shield against the “what ifs” and the worst-case scenarios that plague my mind. Help me to focus not on the size of my fear, but on the size of my God, who is bigger than any problem I could ever face.
Help me to take brave steps forward, even when my hands are trembling. Replace my feelings of panic with a deep, abiding sense of God’s sovereign peace. Let me feel your strength beside me, and know that with you and with God, I can overcome anything. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We do not have to fight our fears alone, and Paul tells us why: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Prayer to See God’s Goodness in the World
When bad news and the darkness in the world wear us down, this prayer asks your guardian angel to help you see the signs of God’s goodness, beauty and hope all around you.
My dear angel, God’s messenger of light, sometimes my eyes focus only on the brokenness and pain in the world. It can make my heart heavy and my hope fade. I ask you today to anoint my eyes so that I may see with God’s perspective.
Help me to notice the small miracles of daily life: the kindness of a stranger, the beauty of a sunset, the laughter of a child. Point out the evidence of God’s grace and love that I so often overlook. Show me the people who are acting as His hands and feet, bringing light to dark places.
Lift my gaze from the shadows and toward the light. Fill my heart with a spirit of optimism and hope that is rooted not in wishful thinking, but in the reality of God’s redemptive power at work in the world. Help me to be a source of that goodness, too. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Paul asks us to train our eyes the same way: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable… think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
Prayer to Be a Light to Others
God calls us to show his love to the world, and this prayer asks your guardian angel to help you shine with his light, so that your words and actions bring hope, encouragement and love to everyone you meet.
Holy angel, who reflects the light of God’s glory, I desire for my life to be a beacon of hope and love in this world. But on my own, I am small and my light is dim. I ask you to help amplify the light of Christ that is within me.
Guide my words so they are encouraging and life-giving. Guide my actions so they are filled with compassion and service. Help me to be patient, kind, and forgiving, especially when it is difficult. Use me as an instrument of God’s peace today. When people see me, may they catch a glimpse of God’s goodness.
Help me to get out of my own way, to put my pride and selfishness aside, so that Christ’s character can shine through me more brightly. Let me partner with you in your mission to bring souls closer to God, simply by living a life of authentic love and faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
The grace we are given is meant to be passed on, as Jesus told us: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
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