EsoteriaA library of sacred & hidden knowledge
The Spellbook · Protection

The Spellbook · Christianity

Angel of God: The Guardian Angel Prayer and Its History

The guardian angel prayer 'Angel of God, my guardian dear' (Angele Dei): how Catholics and Orthodox pray to their angel daily, and the history of the belief.

  • TraditionLatin Christian devotion; Angele Dei traced to the 11th–12th century; feast of the Guardian Angels from the 16th–17th century; Orthodox evening prayers
  • ForProtection, Blessings, Peace
  • DifficultySimple
  • Time2–5 minutes, morning and evening
  • WhenOn waking and before sleep; the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels is 2 October in the Roman calendar

Many Christians believe that God gives each person an angel as guardian and companion through life, and they greet that angel each morning and night with a short prayer. In the Catholic world the best known is the Latin Angele Dei, in English "Angel of God, my guardian dear", one of the first prayers taught to children. The Orthodox say a longer prayer to the guardian angel in their morning and evening rule. The devotion is simple, and it rests on a few verses of scripture and on centuries of reflection about angels.

How to do it§

  1. On waking. Make the sign of the cross and greet your guardian angel. The Latin prayer reads: Angele Dei, qui custos es mei, me tibi commissum pietate superna illumina, custodi, rege et guberna. Amen. ("Angel of God, who are my guardian, enlighten, guard, rule and govern me, entrusted to you by heavenly goodness.")
  2. Say it in English if you prefer. The rhymed English version begins "Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here", and asks the angel to be at one's side, to light and guard, to rule and guide.
  3. Offer the day. Ask your angel's help with the day's tasks: patience, good judgement, safety on the road. Some add a short intention in their own words.
  4. During the day. At moments of danger or temptation, a brief "Angel of God, help me" is an old custom. Parents often teach children to greet their own angel and those of other people.
  5. At night. Repeat the prayer before sleep, adding thanks for the day and asking protection for the night. In the Orthodox evening prayers, one asks the "holy angel, guardian of my wretched soul and life" to forgive what has grieved it and to protect against the enemy; you may use the prayer book of your own church.
  6. Close. End with the sign of the cross. If you lit a candle, put it out.

Origins and history§

The scriptural basis is slight but important. Jesus says of the "little ones" that "their angels do always behold the face of my Father" (Matthew 18:10); Psalm 91:11 promises that God "shall give his angels charge over thee"; and in Acts 12:15 Peter's friends, hearing him at the door, say "It is his angel". Jewish tradition before Christianity spoke of angels of nations and of individuals. Early Christian writers, among them Origen, Basil of Caesarea and Jerome, taught that each soul has an angel assigned to it, and Thomas Aquinas discussed the question at length in his Summa theologiae (I, q. 113), concluding that every human being has a guardian angel from birth.

The Latin Angele Dei is usually traced to the late eleventh or early twelfth century, and several scholars connect it with verses by the Benedictine poet Reginald of Canterbury (died c. 1109), though the attribution is not certain. It spread through the Middle Ages and was later enriched with indulgences by popes in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which helped make it universal in Catholic schools and homes. The rhymed English version is of uncertain authorship and is found in nineteenth-century Catholic prayer books.

A feast of the Guardian Angels arose in Spain and Portugal in the sixteenth century; Pope Paul V permitted it more widely in 1608, and Clement X extended it to the whole Latin Church in 1670, fixing it on 2 October. In the Orthodox churches, a canon and prayers to the guardian angel are part of the daily cycle, and the angels as a whole are honoured on 8 November.

Variations§

Some pray the Angele Dei three times a day with the Angelus. Children's versions add the names of family members. A Protestant form simply thanks God for "the ministry of angels" without addressing them directly, reflecting the Reformation's reluctance to pray to anyone but God.

Safety and good sense§

The prayer needs no equipment; if you use a candle, keep it in a secure holder and never leave it unattended. Belief in angelic protection is a comfort, not a reason to neglect ordinary prudence. Persistent fears or anxiety deserve the help of a doctor, counsellor or pastor.

Sources and further reading§