O pure and happy spirits whom the Almighty selected to become the Angels and Guardians of men! I most humbly kneel before you, to thank thee for the charity and zeal with which thou execute this commission. Alas! how many pass a long life without ever thanking that invisible friend to whom they owe a thousand times its preservation!
O charitable Guardians of those souls for whom Christ died! Resplendent Spirits, who cannot avoid loving those whom Jesus eternally loved, permit me to address thee on behalf of all those committed to thy care, and to implore for them all in general a grateful sense of thy many favours, and also the grace to profit by thy charitable assistance.
O Angel of those happy infants, who as yet “are without spot before God”, I earnestly conjure thee to preserve their innocence.
O Angels of youth, conduct them, exposed to so many dangers, safely to the bosom of God, as Tobias was conducted back to his father.
O Angels of those who employ themselves in the instruction of youth, animate them with thy zeal and love, teach them to emulate thy purity and incessant view of God, that they may worthily and successfully co-operate with the invisible Guardians of their young charges.
O Angels of the clergy “who have the eternal Gospel to preach to all nations” present their words, their actions and their intentions to God, and purify them in that fire of love with which thou art consumed.
O Angels of the missionaries who have left their native land and all who were dear to them in order to preach the Gospel in foreign fields, protect them from the physical dangers which threaten them, and especially from the defilement of the corrupting spirit of the world; console them in their hours of depression and solitude and lead them to those souls who are in danger of dying without Baptism.
O Angels of infidels and pagans whom the True Faith has never enlightened, intercede for them that they may at least open their hearts to the rays of grace, respond to the message delivered by God’s missionaries, and acknowledge and adore the one true God.
O Angels of all who travel by air, land or water, be their guides and companions, protect them from all dangers of collision, of fire and explosion, and lead them safely to their destination.
O Guardian Angels of sinners, charitable guides of those unhappy mortals whose perseverance in sin would embitter even thy unutterable joy, if thou were not established in the peace of God, oh, join me, I ardently beseech thee, in imploring their lasting conversion.
And thou, O Guardian Angels of the sick, I entreat thee especially, to help, console and implore the spirit of joy for all those who are deprived of health. Intercede for them that they may not succumb to despondency or lose by impatience the merits they can gain in carrying with resignation and joy the cross which Jesus Christ has laid upon them as a special token of His love.
O Angels of those who at this moment struggle in the agonies of death, strengthen, encourage and defend them against the attacks of the infernal enemy.
O faithful Guides, holy Spirits, Adorers of the Divinity! Guardian Angels of all creatures! Protect us all, teach us to love, to pray, to combat on earth, so that one day we may reach heaven and there be happy for all eternity! Amen.
Another Prayer to the Guardian Angels
O Angel of God, my blessed protector, to whose care I have been committed by my Creator from the moment of my birth, unite with me in thanking the Almighty for having given me a friend, an instructor, an advocate, and a guardian in thee. Accept, O most charitable guide, my fervent thanksgiving for all thou hast done for me; particularly for the charity with which thou didst undertake to accompany me through life; for the joy with which thou wast filled when I was purified in the waters of Baptism; and for thy anxious solicitude in watching over the treasure of my innocence. Thou knowest the numberless graces and favours which my Creator has bestowed on me through thee, and the many dangers, both spiritual and temporal, from which thou hast preserved me. Thou knowest how often thou didst deplore my sins, animate me to repentance, and intercede with God for my pardon. Ah! why have I so little merited a continuance of thy zealous efforts for my salvation? Why have I so often stained my soul by sin, and thereby rendered myself unworthy of the presence and protection of an Angel, of so pure a spirit as thou art, who hast never sinned? But as my ingratitude and thoughtlessness have not lessened thy charitable interest for my salvation, so neither shall they diminish my confidence in thy goodness, nor prevent me from abandoning myself to thy care, since God Himself has entrusted thee with the charge of my soul. Penetrated with sorrow for the little progress I have made in virtue, though blessed with such a Master, and sincerely determined to correspond in future with thy exertions for my salvation, I most earnestly entreat thee, O protecting spirit, to continue thy zealous efforts for my eternal interest; to fortify my weakness, to shield me from innumerable dangers of the world and to obtain by thy powerful prayers that my life may rather be shortened, than that I should live to commit a mortal sin. Remember, O most happy spirit, that it was one act of profound humility, and one transport of ardent love for thy Creator, that caused God to establish thee forever in glory; obtain that those virtues may be implanted in my soul, and that I may seriously endeavour to acquire docility, obedience, gentleness and purity of heart. Conduct me safely through this world of sin and misery; watch over me at the awful hour of my death; perform for my soul the last charitable office of thy mission, by strengthening, encouraging, and supporting me in the agonies of dissolution, and then, as the angel Raphael conducted Tobias safely to his father, do thou, my good Angel and blessed guide, return with me to Him Who sent thee, that we may mutually bless Him, and publish His wonderful works for a happy eternity. Amen.
