The Guardian Angel Prayer, also known as the Angel of God Prayer, invokes the protection of one’s guardian angel. Often one of the first prayers taught to children, it consists of two rhyming couplets: “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide.”

The exact authorship of this prayer is unknown. Scholars previously attributed it to St. Anselm of Canterbury, though many now believe a version composed by Reginald of Canterbury in his “Life of Malchus” serves as the prayer’s inspiration.

Guardian Angels are referred to in Scripture in the Book of Daniel (Dan. 12:1), the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 18:10) and the Psalms (91:10-13). “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 336).

©LPi

Guardian Angel Prayer provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.

Amen.