The antiphon, versicle and collect of the archangel's feast from the Roman Breviary — the Church's own liturgical prayer to Raphael, in Latin and English.
Ant. Princeps gloriosissime, Raphael Archangele, esto memor nostri: hic et ubique semper precare pro nobis Filium Dei, alleluia, alleluia. V. Stetit Angelus iuxta aram templi. R. Habens turibulum aureum in manu sua. Oremus. Deus, qui beatum Raphaelem Archangelum Tobiae famulo tuo comitem dedisti in via: concede nobis famulis tuis; ut eiusdem semper protegamur custodia et muniamur auxilio. Per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum. Amen.
Ant. Most glorious Prince, Raphael the Archangel, be mindful of us: pray for us always, both here and everywhere, to the Son of God, alleluia, alleluia. V. An angel stood beside the altar of the temple. R. Having a golden censer in his hand. Let us pray. O God, who didst give the blessed Archangel Raphael to thy servant Tobias as a companion on his way: grant to us thy servants that we may ever be protected by his guardianship and strengthened by his help. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
On the feast of the archangels; at the close of a novena to St. Raphael; before setting out.
The feast of St. Raphael was extended to the whole Latin Church by Benedict XV in 1921 and kept on 24 October until the calendar of 1969 joined the three archangels on 29 September. The Office of that feast gave the archangel the same antiphon the Church had long sung to Michael — 'Most glorious Prince, be mindful of us' — and a collect drawn straight from Tobit: the God who gave Raphael to Tobias as a companion for the road is asked to give the same guard to us.
The versicle and response are from Apocalypse 8:3, the angel with the golden censer before the altar — the Church's habitual image of an archangel carrying the prayers of men to God.
The Latin is that of the Breviary. The English of the antiphon follows the Raccolta's rendering of the parallel antiphon for St. Michael; the versicle and collect are our own translation.
