What Are the Words of St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer?

St. Patrick’s Breastplate is a Christian hymn attributed to the 5^th-century missionary who evangelized and converted the island of Ireland. It’s a piece of writing, not a physical, metal breastplate. It has other names, like the Lorica (Latin for “breastplate”) or The Deer’s Cry. The hymn was written as a prayer of protection. Many know the most famous refrain in the work: “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me …” 

The writing follows an ancient Celtic Christian tradition of protective prayer. While dealing with pagan resistance and likely spiritual warfare, Patrick wrote this prayer to seek God’s presence and defense against all enemies. 

According to tradition and legend, Patrick composed and recited this prayer while traveling to speak with the Irish King Loegaire, who resisted the gospel and Patrick’s work. Some stories say Patrick and his companions prayed, and God supernaturally made them appear as a herd of deer to avoid capture. This is reflected in one of the hymn’s other names, The Deer’s Cry. The Celts passed down the hymn as oral tradition, writing it down officially a couple centuries later. The Breastplate appears in Liber Hynmorum, a medieval collection of Irish hymns. While there’s no outside evidence that Patrick personally composed it, the hymn does align with his writings and themes. 

St. Patrick’s Breastplate isn’t the only lorica in Christian tradition. For example, The Lorica of St. Gildas is a prayer from Wales, attributed to Gildas, asking for God’s armor to defend against evil forces. The Lorica of St. Fursey comes from an Irish monk known for his visions of spiritual warfare. Finally, the Lorica of Laidcenn is another medieval Irish hymn calling for Christ’s power over enemies and dangers. 

These loricae reflect a belief in God’s active protection, blending Scripture, theology, and Irish poetry to help Christians face spiritual battles. St. Patrick affirmed and used Irish artists, genres, and language, helping the loricae develop. In addition, the Irish produced the greatest missionary movement of their day, especially after the fall of the Roman Empire, and they likely needed God’s protection as they engaged in evangelizing Europe. 

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The full text of St. Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer, translated from the original old Irish into English, is:

“I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the threeness, through confession of the oneness of the Creator of creation.
I arise today through the strength of Christ with his baptism,
through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
through the strength of his descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today through the strength of the love of cherubim
in obedience of angels, in the service of the archangels,
in hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
in prayers of patriarchs, in predictions of prophets,
in preaching of apostles, in faiths of confessors,
in innocence of holy virgins, in deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through the strength of heaven:
light of sun, brilliance of moon, splendor of fire,
speed of lightning, swiftness of wind, depth of sea,
stability of earth, firmness of rock.

I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me,

God's host to secure me:
against snares of demons, against temptations of vices,
against inclinations of nature, against everyone who
shall wish me ill, afar and anear, alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and these evils:
against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and my soul, against incantations of false prophets,
against black laws of heathenry,
against false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry,
against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
against every knowledge that endangers man's body and soul.

Christ to protect me today
against poison, against burning,
against drowning, against wounding,
so that there may come abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the threeness, through confession of the oneness of the Creator of creation.
Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of Christ. May your salvation, Oh Lord, be ever with us.”

Let's look more into the themes of the hymn.

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St. Patrick’s Breastplate has several main biblical themes. 

First, Patrick expresses the power and presence of Christ. “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me …” Patrick’s hymn aligns with biblical verses about Christ’s constant presence. Jesus promises his presence as they go to fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew 28:20: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” notable here since Patrick served as an evangelist for decades. Also, Paul encourages Christians how nothing can separate them from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39) and that Christ lives within believers through the Spirit (Galatians 2:20). 

Second, Patrick’s Breastplate brings to mind the armor of God. Paul lists the parts of the armor in Ephesians 6:10-18 and commands Christians to put all of it on. St. Patrick asks for God’s strength against all dangers: “I bind unto myself today the strong Name of the Trinity … against the demon snares of sin, the vice that gives temptation force …” Like the armor of God, Psalm 91:4 expresses God’s protection. “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings, you will find refuge.” 

Additionally, in invoking the name of the Trinity, Patrick connects further to the Great Commission, where Jesus tells his disciples to baptize people “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” 

Thirdly, Patrick affirms God’s sovereignty because the Father created all things. As Creator, the Lord reigns. “I arise today through the strength of heaven, light of the sun, splendor of fire …” The Bible begins with God’s creation of all life and what we see, and the Lord sustains everything with his Word, as Paul says in Colossians 1:16. 

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From the beginning, St. Patrick’s Breastplate functioned as a lorica, a prayer of armor. Medieval Christians would recite it to pray for God’s protection, especially those facing persecution, war, or other trials. Missionaries, monks, and clergy would use this prayer when they traveled to hostile regions, much like St. Patrick himself or the hymns of ascent in Psalms were used by pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem. Over the centuries, people have used the lorica to call upon Christ’s powerful presence and to affirm the truth of the Trinity.

Further, churches have used St. Patrick’s Breastplate in liturgy and hymns. One well-known English adaptation, "I Bind Unto Myself Today," can be found in Anglican and Catholic hymnals. Congregations will sing this particular hymn on St. Patrick’s Day, Trinity Sunday, and other times. Monks have incorporated this prayer as part of their daily devotions. Some orders repeat it during morning prayers before they start the day. 

 Christians have turned to St. Patrick’s Breastplate during personal or national hardships. During wartime, Christians have prayed these words (or other loricae) for courage and God’s security. In modern times, believers can use this prayer when they deal with anxiety or fear, reciting this powerful plea for Christ’s strength to surround them. The poetic imagery and sound theology make it a great encouragement and invocation for those who feel weak and attacked in any way.

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Of course, Christians can pray the words of St. Patrick’s Breastplate. While the hymn isn’t from Scripture, it expresses biblical truth like many ancient hymns and prayers from church leaders and writers across the past two thousand years. Patrick’s lorica includes thoughtful and powerful truths about God’s protection and presence.

At the same time, like with any writing, we must avoid rote repetition. Jesus warned against mindless or repetitive prayers in Matthew 6:7: “Do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do.” If we recite St. Patrick’s Breastplate without engaging our hearts and minds, we miss the point. Instead, let us meditate and consider the words, letting them shape our understanding of God’s protection and presence for us. Rejecting rote recitation applies to Bible verses, as well. We can easily repeat or say verses without connecting with meaning and our hearts. God is more concerned with our hearts speaking from right motives. With the right perspective, the Breastplate becomes a tool for us to express our love and prayers to the Father. 

The hymn draws from important biblical themes, and these can become principles for us to model in our own prayers. Even if we don’t say the actual words of Patrick’s prayer, we can use the themes to focus our own intercession in powerful ways. Remember, these themes include:

• God as protector and deliverer 
• Jesus’ promise to be with us always
• The power of being baptized within the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
• An immersion into God’s complete eternal life
  
  

We can adapt these themes and make them more specific and personal in our own prayers. For example, if we face fear or temptation, we might pray, “Lord, I bind myself to your strength today. Surround me with your presence and guard my heart against evil.” 

Finally, St. Patrick was a phenomenal evangelist and missionary. He converted an entire culture in a loving and powerful way through the arts, reason, and miracles. His life and words can inspire us today. His prayer isn’t divinely inspired like Scripture, but it does reflect God’s amazing work through a man, resulting in a whole branch of historical Christianity, the Celts. Much like the prayers and writings of early church fathers or great Christian hymns, Patrick’s Breastplate can become a tool for us to connect with God and honor church history. We should appreciate it as an ancient and enduring expression of faith while keeping our ultimate foundation in God’s Word. 

Peace. 

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