UPDATE: Book giveaway is now closed, with congratulations to Emma P., our winner!

On the Feast of the Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel, we thought it appropriate to offer another book review and giveaway, this time of the newly-released edition of Kevin Symonds’ Pope Leo XIII and the Prayer to St. Michael (2018) from Preserving Christian Publications.

Are we living in a period of unprecedented spiritual warfare? Was this period shown to Pope Leo XIII in advance, by way of an apocalyptic vision? What is the historical and theological significance of the “Exorcismus” prayer which the Pope composed and required to be recited throughout the universal Church?

These questions and more are answered by the incisive work of Kevin Symonds, who takes his reader on a thorough investigative journey of the source material, sorting facts from pious legend, and ultimately offering a compelling argument for what could be considered one of the most important prayers for our time.

Now in its second edition, Symonds’ book comes with with a compelling Foreword by Bishop Athanasius Schneider, as well as addenda and appendices that make this an excellent resource. Some readers may find the copious notes and more historical-critical nature of the text less appealing, as this is not a devotional work. Still, such works are easy to find. Those who desire a more in-depth examination of the complex history surrounding the composition of the great Prayer to St. Michael will find themselves better rewarded here.

In sum: This is a definitive work on the subject, and readers should come away with even more conviction of the importance of this powerful prayer – and hopefully more gratitude toward our angelic counterparts in the war against the “spirits of wickedness in the high places.” (Eph 6:12)

Whispers of Restoration Rating: 4/5 

Free Book Giveaway

Win a free copy of Symond’s Pope Leo XIII and the Prayer to St. Michael by entering the giveaway here,

and bravo the restoration!