How to pray the Chaplet of St. Raphael the Archangel
Provides instructions for praying the Chaplet of St. Raphael the Archangel, a devotion for healing intercession. Explains the significance of St. Raphael as the divine healer and his role in healing. Details the structure of the chaplet (12 beads plus a medal) and how to use it, including a sample prayer.
3 months ago
The Chaplet of St. Raphael the Archangel is a devotional prayer series that many Catholics use to seek the angel’s healing intercession, invoking his role as a divine healer and guide. The chaplet consists of twelve beads (nine plus three) and can be prayed with a dedicated chaplet or a regular rosary, beginning with a sign of the cross and concluding with a specific invocation to St. Raphael. 1
St. Raphael is named in the Old Testament and is traditionally associated with healing; the Hebrew meaning of “Raphael” is “God heals” or “divine healer.” While his intercession does not guarantee physical cure, believers trust that God hears the prayers and may grant healing according to divine will. 1
The chaplet features twelve beads: three initial beads followed by nine beads representing the nine angelic choirs (Angels, Archangels, Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Principalities, Powers, Cherubim, Seraphim). A medal of St. Raphael is also included. If a dedicated chaplet is unavailable, a standard rosary may be used. 1
You are Raphael the Healer,
You are Raphael the Guide,
You are Raphael the Companion
Ever at human sorrow’s aide.
Recite the Hail Mary on each bead, directing the prayer to Mary, Queen of Angels.
On each of the nine beads, pray:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of Hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your Glory!
Glory be to the Father:
Glory be to the Son;
Glory be to the Holy Spirit!
Saint Raphael, angel of health, of love, of joy and light,
pray for us.
These prayers together form the complete Chaplet of St. Raphael. 1
Following these steps allows the faithful to seek Raphael’s intercession for physical or spiritual healing. 1*
Examine Catholic doctrine on angelic intercession and healing
Catholic doctrine affirms that angels truly assist and intercede for human beings, including through prayerful intercession and protective “guardianship”—yet always in a way that preserves God’s sovereignty and Christ’s unique mediation for salvation. Likewise, “healing” in the Church is sought from God through prayer and the sacraments (especially the Anointing of the Sick), while recognizing that healing—bodily and spiritual—remains subject to God’s providence and will.
The Church teaches that human life is surrounded by angels’ watchful care “and intercession,” and that beside each believer there stands an angel as “protector and shepherd leading him to life.”
The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy explains that, although angels are heavenly spirits, the Church “venerates these heavenly spirits and has recourse to their prompt intercession,” particularly in connection with events of salvation and the liturgical year. It also describes concrete dimensions of angelic assistance: the Church entrusts to Holy Angels the prayers of the faithful and the contrition of penitents, and asks for their protection of the innocent from the assaults of the Malign One.
Catholic tradition explicitly frames angelic help as intercession—angels “pray,” “offer” prayers, and present needs to God—while keeping the correct hierarchy: God alone gives grace, and angelic intercession is instrumental and subordinate.
The Catholic Encyclopedia (drawing on scriptural and traditional arguments) states that angels “appear as intercessors for men with God, bringing men’s needs before Him, mediating in their behalf,” and gives scriptural examples (e.g., Revelation 8:3–4, Tobit’s Raphael).
A key theological clarification appears in Thomas Aquinas’ treatment of guardianship: angels bear prayers “not as if teaching [God] about them, but rather as praying to him for us,” similar to how a priest offers prayer for the people.
The Church also defends the practice of invoking angels as compatible with the first commandment—because the honor given to angels is not worship in place of God.
The Catechism of the Council of Trent explicitly supports lawful invocation of angels, noting that God “constitute[d] His ministers” in whose aid we are protected, and that therefore “their Intercession… we ought to invoke,” since they “always see the face of God” and are “willing advocates of our salvation.”
Catholic doctrine does not say that angels “mediate” salvation in the same way as Christ. Instead, the Church maintains a balanced principle:
This point is stated directly in the Catholic Encyclopedia: “The doctrine of one Mediator, Christ, in no way excludes the invocation and intercession of saints,” and the same logic applies to angels—asking fellow-creatures for help “by their prayers and merits our prayers may be efficacious.”
The Church’s authoritative teaching on healing emphasizes prayer addressed to God, and—importantly—does not treat prayer as replacing natural means or sacramental care.
The Instruction on prayers for healing teaches that the sick person’s desire for healing “is both good and deeply human,” especially as “trusting prayer addressed to God.” It also notes that the Gospels present requests for bodily restoration without reproach, while warning that the only complaint is about possible lack of faith.
The same instruction states that the Church “herself asks the Lord for the health of the sick in her liturgy,” and highlights that the Fathers regarded it normal to pray not only for the soul but also for the body. It then grounds healing-prayer in liturgical worship—especially the Anointing of the Sick.
Catholic doctrine is realistic: healing is not guaranteed, but the sacrament is genuinely ordered toward healing.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the Holy Spirit gives to some a special charism of healing,” but even intense prayers do not always obtain healing of every illness; grace may be “sufficient,” and suffering can have salvific meaning for the Church.
Thomas Aquinas provides a precise account of the Anointing’s bodily dimension: Extreme Unction “causes an inward healing” through an “outward sacramental healing,” and therefore it has an effect as a “bodily remedy” that heals the body when such bodily healing is “requisite for the spiritual healing.” When the relevant disposition is present, healing “always” occurs in the sense of the sacrament’s spiritual purpose, though bodily health is not guaranteed as a universal rule.
The Instruction on prayers for healing also distinguishes legitimate prayer from distorted approaches. For instance, it addresses “prayer meetings” aimed at wondrous healing and warns about evaluation in terms of whether they are connected to a “charism of healing.” It stresses that the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is “especially intended to strengthen those who are being tried by illness,” and quotes the blessing of the oil asking that those anointed may receive healing “in body, in soul, and in spirit.”
Catholic teaching does not reduce healing to angelic agency. In fact, traditional commentary underscores Christ as the true source of healing.
In the Catena Aurea on Luke 4, the angels are depicted as bringing aid, but also as recognizing that without the one truly able to save, their “healing fell short of what the care of men required.” The commentary describes Christ as the one “truly able to save,” with the angels praising God for Christ’s coming as the Physician who heals wounds.
Thus, even when angels intercede in ways connected to bodily wellbeing, Catholic doctrine keeps Christ’s primacy: God heals; angels assist prayerfully and protectively; Christ heals decisively as Savior and Redeemer.
The Church distinguishes:
A US bishops’ guideline states that divine healing does not exclude recourse to natural means; alongside the sacrament and prayers for healing, the Church uses natural means and has a history of caring for the sick (e.g., Catholic hospitals).
Because angels are creatures, Catholic worship and trust must not treat them as independent sources of power. The doctrinal logic given above—Christ’s unique mediation, angels’ intercessory role, and healing’s subordination to God’s will—protects Catholic prayer from turning it into an attempt to “control” outcomes through supernatural intermediaries.
Catholic doctrine holds that angels truly intercede—especially through guardianship, protection, and presenting prayers to God—and it is lawful and fitting for the Church to ask for their help.
At the same time, healing remains primarily God’s work, sought through faithful prayer, the sacraments (notably the Anointing of the Sick), and responsible use of natural means; and even when angels assist, the Church teaches that Christ is the true Physician and the one Mediator whose saving power is not replaced by angelic ministry.