Saint Patrick's Breastplate-Latin Translation 1898

[Dawn Marie]

I. 
I bind to myself today 
The strong power of an invocation of the Trinity
The faith of the Trinity in Unity 
The Creator of the Universe

II. 
I bind to myself today 
The might of the Incarnation of Christ 
with that of His Baptism
The might of His Crucifixion
with that of His Burial 
The might of His Resurrection
with that of His Ascension
The might of of His Coming
on the Judgment Day

III. 
I bind to myself today 
The power in the love of the Seraphim 
In the obedience of the Angels 
In the ministration of the Archangels 
In the hope of Resurrection unto reward 
In the prayers of the Patriarchs 
In the predictions of the Prophets 
In the preaching of the Apostles 
In the faith of the Confessors 
In the purity of the holy Virgins 
In the deeds of righteous men

IV. 
I bind to myself today 
The power of Heaven 
The brightness of the Sun 
The whiteness of Snow 
The splendour of Fire 
The speed of Lightning 
The swiftness of the Wind 
The depth of the Sea 
The stability of the Earth 
The firmness of Rocks

V. 
I bind  to myself today 
God's Power 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 shelter me 
God's Host to secure me 
Against the snares of demons 
Against the seductions of vices 
Against the lusts of nature 
Against everyone who meditates injury to me 
Whether far or near 
Whether few or with many

VI.
I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul.
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, smiths and druids,
Against every knowledge that blinds the soul of man.

VII.
Christ protect me today
Against poison
Against burning
Against drowning
Against wounding
 That I may receive abundant reward.

VIII.
Christ with me
Christ before me
Christ behind me
Christ in me
Christ beneath me
Christ above me
Christ at my right,
Christ at my left
Christ when lying down
Christ in sitting
Christ in rising up

IX.
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

X.
I bind to myself today
The strong power of an invocation of the Trinity
The faith of the Trinity in Unity
The Creator of the Universe

XI.
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of Christ;
May Thy salvation, O Lord, be with us forever

Amen

The Lorica is an ancient Gaelic prayer attributed to St. Patrick and is an invocation to the Holy Trinity, usually recited in the morning. In the early Irish Church, loricas were numerous; some were written in Gaelic and some in Latin. In fact, the word, Lorica, is Latin, meaning shield or breastplate. Since prayer is a spiritual shield, these Irish loricas were prayed for protection against spiritual evils, but also from physical ones; the loricas came into being when the Gaelic pagans converted to Catholicism: the loricas were the replacement for the old incantations, which the new Christians discarded.

IN THE ORIGINAL ALL THE VERSES BUT THE LAST WERE IN GAELIC, THE LAST BEING IN LATIN. TRANSLATION FROM THE IRISH LIBER HYMNORUM, J. H. BERNARD, D.D. AND R. ATKINSON, LL.D., 1898.

[Michael]

Amen.

[Michael]

Amen.

[Michael]

Amen.

[Michael]

Amen.

[Michael]

Amen.

[Michael]

Amen.

[Michael]

Amen.

[Michael]

Amen.

[Michael]

Amen.

[Michael]

Amen.