Q: I’m following up on a question about mixing liturgy and pious exercises. in our diocese the bishop has instructed all parishes to end Mass with a prayer to Michael the Archangel. This prayer, it seems to me, does not flow from the liturgy and is an add-on that reflects the personal piety and concerns of our bishop. Is such a devotional prayer out of place at the end of Mass? If not, how is it justified?

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A: Here’s a previous post on my blog: https://paulturner.org/suppression-of-prayers/

And the article I wrote for The Priest magazine: https://paulturner.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Evaluating-the-Prayer-to-St.-Michael.pdf

I maintain these views.