Typically with these prayer. Its actually a brief summary of a far longer prayer thats used as a frequently for exorcism. Its so powerful a prayer of protection and for combating demons that a Pope summarized it into the above version for the general public to use without needing any special consecration and knowledge while at the same time still being effective for protection against demons and other evils. YES Catholics actually believe you can repel evil spirits just saying this prayer. Actually inaccurate statement but a good one liner to sum up how the Saint Michael the Archangel prayer works. Lots of eye cases of the laity including people who never been to church for years saying this prayer when they witness some evil entity including confirmed demons attacking them and then suddenly the foul entity being unable to continue attacks, if not even fleeing the location Permanently from some unconfirmed anecdotes I read. How do Anglicans view the shortened prayer especially its supposed automatic protection upon recitation? Demonic harassment is believed to have gotten so strong in recent years that now entire Catholic churches not only teach this prayer and say it in mass but might even give out post cards or some written record of it to the people in mass that they can take home for practise. Thats how serious Rome now beleives Satan's grip of the world has become. The full long version is so powerful that some priests believe its too dangerous for non- clergy to use which is why a pope created the shortened version. Long original full prayer is only typically used in the worst of attacks from the devil and his legions. So what take can Anglican bring on this? Is it really as powerful as the Vatican proclaims?
I can't speak for all Anglicans on this matter but my personal opinion is this: We in the Anglican Communion base our praxis upon scripture, rather than the pious advice or edicts of popes. Scripture seems to indicate that our prayers should be adressed to God, The Father, and the advice and authority to do so comes through Jesus Christ. St Michael the Archangel has only God as his executive so I think direct appeals to him would be short circuiting the proper chain of command. It is God that issues St Michael's orders on any matter of spiritual intervention, not us. It is Christ himself who has overall command, since all power and authority has been given over to him. According to scripture, it seems that Jesus Christ, (God), has given his own disciples, (us), the authority to bind and loose, so in any intervention necessary in spiritual warfare WE have a direct line to God and the authority of Christ himself to issue commands to unclean spirits, on His behalf. All that is required of us is a true faith and trust in The Holy Spirit, within us, which is more powerful than 'he that is in the world'. .
I have always felt this, so when I was a Roman Catholic, I didn't understand why we had to pray through saints (or angels) and ask them to ask God - sort of circular thinking. It makes so much more sense to pray directly to God through Jesus. I do still invoke St Anthony though when I have lost something, but that is more of a fun game than a real prayer, and I do it mainly to help focus my own mind on finding the object. This is what I say: 'Tony, Tony, come around, my [insert lost object here] is/are lost and must be found!' LOL Then I would just wait and eventually, if possible, the item would usually turn up. Nonsense of course - but fun. As for fighting off evil, let's face it, Jesus is our 'go to guy' for this.
I have to admit I've discovered how cooperative St Anthony can be in recovering lost things. I regard an appeal to him as merely an acceptance of the communion of saints continuing in heaven as it is on earth. When asked I would, as a saint, naturally feel obliged help any fellow saint in distress. So St Anthony would presumably be just as willing to help from heaven, as he was on earth. I took a kids, church choir on a weeks camp once and we visited a beach some miles from the camp. On returning to the campsite one of the kids came to me and reported having lost her bracelet or watch or something. We asked St Anthony to help with our problem. We all got into the transport and returned to the beach, where the tide had by now gone out. Walking about half a mile along the beach retracing our steps, we met a man with a metal detector coming the other way. I shouted to him, have you found anything mate? He said "yes"! I got the kid to describe her lost piece of bling and the man said "Right on, you've got it back then", and gave his find to her there and then. Coincidence, anyone might say, but piece all our prayer and actions together and a possible pattern emerges for those of us with faith. We could have simply thought, Oh that's gone for ever then, and stayed back at camp. We could have gone looking for it and never met the person who found it, thus never being unable from then on to ever find it ourselves. The guy with the metal detector might even have been a saint himself. He certainly seemed so to the girl who'd lost her bling. And we all got a tremendous 'kick' out of the whole experience. We are all God's children and should be pleased to 'go the extra mile' to help one another. Thanks Tony. .
I've often seen it pasted in the back of BCPs at Continuing Anglican parishes, usually with the Anima Christi.