Feast Day: September 29
“Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle,” begins a stirring prayer heard for more than a century in liturgical and non-liturgical settings. His image is often prominently displayed in churches and has been a common theme in art throughout history—with Saint Michael usually depicted clad in armor and brandishing a sword or spear, having subdued a dragon that symbolizes Satan or standing triumphant over some other image of the devil.
That prayer and those images express much of the blessed tradition regarding Saint Michael that goes back to the Old Testament and other ancient Hebrew writings.
Saint Michael—whose name in Hebrew means “Who is like God?”—is generally recognized as the chief archangel of the heavenly choir of angels. Old Testament scriptural and other ancient Jewish writings identify seven archangels who stand in the presence of God—including Gabriel and Raphael.
In the Old Testament Book of Daniel, Saint Michael is identified as “the great prince, guardian of your people”—in a reference to the apocalypse or End Time. In other ancient Hebrew writings, Saint Michael is depicted as the chief and protector of Israel and also fosters the bond between Israel and the Torah.
The most prominent New Testament reference to Saint Michael appears in Revelation 12: 7-12, which depicts him leading the angelic army of God against Satan and his minions—driving them from Heaven. That reference has inspired the image in popular piety of Saint Michael fighting the devil.
For close to two millennia, Saint Michael has been the object of popular devotion. Many churches in Europe are named in his honor. Mont-Saint-Michel (an island off the coast of Normandy, France) and Skellig Michael (an island off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland)—each with a centuries-old abbey—are both designated as UNESCO Word Heritage Sites. He is the patron of cities, islands and countries as well as soldiers, sailors, police officers, paramedics, those afflicted with illness and paratroopers. Saint Michael has been celebrated in the music of Bach and the poetry of John Milton.
In 1886, Pope Leo XIII added the Saint Michael Prayer to those offered at the end of Mass—a practice that persisted until 1965. Though no longer mandatory, the Leonine prayer to Saint Michael was encouraged by Pope John Paul II in 1994 and Pope Francis in 2018. A prayer to Saint Michael is included with the Church’s prayer of exorcism.
Parishes in the Youngstown Diocese named in honor of the archangel include St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Canton and St. Michael Parish in Canfield. St. Michael in Windham was established in 1953 but was merged with St. Ambrose in Garrettsville in 2022.
His feast day is September 29, which he shares with fellow archangels Gabriel and Raphael.
Prayer to Saint Michael
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who prowl about the world, seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
