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Church Celebrates Feast of Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael
Confirmed
In Short: Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of the three archangels: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. This joint celebration honors their roles as powerful helpers sent by God throughout salvation history.
Michael, the great prince who has charge of God’s people, is celebrated for his role in defending believers in battle and casting Satan into hell. Gabriel, known as the great communicator and messenger of God’s word, is revered for his appearances in both the Old and New Testaments.
Raphael, less prominent but equally significant, is recognized for his mission of healing and guidance. He is the patron of many kinds of people, including those involved in Christian formation of young people.
According to Michael Aquilina, executive vice president and trustee of the St. Michael’s Press, the decline in devotion to angels during the Reformation was reversed in the late 19th century. Pope Leo XIII composed prayers to St. Michael following a vision of Satan's influence on the planet.
Media workers are encouraged to seek Gabriel’s intercession, given his role as a great teller of good news and patron of broadcasters and electronic media.
In the context of Opus Dei, St. Raphael is associated with the formation of young people, St. Michael with those who have received a vocation to celibacy, and St. Gabriel with married individuals.
St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, invoked these archangels during a retreat in 1932, recognizing their roles in the organization's activities.
The feast day of the archangels, celebrated on September 29, highlights their enduring significance in the life of the Church and the lives of believers.
This celebration underscores the archangels' roles as protectors, communicators, and healers, offering guidance and support to those who seek their intercession.
What's confirmed
- Michael, the great prince who has charge of God’s people, is celebrated for his role in defending believers in battle and casting Satan into hell. Gabriel, known as the great communicator and messenger of God’s word, is revered for his appearances in both the Old and New Testaments.
- Raphael, less prominent but equally significant, is recognized for his mission of healing and guidance. He is the patron of many kinds of people, including those involved in Christian formation of young people.
- According to Michael Aquilina, executive vice president and trustee of the St. Michael’s Press, the decline in devotion to angels during the Reformation was reversed in the late 19th century. Pope Leo XIII composed prayers to St. Michael following a vision of Satan's influence on the planet.
- Media workers are encouraged to seek Gabriel’s intercession, given his role as a great teller of good news and patron of broadcasters and electronic media.
- In the context of Opus Dei, St. Raphael is associated with the formation of young people, St. Michael with those who have received a vocation to celibacy, and St. Gabriel with married individuals.
- St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, invoked these archangels during a retreat in 1932, recognizing their roles in the organization's activities.
- The feast day of the archangels, celebrated on September 29, highlights their enduring significance in the life of the Church and the lives of believers.
- This celebration underscores the archangels' roles as protectors, communicators, and healers, offering guidance and support to those who seek their intercession.
What's still developing
- He was an early subject of veneration in the Church, though Aquilina noted that the Reformation led to a steep decline in devotion to the angels — until the end of the 19th century, when Michael began an “amazing comeback journey” in the life of the Church.
- “St. Michael is there for us in the day of battle, which is every day,” Aquilina said.
- Lesser-known among the three great archangels, Raphael’s mission from God “is not obvious to the casual reader” of the Bible, Aquilina said.
- Today, on the feast of the archangels, we celebrate the powerful helpers sent by God throughout salvation history.
- Michael the Archangel — the famous petition to that venerable saint to “defend us in battle” and “cast into hell Satan.” In the culture of the Church, Michael is often accompanied by his two fellow archangels — Sts.
- The Church celebrates the three archangels with a joint feast day on Sept.
- Daniel identifies Gabriel as a “man” who came “to give [him] insight and understanding,” relaying prophetic answers to Daniel’s entreaties to God.
- In the New Testament, Luke relays Gabriel’s appearances to both Zechariah and the Virgin Mary.
- On Thursday, October 6, 1932, while St Josemaria Escriva was praying in the chapel of Saint John of the Cross during his retreat at the Discalced Carmelite monastery in Segovia, he was for the first time inwardly moved to invoke the three archangels and the three apostles Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, and Saints Peter, Paul, and John.