The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that: “The whole life of the church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of the angels…. From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.” “Christ is the center of the angelic world. They are His angels….They belong to Him because they were created through and for Him.”

Catholic tradition calls Michael an archangel which is a word that comes from the Greek words arche (prince) and angelos (messenger). Michael means “Who is like God?” (a rhetorical question) which was his cry when he ejected satan from Paradise.

Saint Michael is viewed as the commander of the Army of God. From the time of the apostles, he has been invoked and honored as the protector of the Church. Scripture describes him as “one of the chief princes” and the leader of heaven’s forces in their triumph over the powers of hell.

Prayer of St. Michael – [Pope Leo XIII penned this prayer after being allowed by God to hear a conversation between our Lord and the devil]

“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 hosts, by the power of God, cast into Hell Satan, and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”

In Roman Catholicism Saint Michael has four distinct roles;

• Enemy of Satan and the fallen angels – Saint Michael defeats Satan two times, first when he ejects Satan from Paradise, and then in the final battle of the end times when the Antichrist will be defeated by him.  It is St Michael who will unfurl once more the standard of the cross, sound the last trumpet, bind together the false prophet and the beast and hurl them for all eternity into the burning pool.
• Christian Angel of Death – Traditionally, he is charged to assist the dying and accompany them to their particular judgment, where he serves as an advocate.
• Weighing peoples merits – In Catholic tradition, on Judgment Day Saint Michael weighs souls based on their deeds during their life on earth. Saint Michael is often portrayed in art with scales.
• Guardian of the Church – The tradition of Michael as prince-protector of the Jewish people was adopted by the Christian Church.^[16] Saint Michael has long been recognized as the protector and guardian of the Church itself and the angel of the Blessed Sacrament. In a 2007 address Pope Benedict XVI urged the bishops he was ordaining to take Michael as a model in making room in the world for God, countering denials of him and thus defending humankind’s greatness, and in acting as “true guardian angels” of the Church.

Michael is mentioned by name five times in the Bible.

• Daniel 10:13, Gabriel says, “…but the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood in my way for twenty-one days, until finally Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.”
• Daniel 10:21, “No one supports me against all these except Michael, your prince, standing as a reinforcement and a bulwark for me.”
• Daniel 12:1, “At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time.”
• Jude 1:9, “Yet the archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil in a dispute over the body of Moses, did not venture to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him but said, ‘May the Lord rebuke you!’“
• Revelation 12:7–9, “Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.”

St. Francis of Assisi was especially devoted to Saint Michael and would fast for about forty days from the feast of the Assumption (August 15) to Saint Michael’s feast day on September 29.^[27] Some Franciscan communities continue to observe the period from August 15 to September 29 as “St. Michael’s Lent”, a time of fasting and prayer.

He is the patron saint of doctors, grocers, mariners, paratroopers, police, sickness, and soldiers.

His feast day is September 29.

For God’s Glory.