Feast of the Archangels: Michaelmas, September 29

On September 29 the Church celebrates the three archangels named in Scripture: St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael. In England and much of Europe the day has long been called Michaelmas, with its own customs of geese, blackberries and harvest feasts. Three days later, on October 2, the Church honors the Holy Guardian Angels. Below are the meaning of the feast, what each archangel does in Scripture, a traditional prayer to each from Father Lasance’s With God, a prayer for the feast, Michaelmas traditions and the Gospel of the day.

When is the Feast of the Archangels?

Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels: September 29, a feast. In 2027 it falls on a Wednesday.
The Holy Guardian Angels: October 2, a memorial.
Before the calendar reform of 1969, September 29 honored St. Michael alone (the Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel), while St. Gabriel was celebrated on March 24 and St. Raphael on October 24. Many who use the traditional calendar still keep those dates.

Who are the archangels?

Angels are spiritual creatures, servants and messengers of God; the word angel means “messenger.” Scripture names three of them:

Michael (“Who is like God?”) leads the faithful angels against Satan and is the protector of God’s people and of the Church.
Gabriel (“God is my strength”) announces God’s plans: to Daniel, to Zachary the birth of John the Baptist, and to Mary the birth of Jesus.
Raphael (“God heals”) guides young Tobias on his journey, heals his father’s blindness and frees Sara from the demon.

When thou didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead, and didst leave thy dinner, and hide the dead by day in thy house, and bury them by night, I offered thy prayer to the Lord.
And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee.
And now the Lord hath sent me to heal thee, and to deliver Sara thy son’s wife from the devil.
For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord.

Prayers to the three archangels

To St. Michael

The prayer Pope Leo XIII added to the prayers after Low Mass, from Father Lasance’s With God (1911):

Holy Michael, Archangel, defend us in the day of battle;
be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do thou, prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God, thrust down to hell Satan
and all wicked spirits, who roam through the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

To St. Gabriel

O blessed Archangel Gabriel, we beseech thee do thou intercede for us at the throne of divine mercy in our present necessities, that, as thou didst announce to Mary the mystery of the Incarnation, so through thy prayers and patronage in heaven we may obtain the benefits of the same, and sing the praise of God forever in the land of the living. Amen.

To St. Raphael

Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, illustrious for thy gifts of wisdom and grace, guide of travelers by land and sea, consoler of the unfortunate, and refuge of sinners, I entreat thee to help me in all my needs and in all the trials of this life, as thou didst once assist the young Tobias in his journeying. And since thou art the “physician of God,” I humbly pray thee to heal my soul of its many infirmities and my body of the ills that afflict it, if it be for my greater good. I ask, especially, for angelic purity, that I may be made fit to be the living temple of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

A prayer for the feast

Written for this page:

Holy archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael,
you stand before the throne of God and serve his plan of salvation.
Michael, defend us in the battle against evil;
Gabriel, help us to hear and welcome the word of God;
Raphael, guide us on our journey and heal our wounds.
With all the angels, lead us to praise God forever. Amen.

The Gospel of the feast

Jesus promises Nathanael that he will see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man:

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him: and he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.
Nathanael saith to him: Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered, and said to him: Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
Nathanael answered him, and said: Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel.
Jesus answered, and said to him: Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, thou believest: greater things than these shalt thou see.
And he saith to him: Amen, amen I say to you, you shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

And the battle in heaven, read on the feast:

And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels:
And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Michaelmas traditions

Michaelmas goose. In England and Ireland a roast goose, fattened on the stubble of the harvest fields, was the dish of the day. An old saying promised that whoever ate goose on Michaelmas would not lack money all year.
Blackberries. Folklore said that when the devil was cast out of heaven he fell into a blackberry bush and cursed it, so blackberries should not be picked after Michaelmas.
Michaelmas daisies, the purple asters that bloom at this time, decorate homes and churches.
A quarter day. Michaelmas was one of the four days of the year when rents were due and terms began, which is why universities and law courts in England and Ireland still have a “Michaelmas term.”
St. Michael’s bannock, a cake baked in Scotland and the Hebrides for the feast.

The Guardian Angels (October 2)

The Catechism teaches: “From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession,” and each believer has an angel “as protector and shepherd” (CCC 336). On October 2 we thank God for our guardian angels and pray to them. See the Guardian Angel prayer.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Feast of the Archangels?

September 29. The Guardian Angels are celebrated on October 2.

Why are only three archangels named?

Because Scripture names only Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Other names found in apocryphal books are not used in the Church’s liturgy.

What is Michaelmas?

The traditional English name for the feast of St. Michael (now of the three archangels) on September 29, with its customs of goose dinners and the Michaelmas term.

Can we pray to angels?

Yes. Catholics honor the angels and ask their help, as the Church does in her liturgy, while worshiping God alone.

More prayers to the angels

Texts and sources

Prayers: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), public domain (Wikisource).
Scripture: Tobias 12:12–15; John 1:47–51; Apocalypse 12:7–9, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 336 (on the guardian angels).
The feast prayer was written for this page.