St Michael the Archangel is an archangel and the warrior of God in Judaism, Christianity. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church traditions. His feast day, Michealmas, is September 29th.
The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second-century BC Jewish works, often but not always apocalyptic, where he is the chief of the angels and archangels. He is the guardian prince of Israel and is responsible for the care of the people of Israel.
He is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7–12, where he does battle with Satan, and in the Epistle of Jude, where the archangel and the devil dispute over the body of Moses.
“And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” – Revelation 12:7-9
“But when the archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander against him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” – Jude 1:9
“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.” – Daniel 10:13
“Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise.” – Daniel 12:1
There are tons of legends of appearances of St. Michael. Some of my favorites include:
Monte Gargano, Italy in a secluded hilltop cave. Around 490, St. Michael appeared several times to the Bishop of Sipontum near a cave in the mountains, instructing that the cave be dedicated to Christian worship and promising protection of the nearby town of Sipontum from pagan invaders. These apparitions are also the first appearances of Saint Michael in western Europe.
In 1656, a plague was ravaging Naples and the surrounding countryside. The bishop, Alfonso Puccinelli, pleaded to St. Michael the Archangel for help. At dawn on September 22, after three days of fervent prayer and fasting, St. Michael appeared and promised that those who reverently kept small stones from the cave in their homes and prayed earnestly would be saved from the epidemic. And indeed the words were fulfilled. In memory of this miracle, the bishop erected a statue of St. Michael in front of his palace and added the inscription: “Prince of angels, conqueror of the plague.” Stones from St. Michael’s cave are still distributed today, both as general sacramentals and as relics, especially to help against the demonic.
The Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo at Gargano is a major Catholic pilgrimage site and somewhere we hope to visit next year.
The apparition and private revelation of the Archangel Michael to Antónia d’Astónaco. St. Michael had told this devoted Servant of God, in 1751, that he would like to be honored, and God glorified, by the praying of nine special invocations. These nine invocations correspond to invocations to the nine choirs of angels and origins the famous Chaplet of Saint Michael.
And, St. Pope Leo XIII vision that was catalyst to the writing of the Prayer to St. Michael.
One day, after celebrating Mass, the aged Pope Leo XIII was in conference with the Cardinals when suddenly he sank to the floor in a deep swoon. Physicians who hastened to his side could find no trace of his pulse and feared that he had expired. However, after a short interval the Holy Father regained consciousness and exclaimed with great emotion: “Oh, what a horrible picture I have been permitted to see!”
He had been shown a vision of evil spirits who had been released from Hell and their efforts to destroy the Church. But in the midst of the horror the archangel St. Michael appeared and cast Satan and his legions into the abyss of hell. Soon afterwards Pope Leo XIII composed the following prayer to Saint Michael, which is the shortened version:
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense 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,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. .
O glorious prince St. Michael,
chief and commander of the heavenly hosts,
guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits,
servant in the house of the Divine King
and our admirable conductor,
you who shine with excellence
and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil,
who turn to you with confidence
and enable us by your gracious protection
to serve God more and more faithfully every day.