The Archangels: Protect, Proclaim, and Heal
Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the three Archangels named in Scripture, are commemorated together on September 29.
Leadership Lessons for Catholic Leaders
St. Michael the Archangel:
- Name means “Who is like God?” — traditionally understood as a rhetorical challenge to Satan’s pride.
- Appears in Daniel (as Israel’s great protector prince), Jude (disputing with the devil over the body of Moses), and most vividly in Revelation 12, leading the heavenly armies in battle against the dragon (Satan) and casting him out of heaven.
- Venerated as the leader of the heavenly host and chief defender against evil.
- Patron of soldiers, police officers, and the Church itself in spiritual battle; the “Prayer to St. Michael” (revived by Pope Leo XIII) is still widely used for protection against evil.
St. Gabriel the Archangel:
- Name means “God is my strength” or “Strength of God.”
- Appears in Daniel interpreting visions, then famously in Luke’s Gospel: he announces John the Baptist’s birth to Zechariah, and — most significantly — delivers the Annunciation to Mary, announcing she would conceive Jesus (Luke 1:26–38).
- Regarded as God’s principal messenger, especially of pivotal revelations.
- Patron of messengers, broadcasters, and those in communications.
St. Raphael the Archangel:
- Name means “God heals.”
- Central figure in the Book of Tobit (deuterocanonical), where he travels in disguise as a human companion to young Tobias, protects him, helps heal his father Tobit’s blindness, and delivers Sarah from a demon — revealing his true identity only at the story’s end: “I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand before the glory of the Lord.”
- Associated with healing and safe travel/guidance.
- Patron of travelers, the blind, physicians, and matchmakers.
Why celebrated together:
- These are the only three angels named explicitly in the canonical and deuterocanonical Scriptures, distinguished from the countless unnamed angels. The Church honors them jointly to emphasize their unique scriptural roles as messengers and agents of God’s direct action in salvation history.
