On Angels

The celestial "saints" of autumn

On September 29th, the Western Church remembers Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Archangels (and in some churches, such as the Anglican Church, the Archangel Uriel is also often included). The feast is also known as “St. Michael and All Angels” or Michaelmas. In the older tradition, Michael alone was celebrated on this date, while Gabriel was commemorated on March 24th (the day before the Annunciation, appropriately), and Raphael (who appears in the Old Testament or Apocryphal book of Tobit) on October 24th. In the Byzantine tradition, St. Michael is celebrated on November 8th. On October 2nd in the Western church, we have the commemoration of all our Guardian Angels. All in all, the angels are mostly remembered in the autumn, when the leaves are bright gold and red, reminding us of their glory.