St Michael the Archangel: meaning, feast and devotion

He stands in armour above a dragon, his sword raised, and on his shield are three Latin words: Quis ut Deus. The Archangel Michael is one of the few angels whom Holy Scripture calls by name, and the Church invokes him in the prayers at the foot of the altar at Holy Mass. This guide explains what his name means, where he appears in the Bible, when his feast is kept and how the faithful honour him.

Who is the Archangel Michael?

The Archangel Michael is one of the foremost angels of God. Holy Scripture calls him the great prince who stands for the people of God, and tradition sees in him the leader of the good angels in the battle against Satan and his followers.

Scripture itself gives him the title of archangel: in the Epistle of St Jude he is called Michael Archangelus (Jude 9). St Thomas Aquinas assigns the guardianship of the whole human race to the Principalities, or perhaps to the Archangels, who are called angel princes. That is why Michael, “whom we call an archangel”, is also called “one of the princes” in Daniel (Summa theologiae I, q. 113, a. 3).

At Holy Mass the faithful meet Michael at the very beginning. In the prayers at the foot of the altar the priest confesses his guilt before Almighty God, before Blessed Mary ever Virgin and immediately afterwards before the Archangel Michael (beato Michaeli Archangelo).

What does the name Michael mean?

The name Michael is Hebrew and means “Who is like God?” In Latin it is Quis ut Deus. The name is not a statement about Michael himself, but a question to which there is only one answer: no one is like God.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1911, the name was the battle cry of the good angels. It stands against the pride of Satan, whom the exorcism of Leo XIII reproaches for presuming to be equal to God (Acta Sanctae Sedis 23, 1890, p. 745). Quis ut Deus is often written on Michael’s shield. The same encyclopedia describes the usual image: an angel as a warrior with helmet, sword and shield, standing over the dragon, which he sometimes pierces with a lance. Often he also holds a pair of scales, with which he weighs the souls of the departed, or the Book of Life, as a sign that he takes part in the judgement.

Whoever wears the name on a rosary or a picture therefore carries a short profession of faith: to God alone belongs the glory. Our Quis ut Deus Rosary bears this name in its title.

Where is the Archangel Michael mentioned in the Bible?

The Archangel Michael is named in five verses of the Bible: three times in the Book of Daniel (Dan 10:13 and 21, and Dan 12:1), in the Epistle of St Jude (Jude 9) and in the Apocalypse (Apoc 12:7–9), where he fights with his angels against the dragon.

The passage from the Apocalypse shapes the image of the Archangel to this day. There the dragon is called “that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan”, and he is cast down to earth with his angels (Apoc 12:9). Allioli explains in his note that Michael here defends the holy community against the accusation of Satan before the throne of God.

“From this passage it is clear that the angel prince Michael was the guardian spirit of the chosen people. The Catholic Church, too, venerates him as her protector, and as such he appears in Apoc 12:7, where he comes forward fighting against Satan.”

Joseph Franz Allioli, note on Dan 10:21, Die Heilige Schrift, vol. 4, 4th edition, Landshut 1859 (translated from the German)

What is St Michael the patron saint of?

St Michael is the patron of the Church and the helper of the dying. Tradition assigns him four offices: to fight against Satan, to rescue the souls of the faithful at the hour of death, to protect the people of God and to lead souls to judgement.

These four offices are listed by the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1911. Because Michael protected the people of Israel under the Old Covenant, he is regarded under the New Covenant as the protector of Christians. In the Middle Ages he was therefore also the patron of the orders of knighthood.

His office of leading the souls of the departed before God is found in the Missal itself. In the Offertory of the Mass for the Dead the Church asks Our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver the souls of the faithful departed, that they may not fall into darkness: “but may the standard-bearer St Michael bring them into the holy light” (signifer sanctus Michael repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam). In the Litany of the Saints he is invoked immediately after Our Lady as the first of the saints.

When is the feast of St Michael the Archangel?

The Church keeps the feast of the Archangel Michael on 29 September. In the 1962 Roman Missal it is called In Dedicatione S. Michaelis Archangeli, the Dedication of St Michael the Archangel, and has the rank of a feast of the first class.

The name recalls the dedication of a church of St Michael on the Via Salaria north of Rome. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the Gregorian Sacramentary of the eighth century already records the Dedicatio Basilionis S. Angeli Michaelis on 29 September. In the Middle Ages the day was a holy day of obligation.

A second feast, the Apparition of St Michael on 8 May, belongs to his sanctuary on Monte Gargano. Originally it commemorated the victory of the Lombards of Siponto in 663, which they ascribed to his intercession. In the 1962 Missal it appears only among the Masses “for certain places” (pro aliquibus locis), which the priest may freely choose according to the rubrics. The Alleluia verse of 29 September reads: Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio: ut non pereamus in tremendo iudicio, “Holy Michael Archangel, defend us in battle, that we may not perish in the dreadful judgement.”

How do Catholics honour St Michael?

St Michael is honoured above all with the prayer prescribed by Pope Leo XIII, which is said after Low Mass, with the Chaplet of St Michael in honour of the nine choirs of angels, and with a novena which, according to the Raccolta, may be made at any time of the year.

This prayer begins with the same words as the Alleluia verse of the feast: “Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.” Together with the Hail, Holy Queen it stands at the end of our Rosary prayer guide.

Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio; contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur; tuque Princeps militiae coelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute in infernum detrude. Amen.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

Latin after Anselm Schott, Das Messbuch der heiligen Kirche, 1894; English in the traditional form

The Chaplet of St Michael, in English also called the Angelical Crown, consists of nine salutations to the nine choirs of angels, each with one Our Father and three Hail Marys, and closes with four Our Fathers in honour of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael and of the Guardian Angel, an antiphon and a collect. The Raccolta of 1910 lists it with indulgences granted by a rescript of Pius IX of 8 August 1851, which are attached to specially blessed beads, among them a plenary indulgence on both feasts of St Michael under the usual conditions: confession, Holy Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father.

Does the Archangel Michael protect the faithful?

The Archangel Michael protects the faithful as a servant of God and an intercessor, not by any power of his own. His prayer expressly asks that he thrust Satan into hell “by the power of God”. The help therefore comes from God; Michael intercedes for us.

The same holds for rosaries, medals and pictures bearing his image. According to the 1917 Code of Canon Law, sacramentals are things or actions which the Church uses, in a certain imitation of the sacraments, in order to obtain through her intercession effects chiefly of a spiritual kind (can. 1144). A blessed rosary with a St Michael medal is therefore not an amulet but an invitation to prayer. Blessed objects are to be treated with reverence and must not be put to profane use (can. 1150).

Mentioned in this article Archangel Michael Paracord Rosary Hand-knotted from grey and white 550 paracord, with stainless steel beads, St Michael medal and Pardon Crucifix. View the rosary

Frequently asked questions about the Archangel Michael