Who is Saint Michael, the patron saint of angels?

What does Michel mean?

His name, Michel, means “who is like God?” » (from the Hebrew el, “God” and mi cha, “who is similar”): this is the sentence that the leader of the Heavenly Militia pronounced during his fierce struggle against the demon in the Apocalypse, where Satan and his angels were expelled from Heaven and thrown onto Earth. It expresses the victory of humility over pride, and of Good over Evil.

When should we invoke Saint Michael the Archangel?

He is invoked in the fight against the demon, particularly in exorcism prayers.

What day is the feast of Saint Michael?

Saint Michael the Archangel is celebrated on September 29 (Autumn Michaelmas)by the Catholic Church. It is the day of the dedication of a church in Rome which was dedicated to him in the 6th century and which is the oldest sanctuary in Europe dedicated to the prince of the archangels. September 29 corresponds to the feast of the three main archangels: Michel, Raphaël and Gabriel.

In popular tradition, Saint Michael is also celebrated on May 8 (Summer Michaelmas). This date corresponds to the appearance of Saint Michael on Mount Gargano in Italy, in the 5th century.

Why is Saint Michael the patron saint of parachutists?

This origin dates back to the Second World War. On June 4, 1944, a military chaplain gave each parachutist fighter a small medal of Saint Michael, in anticipation of their parachute drop on June 6 in Brittany. In February 1945, the chaplain of the French Air Corps proposed that Saint Michael become the patron saint of paratroopers. It was finally on September 29, 1949, in the middle of the Indochina War, that the first Saint Michael’s Day was celebrated, in Hanoi Cathedral in Vietnam, in front of the men of several paratrooper battalions.

The prince of the archangels is also the patron saint of bakers, pastry chefs, fencers and coopers.