Feast Day of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael

A pleasant and unforeseen gift that has come along with coming back home to the Catholic Church in the past few years has been learning new and interesting facts.   

One interesting fact that I learned just yesterday is that there are only three angels written about in Scripture.   
 
Another fact is that while we typically envision angels as sweet cherub with peaceful faces and wings, they instead are like beams of light.  I now wonder if it was an angel sent from God welcoming me back into the Catholic faith that Sunday at church. 
 
September 29 is the Feast Day of angels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.  Keep reading to learn some interesting facts from each angel!
 
Saint Michael the Archangel

• The leader of all angels and of the army of God.
• In Hebrew, Michael means “who is like unto God?” 
• The patron of saint of protection, soldiers, police and doctors.
• Four main responsibilities:
  • to combat Satan
  • to escort the faithful to heaven at their hour of death
  • to be a champion of all Christians, and the Church itself
  • to call men from life on Earth to their heavenly judgment. 

 
Pretty powerful, right? 
  
Saint Gabriel

• Purpose is to be a messenger for God. 
• Mentioned in both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible.   
• Gabriel means “God is my strength.” 
• The patron saint of messengers, telecommunication workers, and postal workers.  
• Gabriel was sent from God to visit the Blessed Virgin Mary before she became pregnant with Jesus.  
• When Gabriel first appeared to Mary he said the words which make up the beginning of our Hail Mary prayer:  "Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." Luke 1:28.

 
Saint Raphael

• One of the three angels mentioned by name in the Bible.
• Appears only in the Old Testament in the Book of Tobit. 
• Raphael means “God heals.”
• The patron saint of travelers, the blind, bodily ills, happy meetings, nurses, physicians and medical workers. 
• His “identity came about because of the biblical story that claims he "healed" the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels in the apocryphal book of Enoch.”​

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Do you have any new and interesting facts that were not covered?  Please share with us on Facebook! 
 
For more information about these angels and their feastday, view the sources listed below!
 
As always, thank you for reading.  God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!
 

Sources:
Akin, Jimmy. “Celebrating the Archangels: 7 Things to Know and Share.” National Catholic Register, ncregister.com.
Hopler, Whitney. “Is Your Guardian Angel Visible?” ThoughtCo, thoughtco.com
“Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels.” Catholic Culture, www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2014-09-29.
“St. Michael the Archangel .” Catholic Online, www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=308.
“St. Raphael .” Catholic Online, www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=203.
“St. Gabriel, the Archangel.” Catholic Online, www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=279.
Image sources:
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Titian [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Guido Reni [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons