St. Michael, God's Mighty Angel
St. Michael is an archangel — a leader of God's angels. Angels are God's helpers. We cannot see them, but they are real, and they love us!
St. Michael
God's Mighty Angel
Stories of a Brave Protector
Meet St. Michael!
St. Michael is an archangel — a leader of God's angels. Angels are God's helpers. We cannot see them, but they are real, and they love us!
His name Mi-cha-el means “Who is like God?”
Come Along on an Adventure!
Let's visit the places where St. Michael helped God's people.
Story 1
Who Is Like God?
In Heaven, from the Bible
Long, long ago, God made the angels. They were full of light, and they loved God very much. One of the strongest angels was named Michael.
Then one day, there was a great battle in Heaven! Michael stood up tall and brave, and all the good angels stood with him. “Who is like God?” Michael cried. “No one is like God!”
Michael and the good angels won the battle, and Heaven was bright and full of peace again. Michael's name means “Who is like God?” — just what he cried in the battle! (Revelation 12:7–8)
Let us pray
St. Michael, help me to love God more than anything!
Story 2
The Rock That Opened Wide
Chonae, in the land now called Turkey, long ago
Long ago, in a faraway land, there was a spring of cool, sparkling water. A little girl who could not talk drank from it… and she began to speak! Her happy father built a church for St. Michael right there.
A kind man named Archippus took care of the church for many, many years. But some people did not like the church. They sent two big rivers rushing down the mountain to wash it away! Whoosh!
Archippus knelt down and prayed. Suddenly, St. Michael came! He struck a big rock with his staff. CRACK! The rock opened wide, and all the water rushed down inside it. The church was safe!
Let us pray
St. Michael, when I am scared, help me to pray and trust God.
Story 3
The Bull on the Mountain
Monte Gargano, Italy, 490 AD
On a mountain in Italy, a man named Gargano lost his big bull. He looked and looked. At last he found it kneeling quietly at the door of a cave — as if it were praying!
Gargano was angry. He shot an arrow toward the bull. But — whoosh! — the arrow turned around in the air and flew back! Gargano was amazed. He ran to tell the bishop.
Bishop Lawrence prayed for three days. Then St. Michael appeared to him! “This cave is my special place,” said Michael. “People can come here to pray, and God will forgive them.”
Inside the cave, the people found a stone altar covered with a red cloth — and a little footprint pressed into the rock! People still come to pray in St. Michael's cave today.
This place is real!
St. Michael's cave church, Monte Sant'Angelo, Italy
Let us pray
St. Michael, help me to say sorry and to start again.
Story 4
The Angel on the Castle
Rome, Italy, 590 AD
Long ago, many people in Rome became very sick. Everyone was sad and worried. Pope Gregory said, “Let's ask God for help. Let's pray together!”
So everyone walked through the city, singing and praying. They carried crosses and a picture of Mother Mary. They walked and prayed, and prayed and walked, all the way to the river.
Then Pope Gregory looked up. On top of a big round castle stood St. Michael, putting his sword away. It was a sign from God: the sickness was over! Today it is called the Castle of the Holy Angel.
This place is real!
Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome
Let us pray
St. Michael, please protect sick people and help them get well.
Story 5
The Church in the Sea
Mont-Saint-Michel, France, 708 AD
In France, there lived a bishop named Aubert. One night, St. Michael came to him in a dream. “Build a church for me on the rocky island!” he said. But Aubert woke up and thought, “It was just a dream.”
St. Michael came again… and again! The third time, he touched Aubert's head with his finger. Tap! Now Aubert knew it was real. “Yes, St. Michael! I will build it!”
Aubert built a church on top of the rocky island. Today it is called Mont-Saint-Michel. When the tide comes in, the sea rushes all around it — and on the very top stands a golden St. Michael!
This place is real!
Mont-Saint-Michel, France
Let us pray
St. Michael, help me to listen to God and say “yes” right away.
Story 6
The Girl in the Garden
Domrémy, France, about 1425
In a little village in France lived a girl named Joan. She helped her mother, cared for the animals, and loved to pray. When the church bells rang, Joan stopped and prayed.
One summer day, when Joan was 13, she was in her father's garden. Suddenly she saw a bright light and heard a voice. It was St. Michael! Joan was scared at first. But Michael said, “Be a good child, and God will help you.”
When Joan grew older, St. Michael asked her to do something very brave: to help her country. Joan was just a farm girl, but she trusted God and said yes! Today we call her St. Joan of Arc.
This place is real!
Joan's house and church in Domrémy
Let us pray
St. Michael, help me to be good and brave, like St. Joan.
Story 7
Pope Leo's Prayer
The Vatican, Rome, 1880s
Many years later, a Pope named Leo was praying after Mass. People say that he suddenly stood very still, as if he could see something no one else could see.
Then Pope Leo hurried to his room and wrote a special prayer to St. Michael. He asked everyone to pray it after Mass. Now people all over the world pray it — and you can pray it too!
A real photo!
The real Pope Leo XIII
Turn the page to pray it! →
The Prayer to St. Michael
Pope Leo's prayer — let's pray it together!
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection 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 prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
A little prayer for little ones
St. Michael, strong and bright, keep me safe by day and night. Help me to be brave and good, and love God as I should. Amen.
Be Brave Like St. Michael!
Color in a star each time you do it!
★I can pray when I feel scared.
★I can tell the truth, even when it is hard.
★I can be kind and help others.
★I can say “yes” to God, like St. Joan.
★I can say with St. Michael: “Who is like God?”
St. Michael's Special Day
September 29
Every year on September 29, the Church celebrates St. Michael and the archangels Gabriel and Raphael. Here are some fun ways to celebrate!
Make a paper shield
Pray his prayer
Share a special treat
Thank God for your guardian angel
Color St. Michael!
Who is like God?
No one is like God!
St. Michael is always ready to help God's children. When you feel scared, you can say his name and ask for his help. He is your mighty friend in Heaven!
Dear God, thank You for St. Michael. Help me to be brave and to love You always. Amen.
For Grown-Ups
Where these stories come from. Some details come from very old traditions passed down for centuries; they are retold here simply and gently for young children.
Who Is Like God? Revelation 12:7–8 (see also Daniel 10:13 and 12:1). “Michael” is Hebrew for “Who is like God?”
The Rock That Opened Wide. The miracle at Chonae, near ancient Colossae (in today's Turkey), remembered by Eastern Christians every September 6. An ancient tradition; its date is uncertain.
The Bull on the Mountain. Monte Sant'Angelo on the Gargano, Italy, traditionally 490 AD (feast of the apparition: May 8). The cave shrine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and still a place of pilgrimage.
The Angel on the Castle. Rome, 590 AD, during the plague procession led by Pope St. Gregory the Great, as told in medieval sources such as The Golden Legend.
The Church in the Sea. St. Aubert of Avranches, 708 AD. Aubert later sent monks to Monte Gargano, who brought back a piece of the red altar cloth and a fragment of the rock. His skull, with the mark said to be from the angel's touch, is kept in the Basilica of Saint-Gervais, Avranches.
The Girl in the Garden. St. Joan of Arc's own testimony at her trial in 1431: she was about 13 when she first heard St. Michael in her father's garden, and he told her to be good and that God would help her.
Pope Leo's Prayer. Pope Leo XIII added the Prayer to St. Michael to the prayers after Low Mass in 1886. The account of his vision (often dated 1884) comes from people close to him and is told in several versions.
St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us!
The end
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