St. Michael's Lent: The 40 Day Fast Before Michaelmas

St. Michael's in Old Town (Chicago, IL)

Why Have A Devotion to St. Michael?

The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in a 2006 book published by Tan Books answered this question well:

According to the great St. Alphonsus Liguori, veneration of the holy Angels, and particularly of St. Michael, is an outstanding sign of predestination. St. Lawrence Justinian says: "Although we must honor all the Angels, we ought to invoke in a very special manner the glorious St. Michael, as the Prince of all the heavenly spirits, because of his sublime dignity, his pre-eminent office and his invincible power, which he proved in his conflict with Satan, as well as against the combined forces of Hell." Again, the same Saint says: "Let all acknowledge St. Michael as their protector, and be devoted to him, for he cannot despise those who pray to him . . . But he guards them through life, directs them on their way and conducts them to their eternal home."

What is St. Michael's Lent?

St. Bonaventure records in his biography (written between 1260-1266) how St. Francis of Assisi, “was brought after many and varied toils unto a high mountain apart, that is called Mount Alverna. When, according unto his wont he began to keep a Lent there, fasting, in honor of St. Michael Archangel, he was filled unto overflowing, and as never before, with the sweetness of heavenly contemplation.”

The Little Flowers of St. Francis, a collection of stories about St. Francis that was compiled during the 13th century, records these words of St. Francis to his brothers, “My sons, we are drawing nigh to our forty days’ fast of St. Michael the Archangel; and I firmly believe that it is the will of God that we keep this fast in the mountain of Alvernia, the which by Divine dispensation hath been made ready for us, to the end that we may, through penance, merit from Christ the consolation of consecrating that blessed mountain to the honor and glory of God and of His glorious mother, the Virgin Mary, and of the holy angels.”

Fasting for St. Michael's Lent:

This fasting period begins on the Assumption (August 15) and ends on the feast of St. Michael (September 29). It excludes Assumption Day itself and all Sundays, which are never days of fasting although they may be days of abstinence if one so chooses to keep them as such.

Since this is a purely devotional fast, there is no historical basis to go off of, like we have with Lent, the Assumption Fast, etc. Using the standard for 1 meal, 1 frustulum, and 1 collation would be a good rule to follow here too.

I'd recommend adding, if you don't already, Wednesdays and Saturdays (in addition to Fridays) as days of abstinence.

Prayers for St. Michael's Lent

The SSPX Chapel in Oak Park, IL, recently distributed an excellent brochure featuring prayers to say each day of St. Michael's Lent. Those prayers are available as a scanned PDF by clicking here. Print them off and plan to say them each day for this period of penance. May God, through St. Michael, drive out from his Church and from all baptized souls any taint from the evil one.

Resources:

• St. Michael’s Lent: A period of fasting observed by St. Francis of Assisi published on Aleteia
• St. Michael's Lent Prayers & Devotions in the Exodus 90 App
• St. Michael's Lent Facebook Support Group

Want to learn more about the history of fasting and abstinence? Check out the Definitive Guide to Catholic Fasting and Abstinence.

Read more >>

Feast of the Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel

First Class (1962 Calendar): September 29
Double of the I Class (1954 Calendar): September 29

Happy Michaelmas! 

September 29 was formerly dedicated to all angels since ancient times and as a result, Pope Boniface II chose this date to dedicate a church in the great circus at Rome in 530 AD to Saint Michael the Archangel. This is a separate feastday from the traditional May 8th feastday in honor of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel on Mount Gargano in the 6th century. Today is also the conclusion of the Franciscan custom of observing a Lent of 40 days leading up to the Feast of St. Michael. And see the full-length St. Michael the Archangel Prayer - the full-length one is one most people do not know! 

Angels are pure, created spirits. The name angel means servant or messenger of God. They are celestial or heavenly beings, on a higher order than human beings. An angel has no body and does not depend on matter for his existence or activity. They are distinct from saints, which men can become. Angels have intellect and will, and are immortal. They are a vast multitude, but each is an individual person. Archangels are one of the nine choirs of angels listed in the Bible. In ascending order, the choirs or classes are 1) Angels, 2) Archangels, 3) Principalities, 4) Powers, 5) Virtues, 6) Dominations, 7) Thrones, 8) Cherubim, and 9) Seraphim. In honor of today's Feast of the Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel, see my post on An Exposition of Angels: All You Need To Know. 

St. Michael is regarded as the special Guardian Angel of Saint Joseph and the Guardian Angel of each one of the Popes and one of the seven great angels who stand before the throne of God.  As a result, it is taught that while we refer to St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael as “Archangels” we are not referring to their rank but rather denoting that they are a higher level than ordinary angels. It is believed that all three of them are actually seraphim – the higher-ranking angels.

Why Have A Devotion to St. Michael?

The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in a 2006 book published by Tan Books answered this question well:

According to the great St. Alphonsus Liguori, veneration of the holy Angels, and particularly of St. Michael, is an outstanding sign of predestination. St. Lawrence Justinian says: "Although we must honor all the Angels, we ought to invoke in a very special manner the glorious St. Michael, as the Prince of all the heavenly spirits, because of his sublime dignity, his pre-eminent office and his invincible power, which he proved in his conflict with Satan, as well as against the combined forces of Hell." Again, the same Saint says: "Let all acknowledge St. Michael as their protector, and be devoted to him, for he cannot despise those who pray to him . . . But he guards them through life, directs them on their way and conducts them to their eternal home."

St. Michael’s Day As A Holy Day of Obligation

The first catalog of Holy Days of Obligation comes from the Decretals of Pope Gregory IX in 1234, which listed 45 Holy Days. In 1642, His Holiness Pope Urban VIII issued the papal bull "Universa Per Orbem" which altered the required Holy Days of Obligation for the Universal Church to consist of 35 such days as well as the principal patrons of one's locality. St. Michael’s September 29th Feastday is present in both lists. While there was a divergence of holy days with no locality keeping all of them, his feast remained a day of obligation in Rome. His feast ceased being a universal day of obligation in the 18th century per the Catholic Encyclopedia. It ceased being a Holy Day in Ireland in 1778.

The Catholic Encyclopedia provides an overview of St. Michael:

St. Michael is one of the principal angels; his name was the war-cry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against the enemy and his followers. Four times his name is recorded in Scripture: Daniel 10:13…Daniel 12…In the Catholic Epistle of St. Jude: ‘When Michael the Archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses’, etc. St. Jude alludes to an ancient Jewish tradition of a dispute between Michael and Satan over the body of Moses, an account of which is also found in the apocryphal book on the assumption of Moses (Origen, De Principiis III.2.2). St. Michael concealed the tomb of Moses; Satan, however, by disclosing it, tried to seduce the Jewish people to the sin of hero-worship. St. Michael also guards the body of Eve, according to the ‘Revelation of Moses’… Apocalypse 12:7, "And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon." St. John speaks of the great conflict at the end of time, which reflects also the battle in heaven at the beginning of time. According to the Fathers there is often question of St. Michael in Scripture where his name is not mentioned. They say he was the cherub who stood at the gate of paradise, ‘to keep the way of the tree of life’ (Genesis 3:24), the angel through whom God published the Decalogue to his chosen people, the angel who stood in the way against Balaam (Numbers 22:22), the angel who routed the army of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35)…

Consequently, the Church attributes four offices to St. Michael as the Catholic Encyclopedia next summarizes:

1. To fight against Satan.
2. To rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death.
3. To be the champion of God's people, the Jews in the Old Law, the Christians in the New Testament; therefore, he was the patron of the Church, and of the orders of knights during the Middle Ages.
4. To call away from earth and bring men's souls to judgment

Collect:

O God, who wondrously directs the services of angels and men, grant that our lives on earth may be guarded by the angels who stand ever before Your face ministering to You in heaven. Through our Lord . . . 

Read more >>

Download the Chaplet of St. Michael

Note: these prayers and words are taken from EWTN's website

 

The Chaplet of St. Michael is a wonderful way to honor this great Archangel along with the other nine Choirs of Angels. What do we mean by Choirs? It seems that God has created various orders of Angels. Sacred Scripture distinguishes nine such groupings: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Archangels and Angels (Isa. 6:2; Gen. 3:24; Col. 1:16; Eph. 1:21; Rom. 8:38). There may be more groupings but these are the only ones that have been revealed to us. The Seraphim is believed to be the highest Choir, the most intimately united to God, while the Angelic Choir is the lowest.

The history of this Chaplet goes back to a devout Servant of God, Antonia d'Astonac, who had a vision of St. Michael. He told Antonia to honor him by nine salutations to the nine Choirs of Angels. St. Michael promised that whoever would practice this devotion in his honor would have, when approaching Holy Communion, an escort of nine angels chosen from each of the nine Choirs. In addition, for those who would recite the Chaplet daily, he promised his continual assistance and that of all the holy angels during life. 

 

The Chaplet of St. Michael 

 

O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, etc.

[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys after each of the following nine salutations in honor of the nine Choirs of Angels]

1. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity.
Amen.

2. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin and run in the paths of Christian perfection.
Amen.

3. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Thrones may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility.
Amen.

4. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Dominations may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and overcome any unruly passions.
Amen.

5. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Virtues may the Lord preserve us from evil and falling into temptation. Amen.

6. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Powers may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil.
Amen.

7. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen.

8. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven.
Amen.

9. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Angels may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted in the life to come to Heaven.
Amen.

Say one Our Father in honor of each of the following leading Angels: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael and our Guardian Angel.

Concluding prayers: 

 

O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor, you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day.

Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ, that we may be made worthy of His promises.

Almighty and Everlasting God, Who, by a prodigy of goodness and a merciful desire for the salvation of all men, has appointed the most glorious Archangel St. Michael Prince of Your Church, make us worthy, we ask You, to be delivered from all our enemies, that none of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by him into Your Presence.This we ask through the merits of
Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 

If you would like to buy a chaplet, some inexpensive ones are available online.  Click here for an option.  If you do buy a chaplet, remember to take it to a priest to have it blessed.

 

Read more >>

The 2 Feast Days in Honor of St. Michael

Greater Double (1955 Calendar): May 8

Today is the Feast of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel.

Traditionally in the Liturgy of the Church prior to the year 1960, there were two feasts in honor of St. Michael.  Those familiar with the Litany of Saints will also recall that his name is mentioned by name in the Litany.  And those who attend the Traditional Latin Mass will be familiar with several references to St. Michael in the course of the Liturgy.

St. Michael is regarded as the special Guardian Angel of Saint Joseph and the Guardian Angel of each one of the Popes and one of the seven great angels who stand before the throne of God.  In the 6th century, the angelic St. Michael appeared in southern Italy on a mountain named Gargano.  In this apparition, St. Michael asked that the cave in which he appeared would become a shrine to the True God in order to make amends for the pagan worship that once occurred there.  The Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano still remains to this day.

St. Michael later appeared with a flaming sword atop the mountain during a storm on the eve of battle for the Lombards.  The Lombards attributed their victory in battle on that day, May 8, 663, to St. Michael.  And the Church then established a Feast in honor of the Apparition of St. Michael on May 8th, the anniversary of the battle.

This feast is still kept by priests who offer the pre-1955 Liturgy. It's quite unfortunate that a decree was issued on July 26, 1960, that dropped this feast from the Universal Calendar. While the feastday is not kept even in the 1962 Missal, priests who offer the 1962 Missal may (and arguably should) say a Votive Mass today for St. Michael. Since in the 1962 Missal May 8th is a feria, a Votive Mass may be offered today (unless today falls on a Sunday or another high ranking day in the sanctoral cycle like Ascension Thursday).

On September 29th the Feast of the Dedication of St. Michael occurs on which we, for the second time in the year, honor the Glorious St. Michael. The blog Carmelite spirituality and the practice of mental prayer further explains:

The first apparitions of the archangel Michael in Western Europe were granted to the Bishop of Sipontum in Apulia. Three times the Archangel appeared, nightly, the last time on September 29, 493. The Archangel indicated the transformation into a Christian church of a grotto sacred to Mithras, on Monte Tumba. Miraculously, when the bishop and companions arrived, they found that a primitive altar had already been erected, covered with a vermilion altar cloth and surmounted by a Cross; moreover, according to the legend, they found the footprint of Saint Michael in the rock. With immense joy the holy bishop offered the first divine Sacrifice. It was 29 September.

The Feast of the Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel is the September 29th Feast often just called: The Feast of St. Michael the Archangel. 

Collect:

O God, Who hast ordained and constituted the services of angels and men in a wonderful order, mercifully grant that as thy holy angels always do thee service in heaven, so, by thy appointment, they may succor and defend us on earth. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.

Read more >>

Indulgence for the Angelic Crown in Honor of St. Michael

In honor of the first of two feastdays of St. Michael the Archangel, I wish to remind everyone of the following entry in the Raccolta:

It is a pious tradition, that the Archangel Michael revealed to a holy person that he would he well pleased by his bringing into use the following prayers in his honour and in honour of all the angelic host; and that he would repay those who practised this devotion with signal favours, particularly in such times as the Catholic Church should experience some special trial. 

In this belief, a holy Carmelite nun, of the convent of Vetralla, in the diocese of Viterbo, who died with the reputation of sanctity in the year 1751, made it her delight to practise this method of prayer, commonly called the "Angelic Chaplet;" and it was at the instigation of the nuns of her convent that his Holiness Pins IX., by a decree of the S. Congr. of Rites, dated August 8, 1851, granted the following Indulgences -

i. An indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines every time the Chaplet is said.

ii. An indulgence of 100 days daily to any one who carries this Chaplet about him, or kisses the medal with the representation of the holy angels appended to the said Chaplet.

iii. A plenary indulgence once a month to every one who says daily this Chaplet, on any one day when, after Confession and Communion, he shall pray for the exaltation of our holy Mother the Church and the safety of the Sovereign Pontiff.

iv. A plenary indulgence, with the conditions above named, on -

1. The Feast of the Apparition of St. Michael. May 8.
2. The Dedication of St. Michael. September 29.
3. St. Gabriel the Archangel. March 18.
4. St. Raphael the Archangel. October 24.
5. Holy Angel Guardians. October 2.

To gain these Indulgences, a Chaplet must be used consisting of nine Pater noster’s, and three Ave Maria's after each Pater noster, with four Pater noster’s at the end; the following corresponding salutations being said at the same time in their proper order, with the antiphon and prayer at the end us given below. These Chaplets must be blessed by the actual father confessor of the convent of Vetralla, or some other priest who has obtained faculties for this purpose.

METHOD OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION.

Let every one, according to his ability, begin with an act of sincere contrition, kneeling before a representation of the holy Archangel; then let him say with devotion the following salutations:

V. Deus in adjutorium meum intende.
R. Dontine ad adjuvandum me festina.

Gloria Patri, &c.

FIRST SALUTATION.

One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the First Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of the Seraphim, may it please God to make us worthy to receive into our hearts the fire of His perfect charity. Amen.

SECOND SALUTATION.

One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Second Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of the Cherubim, may God grant us grace to abandon the ways of sin, and run the race of Christian perfection. Amen.

THIRD SALUTATION.

One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Third Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the sacred choir of the Thrones, may it please God to infuse into our hearts a true and earnest spirit of humility. Amen.

FOURTH SALUTATION.

One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Fourth Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of the Dominations, may it please God to grant us grace to have dominion over our senses, and to correct our depraved passions. Amen.

FIFTH SALUTATION.

One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Fifth Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of the Powers, may God vouchsafe to keep our souls from the wiles and temptations of the devil. Amen.

SIXTH SALUTATION.

One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Sixth Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the choir of the admirable celestial Virtues, may our Lord keep us from falling into temptation, and deliver us from evil. Amen.

SEVENTH SALUTATION.

One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Seventh Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of the Principalities, may it please God to fill our souls with the spirit of true and hearty obedience. Amen.

EIGHTH SALUTATION.

One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Eighth Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the heavenly choir of Archangels, may it please God to grant its the gift of perseverance in the faith and in all good works, that we may thereby be enabled to attain unto the glory of Paradise. Amen.

NINTH SALUTATION.

One Pater noster and three Ave Maria’s, to the Ninth Angelic Choir.

At the intercession of St. Michael and the Heavenly choir of Angels, may God vouchsafe to grant us the safe-conduct of the holy Angels through life, and after death a happy entrance into the everlasting glory of heaven. Amen.

Then say four Pater noster's in conclusion; the first to St. Michael, the second to St. Gabriel, the third to St. Raphael, the  fourth to your Angel Guardian.

This exercise then ends with the following Antiphon.

ANTIPHON.

Michael, glorious Prince, chief and champion of the heavenly host, guardian of the souls of men, conqueror of the rebel angels, minister in the house of God, our worthy captain under Jesus Christ, endowed with superhuman excellence and virtue; vouchsafe to free us all from every evil, who with full confidence have recourse to thee; and by thy powerful protection enable us to make progress every day in the faithful service of our God.

V. Pray for us, most blessed Michael, prince of the Church of Jesus Christ.
R. That we may be made worthy of His promises.

PRAYER.

Almighty and eternal God, who in thine own marvellous goodness and pity didst, for the common salvation of man, choose the glorious Archangel Michael to be the prince of Thy Church; make us worthy, we pray Thee, to be delivered by his beneficent protection from all our enemies, that at the hour of our death no one of them may approach to harm us, and that by the same Archangel Michael we may be introduced into the presence of Thy high and heavenly Majesty. Through the merits of the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read more >>

Vatican Consecrated to Archangel Michael, the Defender of Tradition

The statue was commissioned by Pope Benedict XVI prior to his resignation 

In the recent consecration of the Vatican to the Archangel Michael, Pope Francis declares:

"Michael struggles to restore divine justice and defends the People of God from his enemies, above all from the enemy par excellence, the devil. And St. Michael wins because in him, there is God who acts. Though the devil always tries to disfigure the face of the Archangel and that of humanity, God is stronger. It is His victory and His salvation that is offered to all men. We are not alone on the journey or in the trials of life. We are accompanied and supported by the angels of God, who offer, so to speak, their wings to help us overcome so many dangers, in order to fly high compared to those realities that can weigh down our lives or drag us down. 

 "In consecrating Vatican City State to St. Michael the Archangel, I ask him to defend us from the evil one and banish him."

The following is written by David Martin on the occasion of this event:

The understanding of course is that Michael will win our battles only if we invoke him. Clearly Francis and Benedict realize that the Church is under siege and have invoked the special protection of this heavenly warrior during this "final battle between the Church and the anti-church." It seems that Benedict may have prompted this action, being in the know about the satanic infiltration of the Vatican, and no doubt he briefed Francis about the infernal state of affairs in Rome and conferred with him on the Third Secret of Fatima which prophesied this very blight to the Church. Hopefully the consecration to Michael is step-one to universally bringing back the St. Michael prayer after Mass.

 

If the restoration of the Holy Roman Catholic Church has failed to materialize as expected, it's because St. Michael has not been given his place of honor as the guardian of the Faith. For Michael is the highest guardian of Heaven whose mission is to lead the armies of God in their fight against satan, therefore the evil one was intent on reaching in and inscribing those infamous words in the 1964 Vatican II document, Inter Oecumenici, which ordered that the traditional prayer to St. Michael be "suppressed." (article 48) 

This was to prove fatal for the Church. For it was through the restraining force of this great Archangel that the influence of the devil was formerly held back through the ages and kept out of the Church (2 Thess. 2:6, 7). But by removing Michael from the liturgy, this opened the door to infiltration and gave the enemy easy access to enter. The devil wanted the lock off the gate so he could get in there and remodel the fort without interference from his archrival, Michael.  

And the rest is history. The Church since Vatican II has been without spiritual protection which is why it stands "half in ruins" today. Sacred chant has given way to strumming, prayer has given way to clapping, and the sacrosanct order of God has given way to the new liturgical merry-go-round that caters to the whims of the people.

But this latest move to restore St. Michael offers fighting help for the wearied bands and lays the groundwork for a true and lasting restoration. We may very well be witnessing the dawning of a great and glorious renewal for the Church as foretold in Holy Scripture: "At that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people: and a time shall come, such as never was from the time that nations began, even until that time. And at that time shall thy people be saved, every one that shall be found written in the book." (Daniel 12:1)

The consecration of the Vatican to St. Michael truly constitutes a major building block towards restoration. But let us build on this. This is the time to fan the good flame and to start blowing away the smoke of satan that Pope Paul said had "entered into the temple of God." (June 29, 1972)

We pray that the cause of St. Michael continue to flourish and that traditional discipline be restored so that the Church Militant can again be girt with that brilliance and armor "wherewith it may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one."  (Ephesians 6:16)

Read more >>

Anthology: Chants and Polyphony from St. Michael's Abbey

I was recently given the opportunity to review "Anthology: Chants and Polyphony from St. Michael's Abbey". The CD features the recordings of the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael's Abbey. While I have heard first-hand experience of the Norbertine order falling headfirst into liberalism, St. Michael's Abbey remains as a beacon of hope for the order. The CD features 18 beautifully Catholic titles including Exultet, Attende Coelum, Panis Angelicus, Ave Maria, Verbum Caro, and more! I highly recommend this CD to all Catholics.

Product Description

After "Christmas at St. Michael's Abbey" - "The singing on this album is so very beautiful, and thoroughly authentic," California Catholic Daily - Jade Music is proud to release the second album by the Norbertine Fathers: Anthology: Chants and Polyphony from St. Michael's Abbey, another rare release of chants and polyphony from a domestic U.S. abbey.

The eclectic selection on this album is a cross-section of music sung at the abbey that includes chants from the liturgy as well as motets and music from the Renaissance era. These latter are sung on more solemn occasions like Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, and other great feasts of the liturgical year. "Anthology: Chants and Polyphony from St. Michael's Abbey" is a testimony of the vigor and subtle beauty of Gregorian chant as sung today in the USA.

St. Michael's Abbey is a community of Norbertine Canons Regular in Orange County, California. Its first members were Hungarian priests who escaped communism to find refuge in the United States in 1957. The community was raised to the status of an abbey in 1984, because of its growth. St. Michael's Abbey now numbers nearly 70 members.

Read more >>

2019 Patron Saint of the Year Devotion

UPDATE (January 13, 2019, at 9:20 AM CST): The final 2019 Saint for the Year Drawing has now taken place and all results are now below. Thank you for all 375 people who participated. Sadly only 5 people have donated to this project which takes hours to prepare for and hours more to conduct. I hope though that everyone through this grows in grace, invokes their patron often in 2019, and makes ever great spiritual progress. To those who wish to contribute, please send in a donation below and leave any comments on what you get out of this devotion in the comments box. God bless!

UPDATE (January 7, 2019, at 11:50 AM CST): The next Saint for the Year Drawing has now taken place and all results are now below. On additional drawing will take place next Sunday on the 13th so you may still sign up if you haven't yet.  Also, for anyone looking for a prayer to your saint, you may always use the Prayer to Venerate Any Saint.

UPDATE (January 1, 2019, at 1:10 PM CST): The Saint for the Year Drawing has now taken place.  Unlike some sites that offer a similar devotion, my devotion is manually done. In a single jar I have likely around 1,000 saints name and these are drawn for you after the High Mass said for the Octave Day of Christmas. As the drawing occurs, I pray the Litany of Saints (and continue to repeat it until all names are drawn).  The saint names on paper are also blessed with Holy Water and/or Blessed Salt prior to the drawing. 

My devotion does not skew to modern saints, saints whose names we all know, or even saints celebrated on the traditional calendar. I include all canonized saints so you will likely see many names here you don't recognize.  Spend the time to learn about these holy men and women!

Please note, overseeing this devotion is very time intensive and as of yet none of the 315 names submitted has donated to help support this initiative. If you find this devotion helpful and would like to support A Catholic Life in the next year, please submit a donation.  Your donation is especially important since I am not currently working professionally aside from my writing/speaking/catechesis work so the donation is quite helpful to me and to this blog.

It is my hope that you will pray to your special patron this year, remember them on their feast day, and invoke their intercession. As mentioned in my post on the devotion, this takes up considerable time for me each year so thank you for those who have (or will) donate a small donation (even $5 - $10) for all of the time involved. Unfortunately, if few people donate I likely won't be able to continue to do this devotion in future years.

Please join me in praying the Litany of Saints and asking for a holy 2019 for all of us. For my own listing of the saints, please click here to learn more about the saints.

Lastly, those who would still like to participate may leave names in the comments box. There will be two remaining drawings: one on January 6th (Feast of the Epiphany) and the following Sunday of January 13th (Octave Day of the Epiphany).

I am very pleased to again be a facilitator for the Patron Saint of the Year Devotion.  I have been part of this annual tradition since 2006 and have helped coordinate devotions for hundreds of families.  It is my pleasure to now be part of the 2019 Patron Saint of the Year Devotion.

SPONSOR: This Devotion is being sponsored this year by CatechismClass.com.  Whether you are looking for godparent preparation courses, Sacramental preparation for your children, or just to better learn the Faith as an adult, CatechismClass.com has courses for all ages and walks of life.  Check out CatechismClass.com's affordable programs and make it a resolution in 2019 to learn and live the Faith better than ever before.

You can read about the past devotions at the following posts:

• 2006 Saint for the Year Devotion
• 2007 Saint for the Year Devotion
• 2008 Saint for the Year Devotion
• 2010 Saint for the Year Devotion 
• 2011 Saint for the Year Devotion 
• 2012 Saint for the Year Devotion
• 2013 Saint for the Year Devotion
• 2014 Saint for the Year Devotion
• 2015 Saint for the Year Devotion
• 2016 Saint for the Year Devotion
• 2017 Saint for the Year Devotion
• 2018 Saint for the Year Devotion

Again, I would like to take a few minutes to explain the devotion.

When will the saints be drawn?  This year I will start the drawing of saints on the Octave Day of Christmas after the morning's Solemn High Mass and after the recitation of both the Veni Creator Spiritus and the Litany of Saints.  Drawings will occur as the Litany of Saints are again recited.  That means results will likely be posted in the early afternoon (US Pacific Time) on January 1st.

How do I enter?  Just add the names of everyone (you and your family) that you want to be included in the drawing in the comment box below.  DO NOT also email them to me.  Please leave all entries here in the comment box.

This year, saints will be posted here after the drawing is complete.

What is the Saint for the Year Devotion? Here is my post on this from years past to clarify the matter. This is from the person that draws all of the saints. I don't draw the saints. I will merely pass on your name or screen name to her so that she will draw a saint for you. Also, I will pass on the name of any of your family or friends that would like to participate. This isn't superstition. St. Faustina did the same thing!

Last year hundreds of people received saints to be their special patron, and there were miraculous connections. It was truly amazing. We pray that this year the Holy Ghost will again work so that all participants receive a saint that they will be able to pray to for aid throughout the entire year:

Saint for the Year

I want to tell you about the practice of picking a saint at random to be your “holy protector” for the year. Actually, the saint is the one who chooses us though. The tradition of letting a saint “pick you,” is not a new one. St. Faustina wrote about it in her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul. The excerpt is below.

“There is a custom among us of drawing by lot, on New Year's Day, special Patrons for ourselves for the whole year. In the morning during meditation, there arose within me a secret desire that the Eucharistic Jesus be my special Patron for this year also, as in the past. But, hiding this desire from my Beloved, I spoke to Him about everything else but that. When we came to refectory for breakfast, we blessed ourselves and began drawing our patrons. When I approached the holy cards on which the names of the patrons were written, without hesitation I took one, but I didn't read the name immediately as I wanted to mortify myself for a few minutes. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my soul: ‘I am your patron. Read.’ I looked at once at the inscription and read, ‘Patron for the Year 1935 - the Most Blessed Eucharist.’ My heart leapt with joy, and I slipped quietly away from the sisters and went for a short visit before the Blessed Sacrament, where I poured out my heart. But Jesus sweetly admonished me that I should be at that moment together with the sisters. I went immediately in obedience to the rule.”Excerpt from Divine Mercy in My Soul, the Diary of St. Faustina"

I have a container full of names ... I will be glad to pick out the name for you and send you the name if you prefer. I am so excited by my saint(s) ... I already picked mine. Well, I should say that they picked me ... I have Saints Marcus and Marcellianus ... they are twin brothers who were sent to prison before their death. St. Sebastian visited them continually in prison and helped keep their faith alive. They are buried near St. Felix and are specifically honored in Spain.

OK now ... here are a couple of immediate ironies in regard to these saints ... I have a SPECIAL place in my heart for twins! As a child, I LOVED reading the story about St. Sebastian. I had a children's book of saints and I think I wore out the pages on St. Sebastian! Felix is my grandfather's name! Silvia, our exchange student, is from Spain! I am so excited to have these two saints to walk through 2006 with me! I'm looking forward as to where and how they will intercede for me.

Please pass this message on through your blogs and/or email distribution lists, letting all of the Catholic Blogsphere have the chance to participate.

So, please leave it below in the comment box when you ask to participate. If you wish to remain anonymous, please leave your initials instead of your name.  Anonymous requests without names or initials will NOT be part of the drawing.  Do not add the same request more than once.  If your comment is posted below, it will count.

Note: DO NOT email me your entries.  Leave all submissions here in the comments box.

So, comment below and pass this message on throughout the entire Catholic Blogsphere!

Results of the Drawing

Name	Saint
Jay	St. Thomas the Apostle
Kelly	Blessed Jane of Aza
Emily	St. Gabriel Lalemant
Kyla	St. Adelaide of Italy
Suzanne	St. Leudwinus
Sue	St. Tironensian Order
Missy	St. Anthony of Egypt
John	Blessed Augustine Novello
Joe	Blessed John of Fiesole
Jen	St. Sigo
Josh	St. Rhipsime
Joan	St. Padre Pio
Matthew W	St. Anthony of Padua
Anna S	St. Ava of Denain
Natalia S	St. Theophilus of Corte
Sergei S	St. Jan Sarkander
Diane W	St. Hyacintha of Mariscotti
Chris W	Blessed Basil Hopko
Mark W	St. Crispin
Michelle W	Blessed James Salomonio
Michael W	St. Marcellus I
Rick	St. Quadratus of Herbipolis
Theresa (Terry)	St. Agatha
Nicole	Blessed Alvarez
Gary	St. Quintian of Rodez
Brandon	St. Gosbert of Osnabruck
Brynn	Blessed Andre Duliou
Baby to be born in May	St. Walric
Kristin	St. Cecelia
Jim	St. Richard of Vaucelles
Stephen	St. Ioannes Pak Hu-jae
Michael	St. Dominic de Guzman
Kelsey	St. Vitus
Douglas	Pope St. Silverius
Michelle	Blessed Lawrence of Ripafratta
Shaun	St. Theophilus of Corte
Stephanie	St. Hilarion
Christina	St. Martha
Bryan	Blessed Aaron of Cracow
Gianna	Blessed Columba
Leilani	St. Nonno of Porto Romano
Dominic	Pope St. Linus
Madison	Blessed Robert
Darla	St. Anthony Zaccaria
Jeff	St. Leudadd of Bardsey
Garrison	St. Jeanne-Marie de Maille
Alex	St. Albert the Great
Lucas	Blessed John of Salerno
Kiora	St. Bernadette Soubirous
Carolyn	St. Timothy
Joseph	St. Cecelia
Kathryn	St. Phililp the Apostle
Laura L.	St. Crispin
Gordon L.	St. Adelbert
Dorothea T.	St. Joan Elizabeth Bichier des Ages
Matthew L.	St. Anselm of Canterbury
Ben E.	Blessed John Liccio
Jeannie E.	St. Adelbert
Felicity E.	St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
Sarah E.	St. Jeanne de Lestonnac
Veronica E.	St. Wenceslaus
Joseph E.	St. Mary Magdalene
Patricia R.	St. Simeon, Bishop and Martyr
Monica M.	St. Adelaide of Italy
Michael Patrick M.	St. Bartholomew
Robert James M.	St. Pretextatus
Diane S.	St. Hitto of Saint-Gaul
Kellen M.	Blessed Guillaume-Nicolas-Louis Laclerq
Shannon L.	Blessed Francis de Posadas
Baby L.	The Seven Holy Brothers
jmr1979	St. Ennodius
Katie	St. Peter Chanel
Bob	Blessed Sadoc and Companions
Elizabeth L.	St. Thomas Aquinas
Barbara B.	St. Sigo
Kim L.	Blessed John Liccio
Michelle D.	Blessed Andrew of Peschiera
Janine D	St. Ennodius
Kyle D	St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
William T.	Blessed Sadoc and Companions
Julie T.	St. Rita of Cascia
Blake T.	Blessed John of Fiesole
Scott T.	St. Hitto of Saint-Gaul
Ruth S.	St. Crispin
Ryan	Blessed Robert
Jeremy	St. Adelin of Seez
Debbie	Blessed Giles of Assisi
Cathleen	St. Raymond of Toulouse
Tim W	St. Sylvester
Jeffrey D	St. Simeon-Francois Berneux
Michael D	Blessed Jane of Portugal
Francis D	Blessed William Andleby
Nicholas D	St. Hilary of Poitiers
Dominic D	Holy Maccabees
Peter D	St. Louise de Marillac
Andrew D	St. Joseph of Leonissa
Max D	St. Maturus the Novice
James D	St. Jane Frances de Chantal
Mason C	Blessed Diana
Griffin C	St. Alena
Elijah C	St. Maurice
Isaac C	St. Lambert of Vence
Nathan B	St. Boniface
Dominic B	Blessed Stephana
Kathy R	St. Colman
Lois F.	St. Crescentianus
Harry Tucci	St. Julio Alvarez Mendoza
Isabella Tucci	St. Maurice
Flikie	St. William of Pontoise
Lucy D	St. Peter of Juilly
Gemma D	St. Patrick
Anne D	Blessed Gonsalvo
Sarah K.	St. Joseph of Leonissa
Ruth K.	St. Julie Billiart
John K.	St. Catherine of Genoa
Rachel D.	Blessed Augustine of Biella
Ralph D.	St. Germana
Maggie D.	St. Ceollach
Muriella A.	St. Facundinus of Taino
Alexander	Our Lady of Carmel of the Maipu
Mary K.	St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
Mark K.	St. Polycarp
Mary Ann	St. Bruno
Lorny	St. Titus
Gary	St. Louis Gabriel Taurin Dufresse
Sheila	St. Norbert
Joe	St. John of Bridlington
Steve	St. Patroclus of Troyes
Chris	St. Prosper of Aquitaine
Parker	St. Sigo
Sara	St. Raymond of Barbastro
Brian	Blessed Odo of Beauvais
Brandon	St. Anthony of Padua
Shauna	St. Catherine of Genoa
Nicholas	Blessed Dalmatius
Levi	St. John Nepomucene Neumann
Milo	St. Simon of Lipnica
Josemaria Paulo Carvalho-Von Verster	St. Pierre Dumoulin-Borie
Christina	St. Padre Pio
Susan M	St. Nicholas of Myra
Richard M	St. Louis Gabriel Taurin Dufresse
Gregory M	St. Valentine of Rome
Frederick M	St. Claudian of Perga
Chad M	St. Iraenaus of Lyons
LK	St. Cosmas
TK	St. John Bosco
GAH	St. Edward the King
SF	St. Tironensian Order
CR	St. Emily de Vialar
JT	Blessed Francis de Capillas
FBA	St. Jerome
SMA	St. Guarinus of Sitten
CGA	St. Padre Pio
Brandon	Blessed Diana
Rachel	St. Paulinus of Trier
Sydnie	St. Juliana Falconieri
Kalab	St. Therese of Lisieux
Fred	Blessed Josefa Naval Girbes
Elaine	Blessed James Benefatti
Sandy	St. Juan Diego
Dick	Blessed Matthew Carrieri
Dave	St. Augustine of Canterbury
Robert	Pope St. Silverius
Sue Anne	St. Clare
Autumn	St. Venant de Viviers
Abbie	St. Benedict Joseph Labre
Austin	St. Rosa Venerini
Trey	St. Aymard of Cluny
Kierra	St. Giusta de Sardegna
Liam	St. Charles Garnier
Lincoln	St. Agatha
Leah	Blessed Odo of Beauvais
Lilly	St. Juliana of Nicomedia
Jean	St. Wenceslaus
Patrick	St. Conon, Bishop of the Isle of Man
Michele	St. Juan Diego
Amelia	St. Frances of Rome
Fiona	St. Charles Borromeo
Isabella	St. Stanislaus Kostka
Patrick Gerard	St. Emily de Vialar
Timothy	St. Joseph Marchand
Michael	St. Ebontius
Mary Ellen	St. Prosper of Aquitaine
Dylan	Holy Maccabees
Francesco	St. Andrew Fournet
Mary	Blessed Margaret of Costello
Kristine	Blessed Marcolino
Joey V	St. Iraenaus of Lyons
Sean G	St. William of Pontoise
Elizabeth "Lisa" B.	St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Marian E.	St. Florentius of Carracedo
Kim	St. Poemus of Membressa
Danny	Blessed James of Voragine
Aaron	St. Gregory of Nyssa
Sharra	Blessed Aimo
Andrew	Blessed Frances Gil
Stormy	St. Dogmael of Wales
Francesca Jameelah	St. Basil the Great
Cindy	Blessed Andre de Soveral
Dustin	St. Hugh of Novara
Lila	St. Kevoca of Kyle
Hailey	St. Raymond of Barbastro
MC	St. Guido Maria Conforti
AC	St. Elzear of Sabran
Michael B	St. Patroclus of Troyes
Matthew B	St. James the Greater
Max B	St. Rigobert of Rheims
Bruce B	Blessed Stephana
Joyce B	St. Noel Chabanel
Jennifer B	St. Antoine Daniel
Kevin B	St. Petroc
Tony B	Blessed Odo of Beauvais
Janet B	Blessed Andrew of Peschiera
Linda Q	St. John of God
BEM family	St. Theodore Guerin
MS	Blessed Filip Geryluk
RS	St. Acius of Amiens
JC	St. Anastasius
Heidi M.	St. Nazarius the abbot
Kaytlyn M.	St. Poemus of Membressa
Sara G.	St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
Bernadette F.	Blessed Terence
Heather S.	St. Ansgar
Melani T.	St. Josemaria Escriva
Cynthia S.	St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Anna	St. Vincent of Saragossa
Meg	St. Joseph, the foster Father of Jesus Christ
Catherine	St. Nazarius of Rome
Katie	St. Athanasius
Brandon	Blessed Alphonsus and Companions
Amy	St. Adelelmus of Flanders
Jocelyn	St. Polycarp
Glenna	Blessed Chiara Badano
David	St. Filippo Smaldone
Madalena	Blessed Dalmatius
Kevin	Our Lady of Fatima
ABG	St. Hugh of Novara
VBG	St. Chrysanthus
JJL	St. James the Greater
JSL	St. Pretextatus
AMBG	St. Maximilian Kolbe
JLG	St. Agatha
Roman	St. Augustin Schoeffler
Valerie V	Blessed James Benefatti
Olindo V	St. Charles of St. Andrews
Katie V	St. Guido Maria Conforti
Richard V	Blessed Francis de Posadas
Sara V	St. Magloire
Violet V	St. Laurent-Joseph-Marius Imbert
SRN	St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows
GAN	St. Anthony of Egypt
AJN	St. Augustin Schoeffler
JMN	St. Adelelmus of Flanders
Ronald F	Blessed Francis Gil
Joan F	Blessed Francis de Capillas
George Fincik	St. Floribert of Liege
Mark Angelo	St. Phililp the Apostle
Jenna S	Blessed James of Bevagna
Christine Mac	St. Maruontus
Robert Mac	Blessed William Andleby
Casey Mac	St. Bernard of Thiron
Colin Mac	St. Mary Magdalene
Steven P.	St. Domnin
Brian P.	St. Theodosius of Antioch
Sr. Eva DiC.	St. Alexander of Jerusalem
Joseph DiC.	St. Crescentianus
Joseph P. McC.	St. Fabiola of Rome
AnnMarie	St. Martin de Porres
maribeth santos	St. Clotsindis of Marchiennes
Jan B	Blessed James Salomonio
Dennis T	St. Baldwin of Rieti
Joan T	St. Bernadette Soubirous
Charis favour	St. Joan of Arc
Christopher	Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau
Teresa	Blessed Odo of Beauvais
Marie	St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Christine	St. Anthony Zaccaria
Joshua	St. Projectus
Noah	Blessed Francis Gil
The Rohlena family	St. Anthony of Padua
Helen Bruni	Blessed Anthony della Chiesa
Katharine	St. Bede the Venerable
Terry	St. Poemus of Membressa
Katharine	St. Theodosius of Antioch
Gemma	Pope St. Sixtus II
Paul	St. John Bosco
Jenny	St. Jean-Louis Bonnard
Gemma	St. Matthias
Amy	Blessed James of Bevagna
Mia	St. Madeleine Sophie Barat
Charlotte	St. Sebastian of Aparico
Mark	St. Anthony of Egypt
Alfie	Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau
Jovita	Blessed Jane of Portugal
Katharine O'Brien	St. Joan of Arc
Daniel	St. Charles of St. Andrews
Amy	St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Elaine	Blessed Filip Geryluk
Graham	St. Peter Chanel
Andy M	St. Giles
Maryann	Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio
Steve S	Blessed Columba
Jill	St. Benedict
Steve	St. Dominic Savio
Erica	Blessed Aaron of Cracow
Dean	St. Alexis Falconieri
Chelsea S	St. Julian the Hospitaller
Judy	St. Joan of France
David	St. Paul Miki
Deanna	St. Hilary of Poitiers
Larry	St. Auspicius of Toul
Kaitlyn	St. Rita of Cascia
Jordan	St. Vincent de Paul
Jamie	St. John Cantius
David	St. Ambrose
Xavier D	Blessed Dominik Trcka
Jacob D	Blessed Julia Rodzinska
PATRICE	St. Richard of Vaucelles
RAYMOND	Pope St. Telesphorus
SAM L	St. Auspicius of Trier
KELLY S	Blessed Augustine of Biella
JENNIFER	Blessed Margaret of Costello
"THAT ONE DUDE"	St. Francis of Assisi
ALLISON	St. Leudwinus
SARAH	St. Kiaran
LAUREN	St. Catherine of Siena
COREY	St. Prosper of Aquitaine
RILEIGH	St. Aderald
AMIERA	Blessed John of Fiesole
GIOVANNI	St. Hyacintha of Mariscotti
FRANNIE	St. Julio Alvarez Mendoza
Jimmy W.	St. Guido Maria Conforti
Carolyn W.	St. Gundenis of Carthage
Andy B.	St. Kevoca of Kyle
John	St. Peter Fourier
Kathy	St. Cajetan
Mary	St. Augustin Schoeffler
Adam	Pope St. Anacletus
David	St. Jeanne-Marie de Maille
Mary Anne	St. Scholastica
Jane	St. Francis of Assisi
Thomas	St. Hugh of Novara
Daniel	Blessed Marie
Lucy	St. Colette of Corbie
Monica	St. Catherine of Siena
Nick	St. Gordian
Peter	St. Caldeoldus of Vienne
Claire	St. Willibald
Lily	St. Bernadette Soubirous
Susie	St. Barnabas
Baby #3	Blessed Margaret of Savoy
Jim	St. Alexis Falconieri
Rebecca	St. Paul of the Cross
Johnny D	St. Joan of France
Debbie	St. Henry II
Joe	St. Francis of Assisi
Thomas	St. Auspicius of Toul
David	St. Januarius
Stephanie	St. Marie of the Incarnation
Veronica A	St. Leudwinus
Kristen A	St. Damien of Molokai
Roman B	Blessed Bartholomew of Vincenza
Louise T.M	St. Gregory of Tours
Jeffrey A.M	St. Titus
Joshua J.M	St. Fugatius the Missionary
Addie M.	Blessed Andrew of Peschiera
Mischa M	St. Rhipsime
Hannah Sofia M	St. Nicholas of Myra
Jessica N	St. Joseph of Leonissa
BN	St. Frances Cabrini
Hannah K	St. Filippo Smaldone
Young K	St. Leontius
K Family	St. Adelaide of Italy
TD	St. Magnus of Fossombrone

Support

I handle the planning, marketing, and drawing for this devotion each year without any cost. Please take a minute and if you are a supporter of this devotion, please consider leaving us a free will donation. Your support is greatly appreciated and helps me continue working on this devotion and spreading it further and it helps keep A Catholic Life online.

Read more >>