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Along with Michael and Raphael , Gabriel is one of the three archangels mentioned by name in Holy Scripture. He is the only one featured in the Gospel stories, as it is Gabriel who shares the news with Mary that she will give birth to the Christ.  In the Eastern church, Gabriel gets two feast days dedicated solely to him (plus a third shared with the other angels). One of those is the day after the feast of the Annunciation.   Lifetime:  Eternity Region:  Heaven & Earth Patronages:  Communications; Messengers; Clerics; Diplomats Iconograpy:  Angel wings; Mirror reflecting X; Lilies; Trumpet Feast Day:  September 29 (with other Archangels) (Western); November 8 (with other Archangels) (Eastern); March 24 (Eastern); July 13 (Eastern) Since everything we know about Gabriel comes from the Gospel of Luke, I thought the best way to introduce him is to simply share those passages. Here Gabriel tells Zechariah that his wife is pregnant with John the Bapt...

Unlike the archangels Michael  and Gabriel, Raphael only appears in the books of Tobit and Enoch, books that are not in all denominations' Bibles. However, he is also featured very prominently especially in the story of Tobit, which is a very interesting story indeed! Lifetime:  Eternity Region:  Heaven & Earth Patronages:  Pharmacists; Physicians; The blind; Lovers Iconograpy:  Angel with fish; Staff; Bottle or flask Feast Day: September 29 (with other Archangels) Raphael's name means "God healed", and his role in Tobit is a great example of that. In the book of Tobit, Tobit himself, a faithful man of God, gets blinded by... Well, there's no tame way to put this. He falls asleep and birds poop in his eyes. Afflicted by this blindness, Tobit prays that God let him die so he can stop being a burden upon his family, but the blindness persists for years. However, he eventually recalls a big bunch of money he had left behind in a far-off land, so he decides to s...

When I first converted to the Catholic faith, I was very uncomfortable with the prayer to St. Michael. In my mind, there was something strange (or rather, even stranger) about praying for the intercession of an angel over the intercession of the saints. Initially, I refused to participate in the prayer, which at my parish is said at the end of each Mass. Eventually, though, I opted to take a childlike submission to the church's teachings for a short while, and that humility was greatly rewarded. Now, the prayer to St. Michael is one of the most commonly used tools in my arsenal against sin, and I have come to realize the power of his special place as one of the protectors of humanity.   Lifetime:  Eternity Region:  Heaven & Earth Patronages:  Grocers; Mariners; Police; Soldiers Iconograpy:  Angel with a sword; Defeating Lucifer / a dragon; Scales Feast Day:  September 29 (with other Archangels) Michael is one of only three named angels in scripture, an...