Pastor's Column for September 29, 2024
Dear Parishioners,
This Sunday, September 29th, is the “Michaelmas Day”. You may have never heard that before but it is celebrated on this date every year and commemorates the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, a statue of whom was recently moved from the chapel area to the right side of our sanctuary, where the tabernacle was previously. Here’s some information about this annual feast:
Michaelmas has its roots in Christian tradition, particularly in the Western Church, where it became one of the four quarter days in the legal calendar of England, Ireland, and Wales. These were significant days for settling debts, hiring servants, and other legal and economic transactions. In Britain, Michaelmas was one of the major festivals of the year. It marked the end of the harvesting season and the beginning of the new farming year.
A traditional food for Michaelmas is a goose, known as a "stubble-goose" because it was fed on the remains of the harvested fields. The saying "If you eat goose on Michaelmas Day, you will never want money all the year round" is associated with this tradition. Who will be eating goose today? Perhaps we should have had goose in place of our coffee & donuts today!
In some places, fairs and festivals are held. There might be special church services, particularly in places where Saint Michael is a patron saint.
St. Michael is often depicted as a warrior angel, defeating Satan in the form of a dragon. This imagery symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, making Michaelmas a day not just of celebration but also of spiritual significance. You can clearly see how Michael is holding the pointy end of his spear on the neck of Satan in our statue.
So this is another invitation to light a candle (or several if you choose) in front of our statue of St. Michael in the sanctuary. We have many candles in the stand there and they are relatively inexpensive so please feel free to light candles there often and as many as you like as there is no charge to do so. We’ll bless this statue at the end of all the Masses this weekend as I don’t believe it was blessed when first put up in the church.
There is the famous prayer to St. Michael on the back cover of the song book but it can’t be seen as that cover is placed in the sleeve of the song book holder so I’ll include the prayer here & then invite everyone to say it together after I have blessed the statue today. You may also want to cut this prayer out of the bulletin & keep it in your wallet or purse or place it on your refrigerator at home. I say this prayer myself at the beginning of each day. This prayer was composed by Pope Leo XIII in the late 19th century and has since become one of the most popular prayers invoking the protection of St. Michael against evil.
St. 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 Divine Power of God,
cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Fr. James P. Schmitz
