Many people, especially law enforcement officers, come to pray, leave a candle, take a picture, and/or kneel to ask for his protection. We believe that Michael is sent whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed, so his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do what God does by his superior power. Our ancient foe desired, in his pride, to be like God, saying:

I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven; I will be like the Most High. He, our foe, will be allowed to remain in power until the end of the world, where he will be destroyed in the final punishment. Then, he will fight with the archangel Michael, as we are told by John: A battle was fought with Michael the Archangel. With the beautiful prayer that most of us learned from our grandmothers or mothers,

I invite you to pray to your guardian angel every morning. When facing a difficult situation, pray to Saint Michael; he will intercede for us and help us fight against the enemy. I encourage you to stop reading this letter for a moment and take this moment of silence to pray to the angels and archangels. God, our Father, in a wonderful way, you guide the work of angels and men. May those who serve you constantly in heaven keep our lives safe from all harm on earth. Amen

Here at the Basilica, we offer a novena of Masses nine days before the feast of the Archangels. Join us to ask them to help us in our daily battles against the snares of the devil. Send us the names of your loved ones that need prayer, and we will place your intentions in front of the altar for nine days as we celebrate the Mass.

Fr Jorge A Gómez,
Rector of the Basilica