Today we begin our Novena to St. Michael the Archangel, nine days of prayer in preparation for Michaelmas and the Feast of the Holy Archangels.

As you know by now, here at St. Michael’s Abbey, this feast holds a special place in the life of our community. St. Michael is the patron of our monastery, and each year we celebrate his feast as a solemnity. These nine days give us the opportunity to prepare prayerfully for that celebration, entrusting our needs and intentions to his powerful intercession.

Each day of the Novena, we will pray for a particular intention entrusted in a special way to the care of St. Michael and the Holy Archangels.

Today, we pray for the Holy Father.

We ask St. Michael to protect him, strengthen him, and obtain for him every grace he needs to shepherd the Church faithfully as the visible head of Christ’s Church on earth.

The spiritual battles faced by the Church touch every member of the Mystical Body, and in a particular way those entrusted with her governance. For that reason, we begin our Novena by praying for the successor of St. Peter and for all the intentions he carries before God.

May St. Michael defend and assist the Holy Father, and may these days of prayer draw each of us more deeply into the life of grace as we prepare for the great feast of the Archangels.

Let us pray.

For more information related to Michaelmas this year, click here.

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