There are two Catholic feasts honoring angels at the end of September and the beginning of October. The first, on September 29, is the feast of the Archangels. Archangels are the only "named" angels in all of scripture; they are Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
Raphael is mentioned in the book of Tobit as an aide to Tobiah, the son of Tobit, as he retrieves a fish that will heal his father's blindness. Gabriel is the angel in Luke 1:26 who announces to Mary that she will be the mother of God's son. September 29 was originally the sole feast of St. Michael, for it was on this day that a Mass and church in Rome were first dedicated to him. Michael is cited most often in the books of Daniel and Revelation as a defender against evil.
Just who are angels and what does the church believe about them? The church holds that angels are spiritual beings who were created by God prior to the creation of the universe. Though without bodies, angels have free will and a naturally superior intellect to humans. The word angel means "messenger." As in the examples from scripture, the angels prayerfully watch over people. In the New Testament angels assisted Jesus and his disciples.
God made angels joyful and good, but some angels, turned away from God and were banished to hell. Satan, also known as Lucifer, is believed to be one of the "bad angels." The bad angels, or devils, are able to tempt us to sin. In the same way, good angels personally watch out for us. Since about the third century, the church has maintained, though not officially, that all the baptized have guardian angels who personally watch out for them. The feast of the Guardian Angels is celebrated October 2.
The existence of angels recalls for us the creedal statement we pray each Sunday at Mass: "We believe in what is seen and unseen." Angels are part of God's unseen creation whose vocation is to serve God's will. In recent years, many people not previously in touch with spirituality or religion have been attracted to angels.
Remember that angels can also be honored with all the saints, but never worshipped: only God is deserving of our adoration and worship. The first commandment says that you should put nothing before God. When this happens, it is a form of idolatry. that is, the worship of idols. Satanism or "devil worship" is the most serious type of idolatry. Related worship and practices contrary to the first commandment are:
Superstition - giving a magical importance to certain actions or things.
Divination - attempting to predict the future through horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, fortune tellers. Even playing the Ouija board falls under this category because it implies the conjuring up of spirits to reveal a truth. Only God can reveal truth.
Magic or sorcery - attempting to tame devils or occult powers in order to have them at one's service.
St. Michael is especially called upon to defend us against evil and evil spirits. The following prayer is addressed to him:
Holy 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 power of God,
thrust into hell Satan and all wicked spirits
who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.