The Roman observance of September 29 began as the anniversary of the dedication of a basilica of Saint Michael on the Salarian Way, and the day was long known as Michaelmas. In the reform of the calendar after the Second Vatican Council the two other angels named in Scripture were joined to it, so that the Church now honors Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael together in one feast. Each is known by what he does. Michael, whose name is the question "Who is like God?", appears in Daniel as the great prince who stands guard over God's people, in the Letter of Jude contending with the devil, and in Revelation casting down the dragon; he is invoked as protector of the Church. Gabriel, "God is my strength," interprets the vision to Daniel and is sent to Zechariah in the Temple and to Mary at Nazareth, so that every Hail Mary begins with his greeting. Raphael, "God heals," walks the whole length of the Book of Tobit as the companion of the young Tobiah, heals the elder Tobit's blindness, and finally reveals himself as one of the seven who stand before the glory of the Lord. The Gospel of the feast is the Lord's promise to Nathanael that he will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. The Church's teaching on the angels is set out in the Catechism: they are spiritual, non-corporeal creatures with intelligence and will, servants and messengers of God, and they surround the liturgy, as the Sanctus of every Mass makes plain. White vestments are worn. The Prayer to Saint Michael composed under Pope Leo XIII in the nineteenth century remains widely used, and the Feast of the Guardian Angels follows on October 2.

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September 29

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