The Holy Guardian Angels
Ss. Angelorum Custodum
On this feast the Church honours the holy angels whom God in his providence appoints to watch over each of the faithful, to guard them from harm, and to guide them toward salvation.
On the day after the great feast of Saint Michael and all the angels, the Church keeps a festival in honour of the Holy Guardian Angels, those blessed spirits whom God in his fatherly love assigns to the keeping of his children. It is a feast full of consolation, for it sets before the faithful the truth that no one walks alone: each soul is accompanied through life by a heavenly guardian, a friend and protector appointed by God himself.
A heavenly guardian for every soul
That God entrusts his people to the care of his angels is taught throughout the Sacred Scriptures. The Psalmist sings that God has given his angels charge over us, to keep us in all our ways, that they bear us up lest we dash our foot against a stone. Our Lord himself warns that the little ones should not be despised, for their angels in heaven always behold the face of the Father; and the Scriptures show the angels guiding, protecting, and delivering the servants of God. From these and many other passages the Church has ever held the loving doctrine that to each of the faithful, and indeed to every soul, God appoints a guardian angel.
The office of the guardian angel is one of love and service. He watches over us in body and soul, wards off many dangers seen and unseen, prompts us to good and turns us from evil, carries our prayers before God, and labours for our salvation. He is a faithful companion who never leaves us, who rejoices in our progress and grieves at our sins, and who desires above all to bring us safely home to God. To this heavenly friend the faithful are taught to turn with confidence, to listen for his promptings, and to render thanks for his unwearied care.
Honour and gratitude to the angels
The Church appointed this feast for the whole of the Latin Church that the faithful might be moved to honour their guardian angels, to thank God for so great a gift, and to live worthily under the eyes of these holy protectors. From childhood the faithful are taught the simple prayer to the angel of God, the guardian dear, that he may light and guard, rule and guide the soul committed to his care.
The collect of the feast praises God who in his unspeakable providence vouchsafes to send his holy angels to keep us, and asks that we may always be defended by their protection and may rejoice in their fellowship for ever. The feast is kept on the second of October. In it the Church bids her children lift their hearts in gratitude to God and in love toward the holy angels, and to take comfort in the knowledge that they are never without a heavenly guardian at their side.
The Collect
O God, who in thine unspeakable providence dost vouchsafe to send thy holy Angels to keep watch over us: grant unto us, thy suppliants; that we may ever be defended by their protection, and may rejoice in their fellowship for evermore.
Deus, qui ineffábili providentia sanctos Angelos tuos ad nostram custódiam mittere dignáris: largire supplicibus nostris; et eórum semper protectióne deféndi, et ætérna societate gaudére.
Patronage
The faithful honour their guardian angels as protectors and companions appointed by God, and turn to them for help and guidance throughout life.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar this feast is observed on the same day, 2 October, as a memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels.
Common Questions
When is the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels?
It is kept on 2 October in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Third Class feast. The modern calendar likewise observes the Holy Guardian Angels on 2 October, as a memorial.
What does the Church teach about guardian angels?
The Church holds the consoling truth that God in his providence appoints a holy angel to watch over each of the faithful — and indeed every soul — to guard them from harm, to prompt them to good, to carry their prayers before God, and to help bring them safely to salvation. This is drawn from many passages of Sacred Scripture, including the words of our Lord that the angels of the little ones always behold the face of the Father.
How should we honour our guardian angel?
By gratitude to God for so great a gift, by reverence and love toward the angel appointed to us, by listening for his promptings to good, and by daily prayer — such as the well-known prayer “Angel of God, my guardian dear.” The feast invites the faithful to take comfort in the unfailing care of their heavenly companion.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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