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← The Liturgical Calendar24 March · Lent

Saint Gabriel the Archangel

S. Gabrielis Archangeli

WhiteThird Class24 March

Saint Gabriel, whose name means “the strength of God,” is one of the archangels named in Sacred Scripture, the heavenly messenger who announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would be the Mother of the Lord. His feast is kept on 24 March, the eve of the Annunciation.

Saint Gabriel is one of only three angels named in the canonical Scriptures, together with Saint Michael and Saint Raphael. He appears as God’s chosen messenger at moments of great importance in the history of salvation. In the Old Testament, the Prophet Daniel beheld him and received from him the understanding of visions concerning the coming of the Messiah. In the New Testament, Gabriel was sent to the priest Zachary in the Temple to foretell the birth of Saint John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Lord.

The Angel of the Annunciation

Above all, Saint Gabriel is honoured as the angel of the Annunciation. As Saint Luke records, he was sent from God to Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man named Joseph, and her name was Mary. His greeting, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” opens the Gospel of our redemption and is treasured by the faithful in the prayer of the Hail Mary and the Angelus. Through Gabriel’s message and our Lady’s humble consent, the Word was made flesh. It is fitting that his feast falls on the eve of the Annunciation, which the Church keeps on 25 March.

Veneration

The Church has long venerated Saint Gabriel as a faithful servant standing before the throne of God and as the bearer of the greatest tidings ever brought to mankind. His feast on 24 March was extended to the whole Latin Church in the early twentieth century. In him the faithful honour the ministry of the holy angels, who are sent to serve God’s providence and to assist His people on the way of salvation.

The Collect

O God, who from among all the Angels didst choose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the mystery of Thine Incarnation: mercifully grant, that we who keep his feast on earth may feel the benefit of his patronage in heaven. Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

Deus, qui inter ceteros Angelos ad annuntiandum incarnationis tuae mysterium Gabrielem Archangelum elegisti: concede propitius; ut, qui festum eius celebramus in terris, ipsius patrocinium sentiamus in caelis. Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Patronage

Saint Gabriel is venerated as a patron of messengers and of those who work in communications, and the faithful invoke him in trust as the angel who bore the good tidings of the Incarnation.

In the Modern Calendar

In the modern calendar, Saint Gabriel is honoured together with Saints Michael and Raphael in the common feast of the Holy Archangels on 29 September.

Common Questions

When is the feast of Saint Gabriel the Archangel?

In the traditional calendar of the 1962 Missal, his feast is kept on 24 March, the day before the Annunciation. In the modern calendar he is honoured with Saints Michael and Raphael on 29 September.

Who is Saint Gabriel?

He is one of the archangels named in Holy Scripture, the messenger sent by God to announce to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would conceive and bear the Son of God. He also appeared to the Prophet Daniel and to the priest Zachary.

Why is his feast the day before the Annunciation?

Because Saint Gabriel is the angel who brought the message of the Annunciation, the Church fittingly keeps his feast on 24 March, immediately before the feast of the Annunciation on 25 March.

See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.

These pages are offered with love for the saints and for all who seek them. If anything here should need correcting, we humbly beg your pardon and ask your help — kindly write to [email protected], and we will mend it as soon as we can.

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