Ukrainian Orthodoxy		Orthodoxie ukrainienne

St. Michael

Question:

I read with interest your answer to the question about Saint Michael. You stated that St. Michael is celebrated in Sept. 29. I grew up in the Ukrainian Orthdox church and we celebrated St. Michael day on November  21. Is this another St. Michael? And if so, what is the story about the Saint Michael that the UOCC celebrated on November 21?

Answer:

Dr. Alexander Roman alex@unicorne.org

 The Eastern Church celebrates the main feast of St Michael and the Bodiless Powers on November 8 (November 21 new calendar) and the Latin West celebrates them on September 29.

The Eastern Church actually calculated its feast-date based on mystical numbers! November was originally the "ninth month" ("novem") and this month was chosen because there are nine Choirs of Angels.

The eighth day of November was chosen (which comes out to November 21 on the new calendar or 13 days later) because the number "eight" represents the "unwaning day" of OLGS Jesus Christ when He comes in glory to establish His Kingdom that will have no end - and this era will be heralded by the angels.

September 29th originally represented a day signifying a miracle of St Michael's. Interestingly enough, this day was also known in England as "Michaelmas" or the "day on which is celebrated the Mass in honour of St Michael."

This was also formerly one of the four days of the year on which lords of manors collected rents from their tenants. In Britain, it was customary for the lords to serve their tenants roast goose as a "thank you" for their hard work throughout the year, thus the poetry mentioning roast goose in conjunction with St Michael's day.

St Michael is also the patron saint of the city of Kyiv, as we know, and the icon of St Michael was sewn onto the robes of St Volodymyr the Great and his successors. For about 400 years in Ukraine's history, the Trident was replaced by the icon of St Michael as the national heraldic emblem. The "Great National Emblem" of Ukraine dating from World War I included St Michael with the Trident (and the crowned lion of L'viv).

In the celestial hierarchies, St Michael and the Bodiless Powers figure immediately after the Most Holy Mother of God and the entire Daily Office of every Monday is dedicated to the Holy Angels - many Orthodox monastics and pious laity even make Monday an extra fast day in their honour and this throughout the year.

The Orthodox Church prescribes a Canon to one's Guardian Angel as part of the preparation for Holy Communion, as well as for a daily rule of prayer.

St Michael is especially invoked when we purchase a new home. He is also a military patron and the Ukrainian Kozaks bore colourful gonfalons or banners with the icons of St Michael and St George on them (St Nicholas was their patron for campaigns on bodies of water).

There is also a popular tradition that it "always snows on the feast of St Michael" or that "St Michael always rides (on his feast-day) on a white horse."

The reason why St Michael was chosen as a particular patron of Kyiv was, as I understand it, tied to the view of Kyiv as a "New Jerusalem" and great centre of Christian culture and missionary activity. St Michael was the patron of the Chosen People of the Old Covenant and of Jerusalem, their capital. And so he became the patron of Orthodox Kyiv as the centre of the newly Chosen people of Rus' called to the faith of Christ.

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