Message on the Solemnity of Saint Michael the Archangel
29 September 2025
His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo
Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am writing to you on the occasion of the Solemnity of Saint Michael the Archangel which the Church celebrates on September 29^th, and who is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Toronto. St. Michael reminds us that our Christian life is not adrift, happenstance, or a series of accidents, but a vocation. Living the life of a disciple is characterized by a call to stand with God in truth, charity, and justice. During this Jubilee Year — set aside by the Church as a time of renewal, reconciliation, and hope — our celebration takes on an added dimension, resetting our gaze on the ultimate horizon: God’s faithful love and the bright promise of immortality. As “Defender of the Church”, St. Michael reminds us that our hope is not naïve optimism but the theological virtue (CCC, 1817-1821) that steadies us amid conflict and distress (cf. Dan 12:1).

As many know, St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica, anchored in the heart of the city, is named after the Archangel. Our feast recalls that the archdiocese’s very identity is stamped by the ministry of St. Michael: to worship God, resist evil, protect the vulnerable, and serve the common good (cf. Pope Francis, Address, 5 July 2013). When faced with a worldview that is myopically focused on the passing things of this world, a lost sense of sin, and promotion of harmful individualism, St. Michael’s patronage encourages us to be discerning, forward looking, and all-encompassing by recalling the primacy of God and placing our trust in God alone (cf. Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, Feast of the Archangels, 29 Sept 2007).

The name “Michael” comes from the Hebrew and means “Who is like God?” or in Latin, “Quis ut Deus?”. It is traditionally associated with the Archangel’s battle-cry and victory over Satan and as such stands as a question that humbles power and purifies misplaced zeal when taken seriously. It can serve to shape civic imaginations, and caution leaders, citizens, and disciples alike that no ideology can save, and no economic plan can heal the deepest wound of the human heart (cf. St. Gregory the Great, Homily 34). Only the living God — adored in the Eucharist, encountered in the poor, and proclaimed with expectant joy — can do that. This is the primacy of God proclaimed by St. Michael that bids us to go to hospitals, shelters, boardrooms, construction sites, indeed all places of work and leisure with a renewed vocation: to share the truth, to act justly, and to keep hope alive.

During this Jubilee Holy Year we are encouraged to engage in pilgrimages, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and works of mercy, charity and justice. The feast of St. Michael is a natural waypoint for all three. Pilgrimage is not merely a physical trip, but a journey of the heart that involves conversion and confidence in God (Spes non Confundit, 5). The very name “Michael” calls for this conversion, purification and confidence. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not mere moral bookkeeping or airing of dirty laundry, but a restoration of baptismal grace and recommitment of self. Again, it is the same clarity of vision and recommitment, the very light of Christ given at baptism that St. Michael bears against the “father of lies”. Finally, one of the four principal roles of St. Michael is to protect and defend God’s people. Our spiritual and temporal works of mercy — feeding, visiting, welcoming — are how we “push back” the darkness in the city we love. (cf. Spes non Confundit, 7-15).

My dear brothers and sisters, the upcoming Feast of St. Michael anchors our spiritual warfare of everyday living and fidelity. Nevertheless, our beloved patron is not a mascot for aggression but a model of adoration and service. In this Jubilee, may St. Michael teach us to choose praise over complaint, intercession over cynicism, and solidarity over isolation. Included with this letter is the Novena to St. Michael the Archangel. I would like to renew my invitation once again this year to join me in praying the Novena to St. Michael for authentic renewal of our Catholic institutions, parishes, schools and universities, healthcare and social agencies. The Novena to St. Michael begins on 20 September and ends on 28 September. Under his patronage, may the Archdiocese of Toronto grow as a city on a hill - where the beauty of the Gospel is proclaimed, the sacraments are celebrated, the poor are cherished, and hope rings out above the noise. Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

Novena to St. Michael the Archangel
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Heavenly and Almighty Father, God of mercy and compassion,
we give you thanks and praise for all your kindness and blessings
which you bestow upon us, your beloved children, and for the
opportunities of spiritual renewal which you provide out of the
abundance of your unfailing love and graciousness. As we honour
the glorious Archangel St. Michael, whose zeal for your almighty
power obtains for us your own loving protection, in the name of
Christ our Saviour and Brother and through your Holy Spirit,
guide our steps along the path of holiness of life, and guard
our thoughts as we journey through this life to our heavenly
homeland. Confident of the powerful intercession of our patron
saint St. Michael, we now ask for this grace (say your intention).
Inspire in us the same humility and thirst for justice and holiness
which animated your great servant and angelic messenger. May
our lives give glory to you, our families bear witness to your love
and our communities of faith be filled with the grace and joys of
your Kingdom. Amen.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…
St. 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
Hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the
evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
St. Michael, filled with the wisdom of God, pray for us.
St. Michael, perfect adorer of the Incarnate Word, pray for us.
St. Michael, crowned with honour and glory, pray for us.
St. Michael, our help in all adversities, pray for us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.