Skip to content

The Holy Archangel Michael, Patron of Our Parish

Byzantine icon of the Archangel Michael, holding staff and orb

Our parish bears the name of the Holy Archangel Michael, Chief Commander of the Heavenly Hosts. His icon stands in our church. His name is sung in our litanies. His feast is our parish feast, our храмовий празник, our day of joy together.

This page is for parishioners who want to know our patron better, and for visitors who wonder why a parish in Pinellas Park, Florida, bears the name of an archangel.

Why the Archangel Michael is our patron

In the Orthodox tradition, every parish is placed under the protection of a saint or sacred mystery. The patron is not a mascot or a logo. The patron is a real living person in heaven who prays for the community that bears his name, and whose life shapes the spirit of the parish.

The Archangel Michael, whose Hebrew name (Mi-cha-El) means “Who is like God?”, is the great defender of God’s people. Scripture names him as standing for Israel in time of trial, as the captain of the angelic armies that cast down the dragon, and as the one who contends with the devil over the body of Moses and answers him not with insult but with the simple word, “The Lord rebuke you.”

For Ukrainian Orthodox Christians, the Archangel Michael carries an additional weight. Kyiv has been under his protection for a thousand years. His image stands on the seal of the ancient capital, and his monastery rises above the Dnipro. A parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that bears his name asks for his protection over both this small flock in Florida and the wider land from which so many of our families come.

What Scripture says about him

The Archangel Michael appears by name in five passages of Holy Scripture.

Daniel 10:13 - “Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.” The Archangel comes to the prophet Daniel’s aid in his vision.

Daniel 10:21 - “There is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.” Michael is named the prince and protector of the people of God.

Daniel 12:1 - “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people.” The vision points forward to the last days, when Michael will stand for the faithful.

Jude 1:9 - “But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’” The model of an angel’s restraint: even in conflict with the evil one, Michael does not curse, he commits the matter to the Lord.

Revelation 12:7-9 - “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan.”

In addition, the Orthodox patristic tradition identifies Michael with the “commander of the army of the Lord” who appears to Joshua at Jericho (Joshua 5:13-15), removing his sandals on holy ground.

These five named passages, together with the patristic identification, give us a portrait: Michael is the warrior, the protector, the prince of God’s people, and yet a creature of perfect humility before God. He fights without arrogance. He defeats Satan with one phrase: “The Lord rebuke you.”

The Synaxis: his feast on November 21

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Synaxis of the Chief of the Heavenly Hosts, Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers on November 21 on the New Calendar that our parish follows (November 8 on the old calendar).

The Greek word synaxis means “gathering” or “assembly.” On this day we do not commemorate Michael alone; we gather in worship before the whole angelic host, the Nine Ranks of the Bodiless Powers: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Authorities, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. The Archangel Michael is named as their captain, with the Archangels Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Salaphiel, Jegudiel, and Barachiel beside him.

The feast was established at the Council of Laodicea in the fourth century, before the First Ecumenical Council. The Fathers chose November, the ninth month from March (the traditional start of the year), to evoke the Nine Ranks of Angels. They chose the eighth day of that month to evoke the Eighth Day, the day of the Last Judgment, when the angels will gather all peoples before the throne of Christ.

This is our храмовий празник, our parish feast. We celebrate the Divine Liturgy in honor of the Archangel and gather afterward for fellowship and a festal meal. Watch the bulletin each November for service times and details.

A second commemoration, the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae (Chonae), falls on September 19 on the New Calendar (September 6 on the old calendar).

The Miracle at Chonae

In the city of Colossae in Phrygia (in present-day Turkey) there once stood a church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The story of how it came to be, and how it was saved, is one of the most beloved miracles of our patron.

A pagan man’s daughter was mute from birth. The Archangel Michael appeared to the father in a dream and told him to take his daughter to a spring near Colossae, where she would be healed. The father obeyed. At the spring the daughter drank and her tongue was loosed. In gratitude the father, his family, and many of his neighbors received baptism, and the father built a church there in honor of the Archangel.

For sixty years a faithful sexton named Archippus served at this church, praying without ceasing and living ascetically beside the spring. His holiness drew people to the faith, which enraged the local pagans. They diverted two mountain rivers from their courses so that the waters would converge on the church and wash it away with Archippus inside.

As the waters rushed down, Archippus prayed with tears to the Archangel Michael. The Archangel appeared. He stood before the church, made the sign of the cross, and struck a great rock with his staff. The rock opened into a chasm. The flood waters poured in and disappeared. The church was saved.

From that day the place was called Chonae, from the Greek word for “opening,” because of the chasm the Archangel opened with his staff.

This story tells us not only that the Archangel intervenes in moments of physical danger. It tells us that he stands beside the faithful who pray, that he uses the sign of the cross as his weapon, and that he answers the prayers of an old sexton in a forgotten church as readily as he commands the heavenly hosts. He is the protector of the small as well as the great.

How he is depicted: Orthodox iconography of the Archangel

The Archangel Michael appears in several traditional icon types.

The icon at the top of this page shows Michael as a beardless youth in imperial Byzantine attire. His right hand holds a slender staff, the symbol of authority and the herald of God’s will. His left hand holds a translucent orb bearing the Christogram of Christ, signifying the whole created cosmos under the kingship of the Son of God. The Archangel does not rule the world; he carries the sign of the One who does. His large wings declare his nature as a bodiless servant of the Most High. This is the 14th-century Byzantine type, deeply familiar to Ukrainian iconographic tradition.

Other classical types depict the Archangel in Roman military armor, holding a flaming sword or a spear pointed downward against the dragon beneath his feet. Sometimes he carries a shield inscribed with the words “Who is like God?”, the meaning of his Hebrew name. Russian and Ukrainian iconographers often paint him in red robes, the color of fire and of zeal for the Lord.

What is constant across all these images is the spirit of the Archangel: alert, watchful, humble before God, fierce only toward what opposes God. When you enter our church, look for his icon. Light a candle before it. Ask his prayers. He is the patron of this house.

Troparion of the Archangel

The troparion is the short hymn that captures the heart of a feast or a saint’s life. We sing this troparion at our parish feast and whenever we offer prayer to the Archangel Michael.

Chief Commanders of the Heavenly Hosts, we who are unworthy beseech you, by your prayers encompass us beneath the wings of your immaterial glory, and faithfully preserve us who fall down and cry to you: deliver us from all harm, for you are the commanders of the Powers on high.

Kontakion of the Archangel

Commanders of God’s armies and ministers of the divine glory, princes of the bodiless Angels and guides of mankind, ask for what is good for us, and for great mercy, as supreme Commanders of the Bodiless Hosts.

From the Akathist to the Archangel Michael

The Akathist hymn to the Archangel is a longer service of praise sung at home or in church. A small portion is given here, that you may pray with our patron in your own prayer corner.

Rejoice, great Archangel Michael, captain of the heavenly armies. Rejoice, defender of those who flee to your protection. Rejoice, swift helper of all who call upon you with faith. Rejoice, terror of demons, for whom your name alone is enough to flee. Rejoice, joy of the angels and consolation of the faithful on earth.

Rejoice, Archangel Michael, with all the Bodiless Powers.

A prayer for our parish

Holy Archangel Michael, protector of our parish, who stilled the flood at Chonae and stand before the throne of the Most High: spread your wings now over this small flock in Florida. Watch over our priest, our faithful, our children, our sick, and our departed. Bring peace to Ukraine. Defend us from every snare of the evil one, and lead us at the last to stand among the Bodiless Powers and the company of the saints, glorifying the All-Holy Trinity, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Come and pray with our patron

Our parish gathers each Sunday for the Divine Liturgy.

TimeService
9:30 AMHours and Confession
10:00 AMDivine Liturgy (Ukrainian and English)
~11:30 AMCoffee and fellowship in the parish hall

Each November, we celebrate the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael as our parish feast. Watch the bulletin for the exact dates and the festal meal that follows. All are welcome.

St. Michael Ukrainian Orthodox Church 9201 60th St, Pinellas Park, FL 33782 Phone: 727-777-4450

Learn More