The Holy Guardian Angels

The Holy Guardian Angels are honored in this memorial that celebrates God's loving providence in appointing to each person an angel to guard and guide them on the way to salvation. Rooted in the words of the Lord himself, who warned against despising the little ones "for their angels in heaven always behold the face of my Father," and in the many scriptural accounts of angels sent to protect and direct God's people, the devotion expresses the Church's constant faith that the unseen spirits stand beside us as companions and protectors.

The angels, pure spirits created by God, ceaselessly praise him and serve his saving plan among men; the guardian angel watches over both body and soul, enlightening, defending, and interceding for the one entrusted to his care. Long cherished in popular piety, the feast was extended to the universal Church and fixed on 2 October, the day after the older feast of the Archangels' companion St. Michael, inviting the faithful to gratitude for these heavenly guardians and to trust in their unfailing help.