Patron Saint of Police Officers
St. Michael the Archangel, feast day 29 September
St. Michael the Archangel is the patron saint of police officers, with his feast on 29 September. The patronage follows from his role in Scripture as the leader of the heavenly host against evil. AngelGuard publishes why it fits and the prayer most commonly carried.
Quick facts
Why St. Michael the Archangel?
Michael is the only figure in Scripture given command of an army. Revelation puts him at the head of the heavenly host against the dragon, and Daniel calls him the great prince who stands guard over God’s people. The patronage follows directly from that: a profession whose defining feature is standing between other people and harm has an obvious patron in the archangel who does exactly that. His name is a question rather than a statement. Michael means who is like God, and it was, by tradition, his answer in the moment of rebellion. That detail is why he sits so naturally with police work at its best: the job is not about the officer’s own authority but about something larger being upheld. He is also patron of soldiers, paramedics, and others whose work runs toward danger. His medal and the short prayer to him are among the most widely carried objects in any police force, often by officers who would not describe themselves as devout. He is not, incidentally, a saint in the sense that Francis or Anthony are. He is an archangel, and the Church honours him with the title saint while the category is genuinely different.
How to ask their intercession
The short prayer to St. Michael is the traditional form and is entirely appropriate for a lay person to pray. Note the register: it asks God to send Michael to defend, rather than commanding any spirit directly. That distinction is not a technicality, and it is what keeps the prayer firmly within what the laity may pray.