St Michael the Archangel

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endaman

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How can Michael the Archangel be a saint also?

I hope this is not a dumb question…

-EM
 
Every being in heaven that is not God(Trinity) obviously is there because he or she or it is holy. The bible says nothing unholy shall see God. The word saint means holy. Anybody on Gods side by making or staying in heaven including angels is a saint. That’s why even the Virgin Mary can also be refered to as Saint Mary.
 
The word "saint’"comes from the Latin word “sanctus” which means “holy.”
 
I think the OP is bringing up a good question. I understand St. Michael is holy but he is one of only a few non-human saints. I often think of saints (the canonized ones) as being special people that the church recognizes, not angels. I wonder when the church decided to canonize St. Michael the Archangel, St. Gabriel? I forget the other.

In this one sense, an angel is like a human, they both can be saints. As far as other characteristics (besides free will), thats where it ends.
 
detoutcoeur said:
The Sacred Scriptures have revealed the proper names of only three Angels, all of whom belong to the Choir of the Archangels. The names are well known to all, namely: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael.

Maybe we call them saint in recognition of the fact that all the holy angels are…holy angels. Their sainthood represents and applies to all the angels. St. Parking Angel isn’t the “Parking Angel’s” proper name. (Don’t laugh. There really is a “parking angel”.) Since we don’t know their names, we can’t call them St. Angel Whoever You Are.🤷
Kris
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detoutcoeur said:
I like this link about the Archangels from EWTN:

*The Sacred Scriptures have revealed the proper names of only three Angels, all of whom belong to the Choir of the Archangels. The names are well known to all, namely: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael.
*
Read more: ewtn.com/saintsholy/saints/A/archangels.asp#ixzz2JJuWGZGJ
Click to expand...
I thought I’d read somewhere that St. Michael is the highest of the Choir of Seraphim, and Archangel in his case refers to the fact that he’s chief of the angels
 
How can Michael the Archangel be a saint also?

I accept it on faith but once pondered on that same question…a valid question.
 
It is worth noting that for hundreds of years, Holy Church did not have a formal canonization process. The holy man or woman died, and a cultus arose in his local area, and he came to be venerated by Christians there, then that spread throughout the world, and the Roman Pontiff accepted the cultus and inserted the saint into the general calendar for universal veneration. Therefore, all the early saints of the Church do not have a definitive canonization date. This goes for Old Testament figures as well, such as St. Daniel the Prophet; these all have a place in the Roman Martyrology but were never “canonized” by Rome. The holy angels have been called “holy” since the Church began. Nobody has ever doubted they are in Heaven with God. Therefore they are accorded the title of “saint” just like the others in the communion of saints.
 
Elizium23 said:
It is worth noting that for hundreds of years, Holy Church did not have a formal canonization process. The holy man or woman died, and a cultus arose in his local area, and he came to be venerated by Christians there, then that spread throughout the world, and the Roman Pontiff accepted the cultus and inserted the saint into the general calendar for universal veneration. Therefore, all the early saints of the Church do not have a definitive canonization date. This goes for Old Testament figures as well, such as St. Daniel the Prophet; these all have a place in the Roman Martyrology but were never “canonized” by Rome. The holy angels have been called “holy” since the Church began. Nobody has ever doubted they are in Heaven with God. Therefore they are accorded the title of “saint” just like the others in the communion of saints.
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I think you are saying certain angels are saints because they are in heaven. Most Catholics know that you are a saint in heaven, but you may not (and usually don’t ) have any special recognition by the church unless venerated whether through the early history process you described or the more modern canonization date. An angel is not human. I suppose I always thought (like some others) with that being the case it just has a different feel to it. Basically, non human, and human, are saints.

Angels are the only beings that I know of that can hold an equal title with a human.
 
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