St. Michael the Archangel is the commander of heaven’s armies. That’s who we’re named after.
The name Michael means “Who is like God?” It’s a battle cry, really. When Lucifer and the fallen angels rebelled, Michael led the faithful angels against them. Revelation 12 tells the story: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon.” He won. Satan got cast out. And Michael’s been defending God’s people ever since.
Orthodox parishes name themselves after St. Michael because we need that protection. We’re not just a social club that meets on Sundays. We’re the Church Militant, and there’s a real spiritual battle happening. Naming a parish after the Archistrategos, that’s his title, meaning “chief commander”, isn’t about military imagery for its own sake. It’s about asking for his intercession against enemies we can’t see.
The Orthodox Church celebrates St. Michael on November 8th, the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and All the Bodiless Powers. That’s when we commemorate his leadership of the angels. There’s another feast on September 6th for a specific miracle at Colossae, where he saved a church from flooding by striking the ground with a cross and channeling the water underground. He protects places of worship. That matters when you’re a parish.
Throughout Scripture, Michael shows up when God’s people need defending. He protected Israel in the book of Daniel. He contended with the devil over Moses’ body in Jude. The early Church fathers saw him in the Old Testament too, protecting the three young men in Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. When Sennacherib’s army threatened Jerusalem, Michael led the angel who struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night.
He’s not just a biblical figure from ancient times. Orthodox tradition holds that Michael ended a plague in Rome by appearing over Hadrian’s mausoleum, sheathing his sword to signal the plague’s end. The building’s been called Castel Sant’Angelo ever since. He intervenes in history.
Here in Southeast Texas, we don’t face invading armies or literal plagues most years (though hurricane season tests us plenty). But we face the same spiritual warfare Christians have always faced. We live in a culture that’s often hostile to the faith. We work alongside people who think religion is superstition. Our kids grow up with phones that can deliver temptation 24/7. We need Michael’s protection just as much as Christians in any other century.
When you walk into an Orthodox church named for St. Michael, you’re claiming that protection. You’re saying this place stands under the banner of the Archistrategos. The hymns we sing on his feast day call him “conqueror of enemies” and “revealer of God’s mysteries.” We’re not just honoring a memory. We’re asking for his active help.
Some people from Protestant backgrounds get uncomfortable with this. Isn’t it enough to pray directly to Jesus? Why involve the angels? But the Orthodox Church has always understood that God works through his creation. He sends angels as messengers and protectors. He doesn’t need to, but he chooses to. When we ask Michael’s intercession, we’re not bypassing Christ. We’re joining the communion of saints and angels who all worship the same God.
The Church isn’t just the people in the pews on Sunday morning. It’s the whole company of heaven, the Theotokos, the apostles, the martyrs, the angels. Michael stands at the head of the angelic hosts, and he’s been given a special role as defender of the Church. We’d be foolish not to ask his help.
So when someone asks why St. Michael’s is named what it’s named, the answer is simple. We’re named after the one who fights for us. We’re named after the angel who answers to “Who is like God?” by casting down everyone who tries to be. We’re named after the Archistrategos because we know we’re in a battle, and we want the best commander on our side.
If you visit on November 8th, you’ll hear the whole parish sing his praises. Come see what it means to worship alongside the angels.
