On Monday, Sept. 29, the Church honors the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. They are significant servants of God. Michael is the great warrior, who led the angels in heaven who remained faithful to God in their war against Lucifer and his rebel angels, defeating them. He still is “our defender in battle” against the evil one. Gabriel is the great messenger of God, who brought to Mary the message that she would be the mother of the Son of God. Raphael shows up in the Book of Tobit, bringing healing to Tobit. He is, then, known as the bearer of the healing power of God.

St. Jerome was born in 342 AD and died in 420 AD. He is recognized as a Doctor of the Church because of his translation of the Bible from the original languages into Latin, which was the language of the people of his time.  He wrote, not in the elegant formal Latin that was used by the scholars, but the “street Latin” of the people. This was considered “vulgar” by the scholars, so his translation of the Bible into Latin is known as the “Vulgate.”
    
Jerome also wrote commentaries on many of the books of the Bible, as well as other theological texts. His feast is on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

St Therese, also known as the Little Flower, was one of the most popular saints in the 20th century. Therese of Lisieux was born on January 2, 1873, and died on Sept. 30, 1897. She had three older sisters who became Carmelite sisters, joining the convent in their hometown of Lisieux. Therese joined as well.  It was recognized very quickly that she was a woman of deep holiness, and her sister, who was the Mother Superior, asked her to write about her relationship with Christ and her Little Way of holiness. This spiritual autobiography was called The Story of a Soul, when it was published after her death. 
    
The feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus is this Wednesday, Oct. 1.

After the Blessed Virgin Mary, the most popular saint of all time is St. Francis of Assisi. Born in 1181, he died in 1226. Next year will be the 800th anniversary of Francis’ death. Francis is known for his great love of poverty and of the poor. He is also associated with animals and all of creation. The prayer of St. Francis and many of the actions of his life make him a patron of peace. Finally, he invented the first creche or Nativity Scene.
    
This Saturday, Oct. 4, is the feast of St. Francis.