Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
Holy Michael and All Angels — Michaelmas keeps the memory of Michael, the archangel Scripture names as one of the chief princes, together with the whole company of angels. Michael is named five times in three books, and only once does Scripture put words in his mouth. The Church has kept a feast of the Angel on 29 September since at least the eighth century, and the English books have carried it, under the title "St Michael and All Angels," from 1549 to the present.