# Day One of the Triduum to Our Guardian Angel
*2015-09-29*

> Bill Young celebrates the feast of the archangels by sharing a personal story about his pet bird, reflecting on guardian angels, and leading the first day’s prayers and chaplet.

## A Feathered Reminder of Angels

I have a cockatiel that my son chose when he was a little boy, and we’ve cared for it for fourteen years. Recently my wife asked me to take over feeding and cleaning it. While caring for the bird I began to notice that it seemed to react to things happening around the house. Once it turned anxiously and I discovered a large iguana on the patio; another time it looked left and right just as the pool‑cleaning crew arrived. Yesterday, as I was thinking about guardian angels, I asked the bird if it could see my guardian angel, and it turned its head to my right. These little moments reminded me that God’s angels are constantly present, even if we don’t always recognize them.

## A Conversation About Angels in Washington

While waiting for the Pope’s audience with Congress in Washington, D.C., I met a friendly lady who identified as Presbyterian. We talked about guardian angels, and she confessed she wasn’t sure whether she believed in them. I shared a story about the archangel Gabriel speaking to Mary, hoping to plant a seed of faith that might one day lead her to the Catholic Church.

## Prayer for the Guardian Angel – Day One

We begin the triduum with the following prayer, to be recited from today, September 29, through October 1, or whenever we wish to honor our guardian angel.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

O God, come to my aid; O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, without end. Amen.

**The Apostles’ Creed**
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again; He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father; He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

**Prayer to My Guardian Angel**
My guardian angel, you who have always taken care of me, a poor sinner, I beg you to revive my spirit with lively faith, steadfast hope, and infinite mercy, that I may love and serve God alone.

**Chaplet of the Guardian Angel** (three times)
Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God has committed me, be at my side this day and night, to light, guard, and guide me. Amen.

## Looking Ahead

The prayers for Day Two and Day Three follow the same structure, each beginning with the Creed, a thanksgiving to our guardian angel, and the repeated chaplet. They can be prayed any time we wish to invoke the angel’s assistance for a particular grace.

*Our guardian angels accompany us constantly, inviting us to recognize their presence through prayer and gratitude.*