THIS year, there has been an abundance of blackberries in our hedgerows. These come free and all we have to do is pick and perhaps process them. How many of you remember the saying that you should not pick blackberries after September 29 as the Devil has been on them? Where does this saying come from?

September 29 is the feast of St Michael and All Angels. The Roman Catholic Church celebrates this as the feast of the three archangels who are venerated in the tradition of the church. They are Saints Michael (meaning “Who is like God”), Gabriel (meaning “Strength of God”) and Raphael, (meaning “God heals”). We call these archangels, so who are they?

The saying about not picking blackberries after September 29 is probably based on the reading for the day from the book of Revelation where there is war in heaven; Michael and his angels defeat Satan and his angels who were thrown down to Earth. The inhabitants of Earth are warned about the Devil’s wrath because his time is short.

St Michael is recognised as the protector of Cornwall, Gabriel is well-known to Christians as God’s messenger to the Blessed Virgin Mary telling her that she would be the mother of our Lord Jesus while Raphael is perhaps less well known as he appears in the book of Tobit.

This book is in the Apocrypha, a collection of books that are not found in the Hebrew scriptures but are in the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

Raphael joins Tobias on a journey but Tobias does not recognise him (angels do not appear in scripture with wings). But his advice to Tobias heals his father Tobit from his blindness. Raphael is the patron saint of people who are blind as well as of travellers, physicians and nurses.

May the holy angels who serve God in heaven also protect us on Earth.

Canon Malcolm Bowers

Churches Together in St Austell