RACHEL MILLER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Students became more attuned to their guardian angels Sunday afternoon through a talk entitled “Everything You Need to Know About Guardian Angels.”
“So, look around. There’s about 60, maybe 70 people in here — at least 140 persons,” said Bryan Calligan, senior history major, referring to each person’s guardian angel.
Calligan studied angels over the past few years through personal reading and decided to present a culmination of what he had learned for the benefit of his peers. He first gave the audience an overview of angels, followed by an explanation of the roles of and devotion to guardian angels.
“Every time we walk into a chapel, the smallest church, the Port, or even something smaller, even if it’s completely empty, there are angels everywhere. And whenever we celebrate Mass, they are celebrating with us, singing hymns, rooting on Jesus — as we do,” said Calligan.
“A guardian angel is an angel assigned to us by God in their creation, made perfectly for us in their unique way,” said Calligan. He explained that the four roles of the guardian angel are the roles enumerated at the end of the “Angel of God” prayer: to light, to guard, to rule and to guide.
“They enlighten us to God’s will; they protect us from all evil around us; they let us know when we’re wrong and make us feel bad; but, above all, they lead us on the path to heaven,” said Calligan.
Calligan also explained that each guardian angel protects its person, but it also affects how the person affects the earth. If a person is holy, his angel can draw people to him, but if he is a bad example, his angel will try to protect others from him. And, as Calligan said, “Angels can’t help stupid people,” meaning that they respect people’s free will, even if the person ignores the angel’s suggestions and makes a bad choice.
“They are created perfectly for us,” said Calligan. “And that’s really humbling because whenever you think that a third of the angels fell and our guardian angel also had that choice, they were not bound to stay; they all chose to stay. They love us so much that they chose us, serving a man, somebody who is infinitely stupider than them … and there’s no guarantee that (their charge is) going to go to heaven.”
“We can’t give anything to them, material,” Calligan said. “The only thing that we can give is our friendship.” Calligan recommended praying to one’s guardian angel because “the more that we talk to them, … the easier it becomes for them to talk to us.” He also recommended the St. Michael Chaplet, which has the promise of an angelic escort the next time one receives the Eucharist.
Students left the talk with a deeper understanding of their guardian angels’ roles. Sophomore Paul Belanger said that it was “interesting to see just how much the angels act in our everyday lives and how they choose to serve us.”
Freshman Clare McGahan said, “For me, the coolest thing was that we each have a guardian angel assigned specifically to us. … I think I’m going to pray to (my) guardian angel more.”
The talk was sponsored by the Explorers of the Past club.