As I tap on my awkwardly propped laptop in a van bouncing on Roman streets, my mind turns to Archangel Raphael. I invoked him in the prayer called the Itinerarium, raised before a journey. Our pilgrimage group is heading north.
Raphael is a protector of travellers, as we know from the Book of Tobit. In the National Gallery there is a lovely painting by Verrocchio of Tobit (Tobias) and his fish, a jaunty Raphael, and, of course, a bit with a dog.
In the traditional calendar of the Roman Church we celebrate the feasts of the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael individually. Monday, October 24, is the feast of St Raphael.
