Prayer to St. Michael

There you are, malevolence with a halo, standing over your defeated adversary, the angel named Satan with whom you did battle, casting the deceiver into the abyss with the help of your legions.

And for this, Archangel Michael, you are made the holiest of angels, the great reward given for waging the most epic of heavenly battles.

It is because of this great honor, this great history, that the police officers wear your image or carry it on them.

They seek your protection, St. Michael, those who walk in the valley of the shadow of crime and criminals, the thin blue line, those who stand between us and those who do the work of the one you defeated so long ago.

Rick Riggenbach was one of those.

He was a sergeant with the Chitimacha Police Department, which patrols land belonging to some of the few native people left in Louisiana, and he touched school children and homeowners alike with his goodness and dedication, after years working with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office.

This is one of your good guys, Michael, for whom one stint of a law enforcement career was not enough. So he went to work for another one.

He wore a medal around his neck with an image of you upon it, the image of your trouncing over Satan. It was not a gift. He bought it himself because he believed in your protection and entrusted himself to your care since you are, after all the patron saint of police officers.

You doubtless have heard of what happened, back in January.

The prosecutors and the cops say this guy with a gun and a gasoline can had already killed one guy, lit up his house like the flames of hell, then headed up the road and was likely to kill a bunch more people.

Rick Riggenbach heard the call on his radio and even though it wasn’t his job, it wasn’t his jurisdiction, he was there and there were a couple of St. Mary deputies. They were shot and retreated, according to the accounts I have received. Another deputy, who was not shot, retreated, too, according to what witnesses said.

And there was Rick, doing battle with the deranged man like you did battle with Satan, only Rick lost, and now his children are without him and his wife is inconsolable. Everybody asks why but the investigation still has not reached the point of what other cops did or could have done – if anything – to give the story a better ending.

His family still seeks answers, but the prosecutors won’t even let them look at a video that could provide them.

It would be easy to be angry at you. I could demand to know where you were, just like Rick’s wife demands to know where the backup cops were for him. But I’ll take a step back even though the emotions roil within me.

I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, which is something Rick’s killer never gave him.

I am figuring you have met him by now, what with you both being in heaven and all.

And I guess you’ll agree that he’ll be a good member of your team. They say you recruit the best of the guys who once patrolled down here to help you with the work you do up there.

The medal with your likeness on it was returned to Rick’s wife last week, still flecked with his blood. You might want to let him know that.

And you might want to know, St. Michael, that Rick’s family needs your help now, and help from any of the other saints and angels. They need help finding the truth about what happened. I know you can do something. You’ve got great connections.

And I know you’ve got a great new guy on your team based on what everyone tells me. So help Rick to get adjusted up there. He had such faith in you. And help his family down here because they really, really need it. Maybe you can talk to some of the other law enforcement folks who have faith in you, for them to reach out and offer the right kind of comfort. It will be interesting to see how you do.

AMEN