The Society of St Michael and All Angels
Founded 2023 AD
About Us
The Society of St Michael and All Angels, is a society of vexillologist's. Vexillology is the study of flags; and the Society is made up of those who study flags, those who make flags, those who fly flags, and those who simply love them!
St Michael is the patron saint of soldiers, the saint to whom we pray for deliverance from our enemies. Michael is the chief angel, the one who led all the other angels to vanquish Satan and his followers from heaven. Michael is mentioned throughout the bible but is often confused with St George in iconography, because of the legend that St George slayed a dragon, just as St Michael is described as throwing the dragon that is Satan down to the earth.
Flags arose out of the necessity to identify ones own soldiers and commanders in war; the standards of kings and princes blazed across the battlefield like beacons of gold to serve as rallying points in battle for centuries. In Britain, the heraldic banners once borne by great titans of the kingdom, have long since been hung up. In their place, 'colours' of regiments took over in battle, before they were eventually retired from the battlefield. Yet still today, the 'colours' are still 'trooped' each year at the annual sovereigns birthday parade.
Today, all around the world, flags have come to represent nations, organisations, people, and even where it is safe to tread. This society seeks to promote the study and use of flags among everyone and membership of the society is open to all people who wish to study flags and membership is conferred in two categories:
Step 1: Fill out the application form on the Join Us page.
Step 2: You will receive a confirmation email once you have sent the form in. in this email is a link to a Microsoft Forms examination which will test you're knowledge about flags and flag flying.
Step 3: Once you have completed the examination, we will mark it, and depending on your score, you will either be awarded the rank of member, or officer.
For more information on joining the society, please see the Join Us section. There is no charge for membership of the society, although we are grateful for any donations received; upon acceptance candidates will receive a certificate of membership via email and their name shall be added to the roll of members and the candidate shall then be entitled to wear the academic dress of their respective level of membership and use the post-nominal letters.
St Michael is the patron saint of soldiers, the saint to whom we pray for deliverance from our enemies. Michael is the chief angel, the one who led all the other angels to vanquish Satan and his followers from heaven. Michael is mentioned throughout the bible but is often confused with St George in iconography, because of the legend that St George slayed a dragon, just as St Michael is described as throwing the dragon that is Satan down to the earth.
Flags arose out of the necessity to identify ones own soldiers and commanders in war; the standards of kings and princes blazed across the battlefield like beacons of gold to serve as rallying points in battle for centuries. In Britain, the heraldic banners once borne by great titans of the kingdom, have long since been hung up. In their place, 'colours' of regiments took over in battle, before they were eventually retired from the battlefield. Yet still today, the 'colours' are still 'trooped' each year at the annual sovereigns birthday parade.
Today, all around the world, flags have come to represent nations, organisations, people, and even where it is safe to tread. This society seeks to promote the study and use of flags among everyone and membership of the society is open to all people who wish to study flags and membership is conferred in two categories:
- Member - open to those who know a little about flags, are keen to learn more, and are willing to promote the vision of the society. Members should demonstrate a keen interest in flags in their application. (Please note: you must be at least 16 years of age to apply to be a member.)
- Officer - open to those who are more knowledgeable about flags, want to pass on that knowledge, and who are willing to promote the vision of the society. Officers should demonstrate a clear knowledge of flags in their application. (Please note: you must be at least 18 years of age to apply to be an officer.)
Step 1: Fill out the application form on the Join Us page.
Step 2: You will receive a confirmation email once you have sent the form in. in this email is a link to a Microsoft Forms examination which will test you're knowledge about flags and flag flying.
Step 3: Once you have completed the examination, we will mark it, and depending on your score, you will either be awarded the rank of member, or officer.
For more information on joining the society, please see the Join Us section. There is no charge for membership of the society, although we are grateful for any donations received; upon acceptance candidates will receive a certificate of membership via email and their name shall be added to the roll of members and the candidate shall then be entitled to wear the academic dress of their respective level of membership and use the post-nominal letters.
Join us
The society is open to all who are interested in vexillology and membership is awarded in two categories; member; and officer. All those who are successful in their application will be notified via email and may then purchase their academic dress.
Academic Dress
Articles
Donate
The Society of St Michael and All Angels is a non-profit organisation and, as such, does not charge a membership fee, but rather, it relies upon donations to cover its running costs. We are not affiliated with any other organisations and receive no official or regular form of funding. If you wish to donate you may do so, but please note, we do not accept donations as incentives for us to accept or revoke any memberships, or change any of our policies.
£25
F.A.Q
Which level of membership should I apply for?
If you are aged between 16 and 18 you can only apply to be a Member of The Society. Otherwise, when you apply, you will take The Society's examination which will decide which category of membership you will be awarded.
Do I have to pay a membership fee?
No. The Society does not levy a membership fee. If you wish to support us financially, you can make a donation, however, we will not accept donations that are intended as payment for membership.
I applied for membership, how long until I hear?
We aim to reply to all membership requests within 21 days of you completing the examination, however this is sometimes not possible.
How long until I receive my hood?
Once your membership has been approved, you may purchase the appropriate robes from our robe supplier Ashington Gowns whenever you wish; Ashington Gowns will inform you of lead times.
Where can I order my hood?
Our official robe supplier is Ashington Gowns. You can find the link to our robes on the Academic Dress page. From there, you may order whichever style of dress is appropriate to you level of membership. For Members, please order the green simple shape hood with white lining fabric, and a black bachelors gown (please select whichever height suits you best). For Officers, please order the emerald green full shape hood with faux-fur binding, and a black masters gown (please select whichever height suits you best).
Where can I wear my hood?
The hood may be worn at any event or function where academic dress is deemed appropriate to be worn. These days, academic dress is only regularly worn at church services (other than the eucharist), for those who are participants in the service. Academic dress is regularly worn at some schools, generally for school photos or assemblies/church services.
If you are a member of clergy, you may wear the hood in choir dress. Or if you are a member of a choir that wears robes (not all do these days) and are participating in a service or event where academic dress is appropriate you may wear the academic dress of the society, relevant to the rank of membership you have been awarded. The same goes for if you are a verger, or other church official who robes for a service, and are participating in the service, you may wear the hood over your robes.
If you are a teacher, or other member of staff, at a school, or other academic institution, that allows the wearing of academic dress (not all do these days) you may wear the academic dress of the society, appropriate to the rank of membership you have been awarded.
If you are a member of clergy, you may wear the hood in choir dress. Or if you are a member of a choir that wears robes (not all do these days) and are participating in a service or event where academic dress is appropriate you may wear the academic dress of the society, relevant to the rank of membership you have been awarded. The same goes for if you are a verger, or other church official who robes for a service, and are participating in the service, you may wear the hood over your robes.
If you are a teacher, or other member of staff, at a school, or other academic institution, that allows the wearing of academic dress (not all do these days) you may wear the academic dress of the society, appropriate to the rank of membership you have been awarded.
Is there a pass mark for the examination?
There is no pass mark for the examination as such. There are 11 questions with a total of 27 marks. To be awarded Membership of The Society, you must simply convey a clear and obvious interest in flags and learning more about them in your application, your technical knowledge is of very little consequence. We do expect those awarded Officership to be able to score at least 20 marks on the examination.
I'm 17 and I scored 24 points on the examination, am I eligible to become an Officer?
We do expect Officers to be able to score at least 20 points on the examination, however, Officers must be at least 18 years of age. You can apply to be awarded Officership once you turn 18. By emailing TheDean@thesocietyofstmichaelandallangels.org please include your name and score in the email (we do keep a record of all those who apply to the society, but this helps us to speed things along for you).
I struggle with exams, is there any other way to become an officer?
We do expect officers to be able to score at least 20 points on the exam, however, after 10 years of being a member of the society you may apply for officership by emailing: TheDean@thesocietyofstmichaelandallangels.org and please include your name and date you were awarded membership (we do keep a record of members but this will make it easier for us to help you).
Contact us
If you have any queries, please fill out the form and we will get back to you as quickly as possible. Also, have a look at the FAQ page to see if your question has already been answered. Alternatively, you can email us using the email above.