St. Michael's Lent is a traditional period of fasting and prayer. It begins on August 15 (the Feast of the Assumption) and ends on September 29 (the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel). Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, who kept this devotion in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Michael, it is a time for spiritual renewal, penance, and deeper devotion.