“O God, who hast constituted the services of Angels and of men in a wonderful order, mercifully grant, that they who ever stand before Thy face to do Thee service in heaven, may also defend our life upon earth.“
Collect prayer of the Ancient Rite on the feast day of The Dedication of the Basilica of St Michael the Archangel, 29th September
“The sacred feast of Michael the archangel celebrates his apparition, his victory, his dedication, and his memorial. (…) He first appeared on Mount Gargano.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 587
In preparation for the feast day of Saint Michael the Archangel, patron of the Church, I read through the respective article found in Jacobus de Voragine‘s Golden Legend. Jacobus uses the opportunity not only to educate his readers about the role of the archangel Michael in salvation history – “defender and protector of the elect“, “prince of the Church“, “Christ’s standard-bearer among the battalions of the holy angels“ (ibid.) – but he also inserts some general traditional teachings concerning the nine angelic choirs. Recently my cousin sent me a very beautiful self-made chaplet of St Michael, a chaplet approved by Blessed Pope Pius IX, for praying the corresponding prayers. These prayers honor and petition these same nine choirs of angels. So I concluded it is about time to share here a brief overview over the order of the angelic world as passed on by the traditions of the Church.
The nine choirs of angels
The Church teaches that
“(…) the Angelic spirits were created when time began (…) by the almighty power of God, out of nothing.“
Father Pascale Parente: The Angels in Catholic Teaching and Tradition, TAN Books 2013, p. 4; 8; 75
“As the first creatures of this universe, the Angels were the first revelation of the Supreme Goodness of God and of His transcendent Beauty. Even though part of the universe, the Angels really constitute a world to themselves, the spirit world, so exalted and so different from our visible, material world.“
“(…) the spirit world is divided in Hierarchies and Choirs, each Choir having its proper denomination which should reveal something that is characteristic of all the members of the same Choir.“
“The word hierarchy comes from hierar, sacred, and archos, prince, hence sacred prince. Each hierarchy includes three orders. The highest includes Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones; the middle one, as Dionysius assigns them, contains Dominations, Virtues, and Powers; and the lowest, according to the same Dionysius, comprises Principalities, Angels, and Archangels. This ordering and ranking of the angels can be understood by its similarity with the organization of a royal court. Among the king‘s ministers, some, such as chamberlains, counselors and assessors, work in immediate contact with him: the orders in the first hierarchy are similar to these. Other officials have duties pertaining to the overall government of the kingdom, not to one particular province: of this class are the commanders of the militia and the judges in the court of law, and they are similar to the orders in the second hierarchy. There are also minor officials, for instance, prefects, bailiffs, and the like, who are put in charge of a particular part of the kingdom: these are similar to the orders of the lowest hierarchy.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 589
The first hierarchy of angelic choirs closest to the throne of God: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones
“Among the angels, the three orders in the first hierarchy are those that are close to God, with no intermediary, and are wholly turned to him. For this relationship three things are necessary: first, the highest love, and this is attributed to the Seraphim, whose name means afire with love; second, perfect knowledge, which characterizes the Cherubim, whose name means fullness of knowledge; third, perpetual comprehension or enjoyment, which belongs to the Thrones, whose name means seats, because God sits in them and rests, as he grants them to rest in him.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 589
The Seraphim – the “burning ones“ – continually sing the hymn of glory we sing at every Holy Mass:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Sabaoth. His glory fills the whole earth.“
Isaiah 6: 3
But not only are the Seraphim aflame with divine love and continual devotion to God. They also purge men with the fire of love, inflame others:
“Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in its hand a live coal which it had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this it touched my mouth and said: ‘Look, this has touched your lips, your guilt has been removed and your sin forgiven.‘“
Isaiah 6: 6-7
The Cherubim, in Sacred Scripture, “appear as heavenly custodians and protectors of holy places and holy things“ (Parente, p. 80), and “another specific duty“ of them “seems to be that of being the throne-bearers of Almighty God“ (ibid.).
“LORD Sabaoth, God of Israel, enthroned on the cherubim, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the world, you made heaven and earth.“
Isaiah 37: 16
According to Dionysius, as quoted by Father Parente, the Thrones “have no part in what is low but dwell in fullest power, immovably and perfectly established in the Most High“ (ibid.).
The second hierarchy of angelic choirs: Dominations, Virtues, and Powers
“The three orders in the middle hierarchy are leaders and rulers over the universe of men as a whole. This rule has three elements. It consists first in presiding or commanding, and this belongs to the order of Dominations, whose role it is to be at the head of those inferior to them, to direct them in all divine ministries, and to give them all necessary commands (…). The second element consists in the works to be done, and this applies to the order of Virtues, for whom nothing that is commanded is impossible, because it is given to them to be able to rise above all difficulties encountered in the service of God. Therefore the power to work miracles is attributed to them. The third element consists in getting rid of obstacles and resisting attacks, and this pertains to the order of the Powers, who are charged with driving off opposing powers (…).“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 589-590
Because Saint Paul the Apostle tells us in his letter to the Church at Ephesus that “our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers“ (Eph. 6: 12) we know that there are fallen angels – demonic spirits – from each hierarchy. Their chief prince Satan is a fallen Seraph.
The third hierarchy of angelic choirs: Principalities, Archangels, and Angels
“The three orders of the lowest hierarchy are those whose sphere of influence is fixed and limited. Some of them have authority in only one province, and these are of the order of Principalities, or Princes (…). Some were commissioned to rule over a multitude of people (…) and these are called Archangels. Some had a single person placed in their charge, and these are called Angels. Hence Angels are said to make minor announcements, for the reason that their ministry is limited to one man, but Archangels are said to announce great events (…).“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 590
Ordinarily a person‘s guardian angel is a being of the last and lowest angelic choir of Angels “for the guidance and protection of individual souls during this earthly pilgrimage“ (Parente, p. 88). The only three angels called by their proper names in the canonical books of Sacred Scripture all belong to the order of Archangels: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
The archangel Michael
Finally, what is known about the archangel Michael and his special role in salvation history?
“His name is a battle cry; both shield and weapon in the struggle and an eternal trophy of victory. (…) The exalted position occupied by Saint Michael can be explained by the fact that, even though he belongs to a relatively low order by nature, his outstanding zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of his fellow Angels, at the time of Satan‘s rebellion, merited him such glory and power as to equal and even to excel through grace such celestial spirits that belong to a much higher Choir by nature. (…) Saint Michael has always been the warrior Angel, fighting first Satan and his demons from the beginning, then, in the course of time, all the enemies of God‘s own people. (…) As of old, so today, Saint Michael is the great defender of the Church of Christ on Earth. (…) In the Old Testament (…) Saint Michael is the Angel par excellence, the Angel of the Lord, the national Guardian Angel of the Israelites.“
Father Pascale Parente: The Angels in Catholic Teaching and Tradition, TAN Books 2013, p. 90-93
“In the past he was prince of the synagogue but has now been established by the Lord as prince of the Church. It is said that it was he who inflicted the plagues on the Egyptians, divided the Red Sea, led the people through the desert, and ushered them into the Promised Land. (…) At the Lord‘s command he will kill the Antichrist with great power on Mount Olivet. At the sound of the voice of the archangel Michael the dead will rise, and it is he who will present the cross, the nails, the spear, and the crown of thorns at the Day of Judgment.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 587
Saint Michael Archangel and all you holy angels, pray for us!