Mary the Mother of Jesus
Angels  & Archangels {mirror page with more here}
Signposts announcing the Prescence of God, Allah,  bearers of God's holiness

Angel in Greek means messenger
Angels are beings of light who have choosen to undertake their learning purely on the spiritual plane. They normally take the physical image of winged messengers however can appear in other forms to suit the needs of the person they desire to help. 
Archangels are a certain category of Angelic being. They are responsible for issues concerning the human race as a whole.
Two of the best known Archangels are Michael and Gabriel.
There are actually 9 orders or categories of Angels  highest are known as Seraphim and lowest as Angels.
Sixth-century writer Dionysius the Areopagite drew on different scriptural texts to list nine choirs of angels:
Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels.
There are other spiritual creatures whose names are yet not revealed to mankind.

St. Michael Archangel {Hebrew means Who is like God}
icons painted with lily in hand
The Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel
Chamuel Archangel  Pink Ray  of Love, Adoration, and Gratitude
St. Raphael Assistance of God   Patron Saint of blind
Jophiel Archangel
Yellow Ray of Wisdom, Illumination, and Constancy
Uriel Archangel  Flame of God
Purple, Gold, & Ruby Ray of Service, Ministration, and Peace
Raziel Archangel
angel of secret regions chief of  Supreme Mysteries
Salathiel Prayer book to God
Zorobabel and Salathiel {off site}
Saint Gabriel
Jibrael (from Koran)

THRONES are the Angels of pure Humility, Peace and Submisssion. They reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins to take shape. The lower Choir of Angels need the Thrones to access God.
CHERUB (in English qerub) Angelic beings or symbolic representations thereof, mentioned frequently Old Testament once in New Testament. SERAPHIM The name, a Hebrew masculine plural form, designates a special class of heavenly attendants of Yahweh's court.




The Holy Scriptures are full of narratives regarding help by the angels.
Examples.
Abraham sent his servant to Nahor, convincing him that the Lord would send with him His angel and would arrange for him an advantageous journey.
Two angels saved Lot and his family from the city of Sodom, which was destined for destruction.
The Patriarch Jacob, returning to his brother Esau, was encouraged by the vision of a multitude of God's angels.
Not long before his demise, while blessing his grandchildren, Jacob said to Joseph:"The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, shell bless the lads."
The angel contributed to the rescue of the Jews from Egyptian bondage.
An angel helped Joshua during the conquest of the Promised Land.
Then the angel helped the Israelite judges in repelling the enemy.
An angel saved the residents of Jerusalem from certain peril when he slew 185,000 of the Assyrian army surrounding the city.
An angel saved the 3 children from fire when they were thrown into a fiery furnace and
saved the Prophet Daniel, who was thrown to the lions (Genesis 32:1–2 and 48:16; Exodus 14:19 through 23:20; Joshua 5:13-14; Judges 2:1, 6:12 and 13:3; Isaiah 37:36; Daniel 3:49, 6:22).

Appearances of the angels to men are often revealed in the New Testament.
An angel announced to Zacharias the conception of St. John the Baptist.
An angel announced to the Most Holy Virgin Mary the conception of the Savior
An Angel came to Joseph in his sleep.
A host of angels sang praises and glorified Christ's birth
An angel gave glad tidings to the shepherds of the Savior's birth.
An angel prevented the return of the seers to Herod.
With the coming of the Son of God, appearances of angels have especially increased, a fact that the Lord predicted to the Apostles, saying that from here on heaven shall be open and they shall see "the angels of God, ascending and descending upon the son of Man."
Truly, angels served Jesus Christ during his temptations in the desert, and an angel came to support Him in the garden of Gethsemane.
Angels told the myrrh-bearers of His resurrection and told the Apostles, at His Ascension into heaven, of His second coming.
An angel freed the Apostles from prison, as well as the Apostle Peter, who was condemned to death.
An angel appeared to Cornelius and instructed him to summon the Apostle Peter so that Cornelius might be instructed in the word of God (John 1:51; Acts 5:19, 12:7-15 and 10:3-7 ).
 
At the same time, the angels are totally devoted to God.
When man oversteps the laws of God, an angel holds him back and even punishes him. For example, during the banishment from Eden of the people who fell into sin, the Cherubim was placed with a flaming sword to protect the gates of Paradise.
An angel with a sword stood before the prophet Balaam to impede his evil intention.
An angel struck down Herod in Cesarea for his pride.

The book of Revelation concurs that the angels punish sinners.  Nevertheless, it is important to understand that the purpose of their punishments is always benevolent: to awaken repentance in sinners and to help them to turn to God
(Genesis ch. 3; Numbers 22:23; Acts 12:23; Revelation chs. 8–19 and 16:11).
 
 Actually, angels, through God's will, take part in the lives of whole nations more actively than most of us suspect.

Through the vision of the prophet Daniel, it is known that there are angels to whom God has entrusted the overseeing of the fate of kingdoms and those inhabiting the earth (Daniel chs. 10–12). On this subject the Holy Fathers have expressed the following thoughts: "Some of them (angels) stand before the Great God, others by their cooperation uphold the whole world" (St. Gregory the Theologian, "Mystical Hymns," Homily 6 ).

From ancient times, it has been a custom of the Church to address the angels by means of prayer.
Even during the time of the Old Testament, the Hebrews had on top of the Ark of the Covenant,
and later in the Holy of Holies, gold portrayals of Cherubim.
The Jews used to pray before them.
Between these two images of Cherubim, God spoke to Moses.
The angels manifest themselves as bearers of God's holiness; that is why it was commanded to Joshua when he saw an angel, "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy"
(Exodus 25:18-22; 3 Kings 6:23; Joshua 5:15). 
First hierarchy spirits closest to God; Thrones, Cherubim {means to be near} and Seraphim { fieryfilled with fire each having six wings.}
second, the middle hierarchy;             Authorities, Dominions and Powers.
third, closer to us;                              Angels, Archangels and Principalities.
 
THRONES are the Angels of pure Humility, Peace and Submisssion. They reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins to take shape. The lower Choir of Angels need the Thrones to access God.
Cherub (in English qerub) Angelic beings or symbolic representations thereof, mentioned frequently in the Old Testament and once in the New Testament.

IN THEOLOGY
The word cherub (cherubim is the Hebrew masculine plural) is a word borrowed from the Assyrian kirubu, from karâbu, "to be near", hence it means near ones, familiars, personal servants, bodyguards, courtiers. It was commonly used of those heavenly spirits, who closely surrounded the Majesty of God and paid Him intimate service. Hence it came to mean as much as "Angelic Spirit". (The change from K of Karâbu, to K of Kirub is nothing unusual in Assyrian. The word has been brought into connection with the Egyptian Xefer by metathesis from Xeref=K-r-bh.) A similar metathesis and play upon sound undoubtedly exists between Kerub and Rakab, "to ride", and Merkeba, "chariot". The late Jewish explanation by analogy between Kerub and Rekûb, "a youth", seems worthless. The word ought to be pronounced in English qerub and querubim, and not with a soft ch.
IN ART
Cherub and Cherubim are most frequently referred to in the Bible to designate sculptured, engraved, and embroidered figures used in the furniture and ornamentation of the Jewish Sanctuary.

According to Exodus 25:18-21 there were placed on the kapporeth, or lid of the Ark, (i.e. "the Mercy-Seat") the figures of two cherubim of wrought (=massive?) gold.
According to 1 Kings 6:23 sqq., and 2 Chronicles 3:11 sqq., Solomon placed in the Holy of Holies two huge Cherubim of olive-wood overlaid with gold. "They stood on their feet and their faces were towards the house", which probably means they faced the Holy Place or the Entrance.
According to Exod., xxvi, 31, cherubim were embroidered on the Veil of the Tabernacle, separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. "With blue and purple and scarlet and fine twined linen" they were made. How many such cherubim were embroidered on the Paroket, or Veil, we do not know. It is often supposed that as this veil screened the Holy Holies, two large-sized figures to represent guardian spirits or keepers were thereon depicted.
According to 1 Kings 6 and 7, cherubim were engraved apparently as an artistic "motif" in wood and metal. The panelling of the Temple, both interior and exterior, was covered with them, as well as with palm-trees and open flowers. The brazen sea was adorned with figures of lions oxen, and cherubim.
According to Ezechiel, xli, 18 sqq., in his visionary description of the Temple, the wall-space of the Sanctuary was ornamented with cherubim and palm-trees, and each cherub had two faces, that of a man and that of a lion, the faces respectively turned to the palm tree to the right and left. But there is no ground whatever to suppose that the actual cherubim of the Solomonic Temple or pre-Solomonic Sanctuary were double-faced; the contrary seems certain, but from the Scripture text we cannot with certainty conclude what sort of faces these Temple cherubim had, whether animal or human. It is sometimes concluded from Ezekiel 10:14, "the first face was the face of a cherub and the second that of a man, the third the face of a lion and the fourth the face of an eagle", that a cherub's face cannot have been a human one, and the face of an ox has naturally been suggested, but the argument is not conclusive.
In Egyptian art, figures with a human face and two outstretched wings attached to the arms are exceedingly common. In Assyrian art, also, winged human figures on either side of a palm tree are very often used in decoration. They are sometimes hawk-headed, but more usually possess men's faces. However, even the Jews at the time of Christ had completely forgotten the appearance of the Temple cherubim. Josephus (Antiq., VIII, 3) says that no one knows or even can guess what form they had. The very fact, however, that the Bible nowhere gives a word of explanation, but always presupposes them well-known, makes us believe that they were among the most common figures of contemporary art.

IN INSPIRED VISION
As Jehovah was surrounded by figures of cherubim in His Sanctuary on earth, so He is, according to Scripture, surrounded in reality by cherubim in His Court above. The function ascribed to these heavenly servants of God's Majesty is that of throne-bearers, or "carriers", of His Divine Majesty. In Psalm 17 the psalmist describes the sudden descent of Jehovah to rescue a soul in distress in the following words: "He bowed the heavens and came down, and darkness was under His feet. He rode upon a cherub and flew upon the wings of the wind." The idea of cherubim as the chariot of God seems indicated in 1 Chronicles 18, where David gives gold for the Temple cherubim, who are described as "the Chariot", not, probably, because they had the outward shape of a vehicle, but because the Temple cherubim symbolized the swift-winged living thrones upon which the Almighty journeys through the heavens.

The Prophet Ezechiel mentions the cherubim in a two-fold connection:
in his vision of the living chariot of God (Ch. i and x); in his prophecy on the Prince of Tyre (Ch. xxviii, 14 sqq.).
Ezechiel's vision of the Cherubim, which is practically the same in the tenth chapter as in the first, is one of the most difficult in Scripture, and has given rise to a multitude of explanations. The prophet first saw a luminous cloud coming from the north; from a distance it seemed a heavy cloud fringed with light and some intense brilliancy in the centre thereof, bright as gold, yet in perpetual motion as the flames of a fire. Within that heavenly fire he began gradually to distinguish four living beings with bodies as men, yet with four faces each: a human face in front, but an eagles face behind; a lion's face to the left and an ox's face to the right. Though approaching, yet their knees did not bend in their march, straight and stiff they remained; and for feet they had the hoofs of oxen, shod as it were with shining brass. They had four arms, two to each shoulder, and attached along each arm a wing. Of these four winged arms two were outstretched above, and two were let down and covered their bodies. These four living beings stood together, facing in four opposite directions, and between them were four great wheels, each wheel being double, so that it could roll forward or sideways. Thus this angelic chariot, in whatever of the four directions it moved, always presented the same aspect. And both angels and wheels were all studded with eyes. And over the heads of the cherubim, so that they touched it with the points of their outstretched wings, was an expanse of crystal, and on this crystal a sapphire throne, and on the throne one resembling a man, the likeness of the glory of Jehovah.
The mystical meaning of each detail of this vision will probably remain a matter of speculation, but the meaning of the four faces seems not difficult to grasp: man is the king of creation, the lion the king of beasts of the forest, the ox the king of the kine in the field, the eagle the king of the birds of the air. On this account the cherubim have of recent years been explained as mere symbols of the fulness of earthly life, which, like the earth itself, is the footstool of God. But these faces are more naturally understood to signify that these angelic beings possessed the intelligent wisdom of man, the lithe strength of the lion, the ponderous weight of the ox, the soaring sublimity of the eagle. Early Christianity transferred this Old Testament vision to a New Testament sphere and gradually used these cherubic figures to designate the four Evangelists — a thought of rare grandeur and singular felicity, yet only a sensus accommodatus.

Ezechiel's Prophecy against the Prince of Tyre contains a description of the almost more than earthly glory of that ancient city. Tyre is spoken of as an angel fallen from glory. Of the King of Tyre it is said:

Thou, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. In Eden, the garden of God wert thou, all precious stones were thy covering. Thou wert a cherub with wings outstretched in protection, thou wert on the holy mountain of God, thou didst walk amongst fiery stones. Thou wert innocent in thy ways form the day on which thou wert created until iniquity was found in thee...thou didst sin, therefore I will cast thee out from the mountain of God and destroy three, O protecting cherub away from the fiery stones.
Indirectly we can gather from this passage that Cherubim were conceived to be in a state of perfection, wisdom, sinlessness, nearness to God on His Holy Mountain and of preternatural glory and happiness. Unfortunately, the words paraphrased as "with wings outstretched in protection" are difficult to translate: the Hebrew term may mean "cherub of anointing, who covers", therefore a royal, anointed being, overshadowing others with its wings to shelter them. If this be so, we must add royalty and beneficence to the characteristics of cherubim.

IN THEOLOGY
Notwithstanding the present common opinion of advanced Protestant scholars, that cherubim are only symbolic representations of abstract ideas, the Catholic Church undoubtedly holds that there are actually existing spiritual beings corresponding to the name. That Old Testament writers used the word cherubim to designate angels, not merely to express ideas, can be best gathered from Genesis 3:24, where God sets cherubim at the entrance of Paradise. This sentence would bear no sense at all if cherubim did not stand for ministerial beings, differing from man, carrying out the behest of God.
   Likewise, it is difficult to read Ezechiel and to persuade oneself that the Prophet does not presuppose the actual existence of real personal beings under the name of Cherubim; in chaps. i and x he speaks again and again of "living beings", and he says the spirit of life was within them, and repeatedly points out that the bodily forms he sees are but appearances of the living beings thus mentioned.
    The living beings (zoa) so often mentioned in St. John's Apocalypse can only be taken as parallel to those in Ezechiel, and their personal existence in St. John's mind cannot be doubted. The frequent sentence also: "who sittest upon the Cherubim" (1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Kings 19; Isaiah 37:37, 16; Psalms 79:2 and 98:1), though no doubt referring to Jehovah's actual dwelling in the Holy of Holies, yet is better understood as referring to the heavenly throne-bearers of God.
    There can be no doubt that the later Jews — that is, from 200 B.C. onwards — looked upon the cherubim as real angelic beings; the angelology of the Book of Enoch and the apocryphal Books of Esdras give us an undeniable testimony on this point.

So the Christian Church from the first accepted the personality of the cherubim and early adopted Philo's interpretation of the name. Clem. Alex.: "The name Cherubim intends to show much understanding (aisthesin pollen)." (Stromata, V, 240.) Though counted amongst the angels during the first centuries of Christianity, the cherubim and seraphim were not mentioned in the lists of the angelic hierarchy. At first but seven choirs of angels were reckoned, i.e. those enumerated (Ephesians 1:21 and Colossians 1:16), with the addition of angeli et archangeli. Thus St. Irenæus, Haer. II, xxx, and Origen, Peri archon, I, v. But soon it was realized that the Apostle's list was not intended to be a complete one, and the Old Testament angelic beings mentioned by Ezechiel and Isaias, the cherubim and seraphim, and others were added, so that we have eight, nine, or ten, or even eleven ranks in the hierarchy. The cherubim and seraphim were sometimes thought to be but other names for thrones and virtues (Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius I; Augustine in Ps., xcviii, 3). Since Pseudo-Dionysius, De Caelesti Hier. (written about A.D. 500), the ninefold division of the angelic order has been practically universal; and the cherubim and seraphim take the highest place in the hierarchy, a rank which was ascribed to them already by St. Cyril of Jerusalem (370) and by St. Chrysostom (about 400), and which Pope Gregory the Great, once aprocrisarius or nuncio at Constantinople, made familiar to the West. Pope Gregory divided the nine angelic orders into three choirs, the highest choir being: thrones, cherubim, and seraphim. Of the cherubim he says (Hom. in Ev., xxxiv, 10), that cherubim means "the fulness of knowledge, and these most sublime hosts are thus called, because they are filled with a knowledge which is the more perfect as they are allowed to behold the glory of God more closely". This explanation of St. Gregory is ultimately derived from Philo's similar statement, and was already combined with the Old Testament function of the cherubim by St. Augustine in his sublime comment on Ps., lxxix, 2, "Who sitteth upon the Cherubim":

Cherubim means the Seat of the Glory of God and is interpreted: Fullness of Knowledge. Though we realize that cherubim are exalted heavenly powers and virtues; yet if thou wilt, thou too shalt be one of the cherubim. For if cherubim means, Seat of God, remember what the Scripture says: The soul of the just is the Seat of Wisdom.
Seraphim The name Hebrew masculine plural form, designates special class heavenly attendants of Yahweh's court.
In Holy Writ these angelic beings are distinctly mentioned only in Isaias's description of his call to the prophetical office (Isaiah 6:2 sqq.). In a vision of deep spiritual import, granted him in the Temple, Isaias beheld the invisible realities symbolized by the outward forms of Yahweh's dwelling place, of its altar, its ministers, etc. While he stood gazing before the priest's court, there arose before him an august vision of Yahweh sitting on the throne of His glory. On each side of the throne stood mysterious guardians, each supplied with six wings: two to bear them up, two veiling their faces, and two covering their feet, now naked, as became priestly service in the presence of the Almighty. His highest servants, they were there to minister to Him and proclaim His glory, each calling to the other: "Holy, holy, holy, Yahweh of hosts; all the earth is full of His glory." These were seraphim, one of which flew towards Isaias bearing a live coal which he had taken from the altar, and with which he touched and purified the Prophet's lips, that henceforth these might be consecrated to the utterances of inspiration.

Such, in substance, is Isaias's symbolical vision from which may be inferred all that Sacred Scripture discloses concerning the seraphim. Although described under a human form, with faces, hands, and feet (Isaiah 6:2, 6), they are undoubtedly existing spiritual beings corresponding to their name, and not mere symbolic representations as is often asserted by advanced Protestant scholars. Their number is considerable, as they appear around the heavenly throne in a double choir and the volume of their chorus is such that the sound shakes the foundations of the palace.

They are distinct from the cherubim who carry or veil God, and show the presence of His glory in the earthly sanctuary, whilst the seraphim stand before God as ministering servants in the heavenly court. Their name too, seraphim, distinguishes them from the cherubim, although it is confessedly difficult to obtain from the single Scriptural passage wherein these beings are mentioned a clear conception of its precise meaning.

The name is oftentimes derived from the Hebrew verb saraph ("to consume with fire"), and this etymology is very probable because of its accordance with Isaiah 6:6, where one of the seraphim is represented as carrying celestial fire from the altar to purify the Prophet's lips. Many scholars prefer to derive it from the Hebrew noun saraph, "a fiery and flying serpent", spoken of in Numbers 21:6; Isaiah 14:29, and the brazen image of which stood in the Temple in Isaias's time (2 Kings 18:4); but it is plain that no trace of such serpentine form appears in Isaias's description of the seraphim. Still less probable are the views propounded of late by certain critics and connecting the Biblical seraphim with the Babylonian Sharrapu, a name for Nergal, the fire-god, or with the Egyptian griffins (séréf) which are placed at Beni-Hassan as guardians of graves.

The seraphim are mentioned at least twice in the Book of Enoch (lxi, 10; lxxi, 7), together with and distinctly from the cherubim. In Christian theology, the seraphim occupy with the cherubim the highest rank in the celestial hierarchy, while in the liturgy (Te Deum; Preface of the Mass) they are represented as repeating the Trisagion exactly as in Isaiah 6.

 Authorities
Dominions
Dominions are Angels of Leadership. They regulate the duties of the angels, making known the commands of God.

Virtues
Virtues are known as the Spirits of Motion and control the elements. They are sometimes referred to as "the shining ones." They govern all nature. They have control over seasons, stars, moon; even the sun is subject to their command. They are also in charge of miracles and provide courage, grace, and valor.

Powers
Powers are Warrior Angels against evil defending the cosmos and humans. They are known as potentates. They fight against evil spirits who attempt to wreak chaos through human beings. The chief is said to be either Samael or Camael, both angels of darkness.

Archangels
Archangels are generally taken to mean "chief or leading angel" ( Jude 9; 1 Thes 4:16), they are the most frequently mentioned throughout the Bible. They may be of this or other hierarchies as St. Michael Archangel, who is a princely Seraph. The Archangels have a unique role as God's messenger to the people at critical times in history and salvation (Tb 12:6, 15; Jn 5:4; Rv 12:7-9) as in The Annunciation and Apocalypse. A feast day celebrating the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael is celebrated throughout the Church Sep 29. A special part of the Byzantine Liturgy invokes the "Cherubic Hymn" which celebrates these archangels and the guardian angels particularly. Of special significance is St. Michael as he has been invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles. The Eastern Rite and many others place him over all the angels, as Prince of the Seraphim. He is described as the "chief of princes" and as the leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over Satan and his followers. The angel Gabriel first appeared in the Old Testament in the prophesies of Daniel, he announced the prophecy of 70 weeks (Dn 9:21-27). He appeared to Zechariah to announce the birth of St. John the Baptist (Lk 1:11). It was also Gabriel which proclaimed the Annunciation of Mary to be the mother of our Lord and Saviour. (Lk 1:26) The angel Raphael first appeared in the book of Tobit (Tobias)Tb 3:25, 5:5-28, 6-12). He announces "I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the throne of God." (Tb 12:15)

Principalities
In the New Testament Principalities refers to one type of spiritual (metaphysical) being which are now quite hostile to God and human beings. (Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Col 1:16; 2:10, 15) Along with the principalities are the powers (Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 1 Pt 3:22; 2 Thes 1:7); and cosmological powers (1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 3:10; Col 2:15); Dominions (Eph 1:21; Col 1:16) and thrones (Col 1:16).
The clarity of the New Testament witness helps see that these beings were created through Christ and for Him (Col 1:16). Given their hostility to God and humans due to sin, Christ's ultimate rule over them (ibid) expresses the reign of the Lord over all in the cosmos. This is the Lordship of Christ, which reveals God's tremendous salvation in conquering sin and death at the cross, and now takes place in the Church. (Eph 3:10)

Angels
These angels are closest to the material world and human begins. They deliver the prayers to God and God's answers and other messages to humans. Angels have the capacity to access any and all other Angels at any time. They are the most caring and socius to assist those who ask for help.

The Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel

        The Chaplet of St. Michael is a wonderful way to honor this great  Archangel along with the other nine Choirs of Angels. What do we  mean by Choirs? It seems that God has created various orders of  Angels. Sacred Scripture distinguishes nine such groupings:  Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Virtues,  Principalities, Archangels and Angels (Isa. 6:2; Gen. 3:24; Col.  1:6; Eph. 1:21; Rom. 8:38). There may be more groupings but these  are the only ones that have been revealed to us. The Seraphim is  believed to be the highest Choir, the most intimately united to God,  while the Angelic Choir is the lowest.

        The history of this Chaplet goes back to a devout Servant of God,  Antonia d'Astonac, who had a vision of St. Michael. He told Antonia  to honor him by nine salutations to the nine Choirs of Angels. St.  Michael promised that whoever would practice this devotion in his  honor would have, when approaching Holy Communion, an escort of nine  angels chosen from each of the nine Choirs. In addition, for those  who would recite the Chaplet daily, he promised his continual  assistance and that of all the holy angels during life.

The Chaplet of St. Michael
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be  to the Father, etc.
[Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys after each of the following  nine salutations in honor of the nine Choirs of Angels]
1. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of  Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of  perfect charity. Amen.
2. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of  Cherubim may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin  and run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen.
3. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of  Thrones may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere  spirit of humility. Amen.
4. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of  Dominions may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and  overcome any unruly passions. Amen.
5. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of  Powers may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and  temptations of the devil. Amen.
6. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of  Virtues may the Lord preserve us from evil and falling into  temptation.  Amen.
7. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of  Principalities may God fill our souls with a true spirit of  obedience. Amen.
8. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of  Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all  good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen.
9. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of  Angels may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal  life and conducted in the life to come to Heaven. Amen.

Say one Our Father in honor of each of the following leading Angels:  St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael and our Guardian Angel.

Concluding prayers:
        O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the  heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits,  servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor,  you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from  all evil, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your  gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day.
Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus  Christ, that we may be made worthy of His promises.

        Almighty and Everlasting God, Who, by a prodigy of goodness and a  merciful desire for the salvation of all men, has appointed the most  glorious Archangel St. Michael Prince of Your Church, make us  worthy, we ask You, to be delivered from all our enemies, that none  of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be  conducted by him into Your Presence. This we ask through the merits  of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

   Provided Courtesy of: Eternal Word Television Network 5817 Old Leeds Road Irondale, AL 35210 www.ewtn.com

 Metatron Raziel Zaphkiel Zadkiel Chamuel Michael Haniel Raphael Gabriel Uriel Jophiel Ariel
The Muslim Belief in Angels
http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_1_50/muslim_belief_in_angels.htm

The number of angels is only known to Allah, however four of them are well known: Gabriel (conveys Allah's revelations and messages to the Prophets); Israfil (by Allah's Command will blow into the Trumpet on the Day of Resurrection); Michael (arranges for rainfall and supply of provisions to the creatures' of Allah, with His Command); and Izrail (takes people's souls at the time of death).
Two angels, called 'Munkar' and 'Nakir' arc sent to the graves to question a person after his/her death.

The Qur'an says:
Behold two (guardian angels) appointed W register (his doings): one sitting on the right and one on the left. Not a word does he (man) utter, but there is a sentinel by him ready (to register it). Surah L: 17-18
These angels are called the Noble Scribes (Karamun, Katibun). LXXXII: 10-12

And if it were Our Will We could make angels From amongst you, succeeding Each other on the earth (Surah, XLIII: 60) 

Angels in Islam: Creatures of Light
By Prof. Shahul Hameed is a full-time consultant in IslamOnline.net’s Discover Islam zone. He was previously the Head of the Department of English, Farook College, Calicut University, India. He also held the position of president of the Kerala Islamic Mission, Calicut, India. He is the author of three books on Islam published in the Malayalam language. His books are on comparative religion, the status of women in Islam, and science and human values.
http://www.islamonline.net/english/introducingislam/Belief/Angels/article01.shtml 
Belief in the existence of angels is one of the fundamental articles of faith in Islam. Muslims believe that angels were created by God from light. Angels carry out God’s commandments in nature and the universe. What we usually call the “forces of nature” become active because of the presence of angels behind them, working at the command of God.

Angels belong to a level of existence beyond the perceptible world of phenomena, called `alam al-ghayb. As God’s creatures living within the physical world of mundane reality, we humans cannot overstep its confines; nor can we visualize beings that exist outside of it. Muslims believe in the existence of angels because God talks about them through His revelations. Though angels are generally invisible beings, they may appear to the outward eye if required, in forms suitable for the visible world.


The Arabic word for angel is malak (plural mala’ikah), and its root meaning is “messenger.” Muslims believe that the Angel Gabriel or Jibreel was the messenger through whom God revealed the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He appeared to the Prophet as a person who could talk—an appearance which was in keeping with his task. It was the same Angel Jibreel who acted as the Prophet’s guide on the Night of Ascension or Al-Mi`raj. Although God may send His revelation through the Angel Gabriel, it is important to point out that in Islam, angels are not considered intermediaries between God and humans in the sense that humans cannot reach God except through the angels.

The Qur’an also speaks of angels as playing a crucial role in processes like creation, prophecy, spiritual life, death, resurrection, and the workings of natural elements. For instance, there is an angel who brings the thunder, and he, too, serves God and obeys His command. Other angels are in charge of embryos in wombs, or responsible for protecting human beings.
ANGELS UNVEILED a Sufi Perspective

The Four Archangels in Charge of Earth
42:5: "Almost might the heavens above be rent asunder while the angels hymn the praise of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on the earth. Lo! God is the Forgiver, the Merciful."
53:26: "And how many angels are in the heavens whose intercession availeth not save after God giveth leave to whom He chooseth and accepteth!"
83:20-21: "A written record, attested by those who are brought near unto their Lord."
  There are four angels and their innumerable retinues in charge of this world. The first is Gabriel and his armies. He is in charge of soldier-angels and revelation.
Gabriel insures victory and is responsible for the extinction of nations: human, animal, vegetal, or others, when God wills it.
The second is Michael and his armies, in charge of rain and vegetation. He conveys sustenance to nurture mankind.
The third is `Azra'il the angel of death and his assistants. They are in charge of seizing the souls of those who die.
The fourth is Israfil and his assistants, in charge of the Hour of the Day of Judgment.

When the earth has passed away God will order these angels to bring forth their scrolls and they will bring them. Then God will order them to open the Book of Life. They will then find that their scrolls are the same as it.
 
Guardian Angel
Catholic Encyclopedia on CD-ROM

That every individual soul has a guardian angel has never been defined by the Church, and is, consequently, not an article of faith; but it is the "mind of the Church", as St. Jerome expressed it: "how great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it." (Comm. in Matt., xviii, lib. II).

This belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity; pagans, like Menander and Plutarch (cf. Euseb., "Praep. Evang.", xii), and Neo-Platonists, like Plotinus, held it. It was also the belief of the Babylonians and Assyrians, as their monuments testify, for a figure of a guardian angel now in the British Museum once decorated an Assyrian palace, and might well serve for a modern representation; while Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzar the Great, says: "He (Marduk) sent a tutelary deity (cherub) of grace to go at my side; in everything that I did, he made my work to succeed."

In the Bible this doctrine is clearly discernible and its development is well marked. In Genesis 28-29, angels not only act as the executors of God's wrath against the cities of the plain, but they deliver Lot from danger; in Exodus 12-13, an angel is the appointed leader of the host of Israel, and in 32:34, GodMoses: "my angel shall go before thee." At a much later period we have the story of Tobias, which might serve for a commentary on the words of Psalm 90:11: "For he hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways." (Cf. Psalm 33:8 and 34:5) Lastly, in Daniel 10 angels are entrusted with the care of particular districts; one is called "prince of the kingdom of the Persians", and Michael is termed "one of the chief princes"; cf. Deuteronomy 32:8 (Septuagint); and Ecclesiasticus 17:17 (Septuagint).

This sums up the Old Testament  doctrine on the point; it is clear that the Old Testament conceived of God's angels as His ministers who carried out his behests, and who were at times given special commissions, regarding men and mundane affairs. There is no special teaching; the doctrine is rather taken for granted than expressly laid down; cf. II Machabees 3:25; 10:29; 11:6; 15:23.

But in the New Testament the doctrine is stated with greater precision. Angels are everywhere the intermediaries between God and man; and Christ set a seal upon the Old Testament teaching: "See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 18:10). A twofold aspect of the doctrine is here put before us: even little children have guardian angels, and these same angels lose not the vision of God by the fact that they have a mission to fulfil on earth.

Without dwelling on the various passages in the New Testament where the doctrine of guardian angels is suggested, it may suffice to mention the angel who succoured Christ in the garden, and the angel who delivered St. Peter from prison. Hebrews 1:14 puts the doctrine in its clearest light: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation?" This is the function of the guardian angels; they are to lead us, if we wish it, to the Kingdom of Heaven.

St. Thomas teaches us (Summa Theologica I:113:4) that only the lowest orders of angels are sent to men, and consequently that they alone are our guardians, though Scotus and Durandus would rather say that any of the members of the angelic host may be sent to execute the Divine commands. Not only the baptized, but every soul that cometh into the world receives a guardian spirit; St. Basil, however (Homily on Psalm 43), and possibly St. Chrysostom (Homily 3 on Colossians) would hold that only Christians were so privileged. Our guardian angels can act upon our senses (I:111:4) and upon our imaginations (I:111:3) -- not, however, upon our wills, except "per modum suadentis", viz. by working on our intellect, and thus upon our will, through the senses and the imagination. (I:106:2; and I:111:2). Finally, they are not separated from us after death, but remain with us in heaven, not, however, to help us attain salvation, but "ad aliquam illustrationem" (I:108:7, ad 3am).

Saint Gabriel
Six months after Saint Michael appeared to Zachariah, Saint Gabriel appeared to Mary, who was in the royal line of King David. Her prayer, said the angel, had found favour with God, and she would be the mother of the expected Messiah. Gabriel told her that she would conceive through the power of the Holy Spirit and her son would be Jesus, the Saviour, and he would be the Son of God and would occupy the royal throne of David (Luke 1:26-33). It was an extraordinary meeting because Mary was not yet married. Nothing is impossible with God! Joseph, her husband-to-be, also received angelic messages advising him what steps to take in this unique situation.
 
St. Raphael
Patron Saint of the blind. We celebrate this Archangel's feastday with St. Michael on September 29th. He is one of the three angels known by name. In Scripture, we find the following reference to the Archangel Raphael: "And Raphael was sent to heal the two of them: to scale away the white films of Tobit's eyes; to give Sarah the daughter of Raguel in marriage to Tobias the son of Tobit, and to bind Asmodeus the evil demon, because Tobias was entitled to possess her. At that very moment Tobit returned and entered his house and Sarah the daughter of Raguel came down from her upper room." [Tob 3:17, RSV]
Jophiel Archangel
Archangel Jophiel is the Lord of God's Yellow Ray of Wisdom, Illumination, and Constancy.
Divine Qualities  Wisdom o Illumination o Constancy * Divine Ray & Sacred Fire o Second Ray o Golden Yellow Flame * Retreat o In the Etheric Realm south of the Great Wall near Lanchow, north central China
Chamuel Archangel
Archangel Chamuel is the Lord of God's Pink Ray  of Love, Adoration, and Gratitude.
"I AM the Archangel Chamuel, and with Me, My Beloved Consort Charity. We serve on the Third Ray, from the Heart of God, of Love. But I come today to project from My Heart the most intense Ray of Love. The Love Ray, beloved hearts, that will not be stopped, will not be interfered with, but will go on - and keep going until It finds It's Home back in the Great Central Sun.
Uriel Archangel
Archangel Uriel is the Lord of God's Purple, Gold, & Ruby Ray of Service, Ministration, and Peace.
 * Divine Qualities  o Service o Ministration o Peace * Divine Ray & Sacred Fire o Sisth Ray o Purple, Gold, & Ruby Flame * Retreat    o In the Etheric Realm over the Tatra Mountains south of Krakow, Poland
Raziel Archangel
= ("secret of God," "angel of mysteries")
The Archangel Raziel is the angel of the secret regions and chief of the Supreme Mysteries.  In the Kabbalah, Raziel is the personification of Chokmah (divine wisdom), 2nd in the holy sefiroh.  Raziel is the legendary author of The Book of the Angel Raziel (Sefer Raziel), "wherein all celestial and earthly knowledge is set down."  Legend has it that the angel Raziel handed his book (knowledge) to Adam and Eve after the "Fall" so that they would know the mysteries of the Universe and be able to find their way HOME.  In this book was the explanation of all of creation, and of how to manifest and create on the Earth.  It is considered a book of "Magic."
It is said that many of the great Ancient Prophets learned form the archangel Raziel, including Abraham & Sarah, Rachel, Noah, Solomon, Elijah, and many more.
In further connection with The Book of the Angel Raziel, The Zohar reports that in the middle of the book there occurs a secret writing "explaining the 1,500 keys (to the mysteries of the World) which were not revealed even to the holy angels."
 

St. Michael the Archangel (Hebrew "Who is like God?").
St. Michael is one of the principal angels; his name was the war-cry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against the enemy and his followers. Four times his name is recorded in Scripture:
(1) Daniel 10:13 sqq., Gabriel says to Daniel, when he asks God to permit the Jews to return to Jerusalem: "The Angel [D.V. prince] of the kingdom of the Persians resisted me . . . and, behold Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me . . . and none is my helper in all these things, but Michael your prince";
(2) Daniel 12, the Angel speaking of the end of the world and the Antichrist says: "At that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people."
(3) In the Catholic Epistle of St. Jude: "When Michael the Archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses", etc. St. Jude alludes to an ancient Jewish tradition of a dispute between Michael and Satan over the body of Moses, an account of which is also found in the apocryphal book on the assumption of Moses (Origen, "De principiis", III, 2, 2). St. Michael concealed the tomb of Moses; Satan, however, by disclosing it, tried to seduce the Jewish people to the sin of hero-worship. St. Michael also guards the body of Eve, according to the "Revelation of Moses" ("Apocryphal Gospels", etc., ed. A. Walker, Edinburgh, p. 647).
(4) Apocalypse 12:7, "And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon." St. John speaks of the great conflict at the end of time, which reflects also the battle in heaven at the beginning of time. According to the Fathers there is often question of St. Michael in Scripture where his name is not mentioned. They say he was the cherub who stood at the gate of paradise, "to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24), the angel through whom God published the Decalogue to his chosen people, the angel who stood in the way against Balaam (Numbers 22:22 sqq.), the angel who routed the army of Sennacherib (IV Kings 19:35).

Following these Scriptural passages, Christian tradition gives to St. Michael four offices:

    * To fight against Satan.
    * To rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death.
    * To be the champion of God's people, the Jews in the Old Law, the Christians in the New Testament; therefore he was the patron of the Church, and of the orders of knights during the Middle Ages.
    * To call away from earth and bring men's souls to judgment ("signifer S. Michael repraesentet eas in lucam sanctam", Offert. Miss Defunct. "Constituit eum principem super animas suscipiendas", Antiph. off. Cf. "Hermas", Pastor, I, 3, Simil. VIII, 3).

Regarding his rank in the celestial hierarchy opinions vary; St. Basil (Hom. de angelis) and other Greek Fathers, also Salmeron, Bellarmine, etc., place St. Michael over all the angels; they say he is called "archangel" because he is the prince of the other angels; others (cf. P. Bonaventura, op. cit.) believe that he is the prince of the seraphim, the first of the nine angelic orders. But, according to St. Thomas (Summa Ia.113.3) he is the prince of the last and lowest choir, the angels. The Roman Liturgy seems to follow the Greek Fathers; it calls him "Princeps militiae coelestis quem honorificant angelorum cives". The hymn of the Mozarabic Breviary places St. Michael even above the Twenty-four Elders. The Greek Liturgy styles him Archistrategos, "highest general" (cf. Menaea, 8 Nov. and 6 Sept.).

VENERATION

It would have been natural to St. Michael, the champion of the Jewish people, to be the champion also of Christians, giving victory in war to his clients. The early Christians, however, regarded some of the martyrs as their military patrons: St. George, St. Theodore, St. Demetrius, St. Sergius, St. Procopius, St. Mercurius, etc.; but to St. Michael they gave the care of their sick. At the place where he was first venerated, in Phrygia, his prestige as angelic healer obscured his interposition in military affairs. It was from early times the centre of the true cult of the holy angels, particularly of St. Michael. Tradition relates that St. Michael in the earliest ages caused a medicinal spring to spout at Chairotopa near Colossae, where all the sick who bathed there, invoking the Blessed Trinity and St. Michael, were cured.

Still more famous are the springs which St. Michael is said to have drawn from the rock at Colossae (Chonae, the present Khonas, on the Lycus). The pagans directed a stream against the sanctuary of St. Michael to destroy it, but the archangel split the rock by lightning to give a new bed to the stream, and sanctified forever the waters which came from the gorge. The Greeks claim that this apparition took place about the middle of the first century and celebrate a feast in commemoration of it on 6 September (Analecta Bolland., VIII, 285-328). Also at Pythia in Bithynia and elsewhere in Asia the hot springs were dedicated to St. Michael.

At Constantinople likewise, St. Michael was the great heavenly physician. His principal sanctuary, the Michaelion, was at Sosthenion, some fifty miles south of Constantinople; there the archangel is said to have appeared to the Emperor Constantine. The sick slept in this church at night to wait for a manifestation of St. Michael; his feast was kept there 9 June. Another famous church was within the walls of the city, at the thermal baths of the Emperor Arcadius; there the synaxis of the archangel was celebrated 8 November. This feast spread over the entire Greek Church, and the Syrian, Armenian, and Coptic Churches adopted it also; it is now the principal feast of St. Michael in the Orient. It may have originated in Phrygia, but its station at Constantinople was the Thermae of Arcadius (Martinow, "Annus Graeco-slavicus", 8 Nov.). Other feasts of St. Michael at Constantinople were: 27 October, in the "Promotu" church; 18 June, in the Church of St. Julian at the Forum; and 10 December, at Athaea.

The Christians of Egypt placed their life-giving river, the Nile under the protection of St. Michael; they adopted the Greek feast and kept it 12 November; on the twelfth of every month they celebrate a special commemoration of the archangel, but 12 June, when the river commences to rise, they keep as a holiday of obligation the feast of St. Michael "for the rising of the Nile", euche eis ten symmetron anabasin ton potamion hydaton.

At Rome the Leonine Sacramentary (sixth century) has the "Natale Basilicae Angeli via Salaria", 30 September; of the five Masses for the feast three mention St. Michael. The Gelasian Sacramentary (seventh century) gives the feast "S. Michaelis Archangeli", and the Gregorian Sacramentary (eighth century), "Dedicatio Basilionis S. Angeli Michaelis", 29 Sept. A manuscript also here adds "via Salaria" (Ebner, "Miss. Rom. Iter Italicum", 127). This church of the Via Salaria was six miles to the north of the city; in the ninth century it was called Basilica Archangeli in Septimo (Armellini, "Chiese di Roma", p. 85). It disappeared a thousand years ago. At Rome also the part of heavenly physician was given to St. Michael. According to an (apocryphal?) legend of the tenth century he appeared over the Moles Hadriani (Castel di S. Angelo), in 950, during the procession which St. Gregory held against the pestilence, putting an end to the plague. Boniface IV (608-15) built on the Moles Hadriani in honour of him, a church, which was styled St. Michaelis inter nubes (in summitate circi).

Well known is the apparition of St. Michael (a. 494 or 530-40), as related in the Roman Breviary, 8 May, at his renowned sanctuary on Monte Gargano, where his original glory as patron in war was restored to him. To his intercession the Lombards of Sipontum (Manfredonia) attributed their victory over the Greek Neapolitans, 8 May, 663. In commemoration of this victory the church of Sipontum instituted a special feast in honour of the archangel, on 8 May, which has spread over the entire Latin Church and is now called (since the time of Pius V) "Apparitio S. Michaelis", although it originally did not commemorate the apparition, but the victory.

In Normandy St. Michael is the patron of mariners in his famous sanctuary at Mont-Saint-Michel in the Diocese of Coutances. He is said to have appeared there, in 708, to St. Aubert, Bishop of Avranches. In Normandy his feast "S. Michaelis in periculo maris" or "in Monte Tumba" was universally celebrated on 18 Oct., the anniversary of the dedication of the first church, 16 Oct., 710; the feast is now confined to the Diocese of Coutances. In Germany, after its evangelization, St. Michael replaced for the Christians the pagan god Wotan, to whom many mountains were sacred, hence the numerous mountain chapels of St. Michael all over Germany.
The hymns of the Roman Office are said to have been composed by St. Rabanus Maurus of Fulda (d. 856). In art St. Michael is represented as an angelic warrior, fully armed with helmet, sword, and shield (often the shield bears the Latin inscription: Quis ut Deus), standing over the dragon, whom he sometimes pierces with a lance. He also holds a pair of scales in which he weighs the souls of the departed (cf. Rock, "The Church of Our Fathers", III, 160), or the book of life, to show that he takes part in the judgment. His feast (29 September) in the Middle Ages was celebrated as a holy day of obligation, but along with several other feasts it was gradually abolished since the eighteenth century (see FEASTS). Michaelmas Day, in England and other countries, is one of the regular quarter-days for settling rents and accounts; but it is no longer remarkable for the hospitality with which it was formerly celebrated. Stubble-geese being esteemed in perfection about this time, most families had one dressed on Michaelmas Day. In some parishes (Isle of Skye) they had a procession on this day and baked a cake, called St. Michael's bannock.

He was sent twice to the prophet Daniel. On the second occasion Daniel was at prayer, and Gabriel, "being caused to fly swiftly, touched me ... and talked with me" and proceeded to prophesy the date of the first coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ (Daniel 9:21-27). There was therefore great expectation among the Jews at the time when Jesus Christ was about to be born, and this was heightened by the personal appearance of Gabriel again, firstly to Zacharias the priest while on duty in the temple, and then to Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph. To Zacharias, the angel announced. "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God: and am sent to speak unto thee" (Luke 1:19). We notice that angels can stand in the glorious presence of the LORD. whereas men cannot. and angels are sent to do whatever God wishes. His mission here was to announce the miraculous birth of John the Baptist.