Who are the Nine Choirs of Angels? Seraphims, Cherubims, Archangels… are often prayed to with St. Michael, in the novena to St. Michael and the Nine Choirs of Angels. Learn some more about these celestial beings, sent by God for mankind, and how to pray to them by reading on.
“O Holy Angels, watch over us at all times during this perilous life: O holy Archangels, be our guides on the way to heaven; O heavenly choir of the Principalities, govern us in soul and body; O mighty Powers, preserve us against the wiles of the demons; O celestial Virtues, give us strength and courage in the battle of life; O powerful Dominations, obtain for us dominion over the rebellion of our flesh; O sacred Thrones, grant us peace with God and man; O brilliant Cherubim, illuminate our minds with heavenly knowledge; O burning Seraphim, enkindle in our hearts the fire of charity.
Amen.”
Based on the texts of the Old and New Testament, nine categories of angels have been distinguished: Seraphims, Cherubims, Thrones, Dominations, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Archangels and Angels. Together, the nine categories are called “choirs of angels”.
Even though the hierarchy of angels existed already in the Jewish Tradition, the Catholic Tradition can be dated back to the IV Century. During that time, St. Ambroise took the time to put them in a hierarchical order. This work was later continued by Pseudo-Denys, a Christian author in the V Century. Since then the Nine Choirs of Angels have been divided into 3 groups of 3 choirs:
Highest order is made up of Seraphims, Cherubims, and Thrones.They serve and contemplate God.
Middle order is made up of Dominions, Virtues and Powers. They help mankind in their spiritual progression and their passage into divine light.
Lowest order is made up of Principalities, Archangels and Angels. They represent God and take action on Earth by delivering messages to mankind.
Through prayer, angels can be a great source of help for us as they find their happiness by serving God the Father, and helping men of good will. In the Bible, the angels take action in the world in several ways : they deliver messages, they heal, they intercede for mankind… Through their intercession, angels can obtain graces from God, and help us when we are being attacked by Satan. Their help is all the more valuable because they know the forces of evil that we have to fight against spiritually, because these forces are of the same nature as them, invisible and immaterial.
We can invoke the Nine Choirs of Angels and ask for their intercession at any time, for example to combat temptation. We can also invoke them when we are praying a novena especially the one to St. Michael and the Nine Choirs of Angels.
Hozana is an online platform of prayer, with hundreds of prayer communities to meet the needs and lifestyles of all Christians. If you feel alone in your prayer life and you need to be motivated to pray daily, join one of our prayer communities and pray with Christians from all over the world. Pray to St. Michael every two weeks and learn new prayers in his honor! You can also pray for nine days with the angels and receive a prayer, a meditation and a spiritual quote each day. Last but not least, let the Holy Spirit guide you to understanding what Jesus wants for you.