The Catholic Defender: celestial Choir of Principalities

By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities, may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen.

The Principalities (Greek: archai) are the seventh choir of angels in the traditional Celestial Hierarchy established by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and later championed by St. Thomas Aquinas. They lead the Third Triad, which is the hierarchy most directly involved with human affairs.

Guardians of Nations: Their primary duty is to oversee and protect large groups of people, including nations, cities, kingdoms, and institutions like the Catholic Church.

Spiritual Rulers: They are described as "spiritual generals" who exercise authority over earthly leaders, ensuring that rulers and communities align with the Divine Will for peace and justice.

Intermediaries: They transmit divine orders from the higher spheres (like the Dominations) down to the Archangels and Angels.

Patrons of Knowledge: Some traditions suggest they inspire living things in the fields of art, science, and education.

Crowns and Scepters: Symbols of their authority and governance over the earth.

White Garments: Adorned with precious stones to represent their purity and celestial status.

Armor or Shields: Occasionally shown in battle dress to signify their role in spiritual warfare against demonic forces.

In the Chaplet of St. Michael, a popular Catholic devotion, the Seventh Salutation invokes the Principalities to fill the soul with a "true spirit of obedience". A common prayer for this choir asks them to "govern us in soul and body".

The Principalities preside over the bands of angels and charge them with fulfilling the divine ministry. There are some who administer and some who assist.

The Principalities are shown wearing a crown and carrying a sceptre.

Their duty also is said to be to carry out the orders given to them by the upper sphere angels and bequeath blessings to the material world.

Their task is to oversee groups of people.

They are the educators and guardians of the realm of earth. Like beings related to the world of the germinal ideas, they are said to inspire living things to many disciplines such as art or science.

The fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.