Question: The Archangels
Who are the archangels and how are they different from angels?
Answer: The word angel means messenger and describes the occupation of the angels. Archangels are head angels. According to St. Gregory the Great, there are 9 orders of angels, which St. Thomas, in his Summa Theologia, divides into 3 groups: in the first, Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones; in the second, the Dominations, Virtues, and Powers; in the third, the Principalities, Archangels, and Angels.
The apocryphal 1Enoch 20 lists the archangels as Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Sariel, Gabriel, and Remiel.
Main source: Catholic Encyclopedia - Angels
