Nine Choirs of Angels

“It is from the lowest of the nine choirs, the nearest to ourselves that the Guardian Angels are for the most part selected. God reserves to the Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones the honor of following His own immediate court. The Dominations from the steps of His throne preside over the government of the universe; the Virtues watch over the course of nature’s laws, the preservation of species and the movements of the heavens; the Powers hold the spirits of wickedness in subjection. The human race in its entirety, as also its great social bodies, the nations and the churches, are confided to the Principalities; while the Archangels, who preside over smaller communities, seem also to have the office of transmitting to the Angels the commands of God, together with the love and light which come down even to us from the first and highest hierarchy. Thus then, the admirable distribution of offices among the choirs of heavenly spirits terminates in the function committed to the lowest rank, the guardianship of man, for whom the universe subsists.”
– Fr. Louis Alessio