Q. We recently celebrated the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. But aren’t there other groupings of angels and what are they? — A.C., Florida.
A. Based on the writings of Saints Dionysius, Gregory the Great, and Thomas Aquinas, the Church has taught that there are nine choirs of angels. Beginning at the highest level, they are Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions (or Dominations), Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. In his Modern Catholic Dictionary, Fr. John Hardon, SJ, said:
“Angels in art are represented with a variety of articles, musical instruments, thuribles, shields, scrolls, and in a few instances emblems of the Passion, though they are usually represented in worship before the Blessed Sacrament on earth and before the throne of God in Heaven. Archangels are variously depicted: Michael driving Satan into Hell, Gabriel announcing the Incarnation to Mary, Raphael healing the blind Tobit.
“The Thrones are shown kneeling in adoration; Seraphim symbolize fire and love with their six red wings and eyes; Cherubim, with four-eyed wings of blue and holding a book, indicate their great knowledge; Dominations, in royal robes, are crowned with authority; Virtues, two-eyed, are charged with dispensing celestial miracles; the Powers, holding swords, indicate their conquest of the evil spirits shown under their feet; the Principalities carry scepters to assist in their direction of God’s commands.”
In another entry, Fr. Hardon said that “the word ‘angel’ is commonly applied only to those who remained faithful to God, although the devils are also angels by nature. Moreover, ‘angel’ is the special name for the choir of angelic spirits from whom guardian angels are sent to minister to human needs.”
The teaching that each of us has a guardian angel is based on Matt. 18:10, where Jesus says: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”
Q. So much has been said about the late Fr. Nicholas Gruner. What is the truth about him? What is the truth about the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. What is the truth about the Third Secret of Fatima? Has it been fully revealed? — E.G., Illinois.
A. Over the years, we have written a great deal about Fr. Gruner, the consecration of Russia, and the Third Secret of Fatima, so we will offer only a few brief comments this time. We believe that Fr. Gruner was wrong, and the Church was right, about the Fatima appearances, the consecration of Russia, and the Third Secret. In our book Catholic Replies 2, we made a point-by-point refutation of Gruner’s statements about Fatima and objected in particular to his statement that Pope John Paul II was in a state of objective mortal sin because he allegedly did not carry out the consecration according to the wishes of Our Lady.
In a column dated April 18, 2013, we quoted the following from Fr. Andrew Apostoli’s book Fatima for Today, which should be required reading for anyone who wants to know the truth about Fatima:
“Pope John Paul II was absolutely convinced that he had made the consecration of Russia properly. A priest who was a seminarian in Rome in the 1990s was standing in line with other seminarians as Pope John Paul II was passing by, greeting each one of them. When the Pope passed this seminarian, he said, ‘Holy Father, please consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary!’ The Pope looked at him intensely and said, ‘I did!’ The Holy Father took a few steps and then turned back to that seminarian and said, pointing his finger toward him: ‘I did consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary!’” (pp. 259-260).
Fr. Apostoli also noted that Sr. Lucia, the only surviving Fatima visionary, said in 2001 that “the consecration that Our Lady wished for was accomplished in 1984, and that it was accepted by Heaven.”
In a column dated August 8, 2013, we addressed a number of Fatima issues again and said that Pope John Paul had published the Third Secret in 2000 and that Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, wrote a theological commentary on the secret that said, among other things, that the contents of the entire secret had been revealed and that no “exciting apocalyptic revelations about the end of the world” had been concealed. Given a choice between accepting Fr. Gruner’s interpretation of Fatima and that of two Popes, we choose to follow the Magisterium of the Church.
Q. I think Pope Francis is a heretic and a false prophet. What are my options? Should I remain a Catholic, even though I increasingly see the post-Vatican II Church as Antichrist, or become a schismatic? Is it possible for the Church to depose a ruling Pontiff? — J.D., Minnesota.
A. While Pope Francis has made some statements that have lent themselves to misinterpretation, he has not said anything heretical, that is, he has never obstinately denied some truth which must be believed by divine and Catholic faith, which is the definition of heresy, and therefore there is no reason to depose him.
Think about what you are saying when you call the post-Vatican II Church the Antichrist. First of all, the Antichrist will not be a church, but a person who “denies that Jesus is the Christ” (1 John 2:18) and “who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship, so as to seat himself in the temple of God, claiming that he is a god” (2 Thess. 2:4). I challenge you to find anything in the life and pontificate of Francis that meets those conditions.
Second, for the Church to be taken over by the Antichrist would mean that Jesus lied when He said that the gates of Hell would never prevail against His Church.
Third, your only safe option is to remain a faithful member of the only Church founded by Christ Himself and to pray for her leaders that they may be other Christs in the world today.
Q. Five years ago my son (a Roman Catholic who has received all his sacraments) converted to Mormonism mainly because he was told that a Mormon cannot marry in the Catholic Church nor would the Catholic Church accept his future wife as a convert. I find this extremely hard to believe and have told him they must have misunderstood the priest.
He now wishes to return to the Catholic Church. He has been baptized in the Mormon Church. At this point, his wife no longer wishes to convert to Catholicism, but does not object to his return to the Catholic Church. She had two autistic children prior to their marriage (second marriage for both) and the children have been baptized as Mormons. Will this have any bearing on his conversion to the Catholic Church since the children must remain Mormons? Could you kindly outline the steps involved in his returning to the Catholic Church. Will he again have to be baptized, married, attend RCIA, etc.? — T.H., via e-mail.
A. First of all, your son got some bad advice if he was told that a Mormon cannot marry in the Catholic Church (she can if the Catholic party obtains a dispensation from his bishop) and that the Mormon woman could not eventually convert to Catholicism (she certainly could if she professed her faith in all that the Catholic Church believes and teaches). On the other hand, if this woman and your son were both pursuing a second marriage, the Church would not allow that without a decree of nullity. Perhaps that was what the priest was saying.
Second, since your son has already received his sacraments in the Catholic Church, he does not have to repeat them. His baptism in the Mormon Church has no validity. The steps in returning to the Catholic Church would include talking to a reliable priest about his circumstances, getting his marriage situation regularized, going to Confession, taking some remedial instruction in Catholicism, and making a profession of faith in the Catholic Church.
Third, the fact that the children were baptized as Mormons has no bearing on your son’s return to the Church. However, if he wants a bishop’s permission to marry a Mormon in the Catholic Church, he may be required to have the children baptized Catholic (the Church does not recognize Mormon baptism as valid). You and your son have our prayers as you try to sort all of this out.
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