In one convent of religious sisters in
Tagaytay, where AMOE spent two nights of planning, we were asked if we
could bless the place as there were reports of strange things happening
around. Of course we acceded to help the sisters. Definitely, there was
clear infestation. It came primarily from the nearby center where occult
practices are openly done. After all that center is famous for its
opening of the third eye thing. What is most troubling of course is that
they have catholic religious men and women among the participants and
facilitators or resource persons. The second was from something people
would not ordinarily associate evil things.
When
we were going around praying the prayers of liberation and exorcism of
places, the lay-volunteers at that time who were given by the Holy
Spirit the charism of discernment of spirits, pointed to something
rather odd. There were seven kiosks dedicated to the archangels. Each
kiosk was dedicated to an archangel. There was an image of the patron
archangel in a corner of the kiosk. No doubt intended for veneration of
the faithful. What was strange was in the three kiosks respectfully
dedicated to Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, there were no evil
spirits lurking around or in the kiosk. However, those that were
dedicated to the four non-Biblical archangels namely Uriel, Barachiel,
Sethiel, Judiel had infestations. We already understood why. The
Magisterium of the Catholic Church does not endorse this kind of
devotion. It is clear in the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines,
issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the
Sacraments, on December 2001, paragraph 217 clearly teaches that: "The
practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged,
except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael whose names are
contained in Holy Scripture." This is the kind of deviation that the
document categorically identifies. When we broke the unholy ties
between the name of the angel and the kiosk, the infesting spirits left.
The
New Age brought interest in the angels to human consciousness. Many
catholics found this fascination with angels worth adopting. Suddenly
books on Angels written by New Age masters appeared in popular
bookstores. There are books on how to contact your guardian angel and
asking for its name. There are now ample publications on how to get spirit guides, who they claim to be angels. There are books on how to summon angels. There is
an encyclopedia of angels with their names. For many these angel
literature is inspiring. Imagine angelic beings at one's disposal. There
are suddenly angels attached to months, planets, days, and even gems.
One can even know one's birthday angel. Where did they get all these
data? The ordinary catholic would not even ask. They just adopt it. If
they find these books, images, figurines in Catholic stores, they will
buy them and even ask the priest to bless them. But the Church cautions
the faithful about this. And yet no one seems to listen, not religious sisters, not priests,
not bishops. For if they have been vigilant enough they would have looked into this document and obeyed it. Unfortunately, you see in some parishes even images of these non-biblical angels displayed for public veneration. This is dangerous!
One
simply needs to go to your local catholic store say St. Paul's or
Parish store and surprisingly in monastery stores to find how it has
become popular. Does no one ever read Church documents anymore?
 |
| Archangel figurines at the Carmelite Monastery Religious Store in Lipa, Batangas |
One of our possession stories involved a boy
asking for the guardian angel's name because the mother who was into the
New Age encouraged and taught him how. True enough, the angel gave its
name. But it was not the name of the holy guardian angel of the boy. It was an impostor, that gave its name.
An angel true, but a fallen angel. The boy called that name again and
again, asking it to be his guide and protector. The angel agreed, but
since it was not a holy angel, then it did not lead the boy to safety
but danger --spiritual danger, and in his case demonic possession.
The
prevalence of this misguided devotion towards the angels we are seeing
now in AMOE as cause for demonic possession and infestations. The Church
recognizes only three names as found in Scripture ---Sts Michael,
Gabriel, and Raphael. It recognizes the existence also of myriads and
myriads of Holy Angels of various ranks in the service of the Most High
including our own Guardian Angels. But she forbids that the faithful
seek to name them because it is dangerous. In the book of Genesis, when
Jacob was wrestling with an angel of God, Jacob repeatedly asked for its
name, for the purpose of controlling the angelic being. But every time,
the angel refused (Genesis 32:22-31). Although some saints like Padre
Pio and Gemma Galgani were able to see their guardian angel and know
their name, they did not ask for it but rather it was revealed to them.
But at the same time these saints did not give us the angelic names. Why would
we want to know their names when God has forbidden us to ask for it?
When an angel gives its name how do we know that it is a holy angel? What
assurance do we have? For all we know, it maybe a fallen angel wanting
to enter into a relationship with us for the purpose of leading us
astray from the Truth. For we are warned by Scriptures: "for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14).
When fallen angels give their names, they initially would give the name they had before the fall from grace, before they were expelled from heaven. The intention of course is to deceive. Every angel at the time of their creation were given by God a name that reflected one of the Almighty's attributes -- e.g. Michael "Who is like God". They would generally have an "El" (Lord/God) at the end of their name. But when they fell and were banished eternally to hell, the fallen angels became the demons and they assumed names entirely in consonance with their vileness and evil, e.g. Beelzebub --Lord of the Flies.
Be wary therefore of angelic names readily published over the internet and other media. The Catholic Church recognizes only three because they have been revealed in Sacred Scripture --Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. All other names are not recognized as authentically revealed by God and are therefore dangerous. Any attempt to know angelic names by any magic or sorcery or occult or new age ritual will not produce any name of holy angels but rather will always be that of a fallen angel, a demon, an enemy of human salvation.
UPDATE:
Apparently the names of the other angels were found in the writings of Mrs. Gabriele Bitterlich who was instrumental in the founding of the Opus Sanctorum Angelorum. However, when the group sought approbation from the Holy See, they examined all works of Mrs. Bitterlich and " there were found in the sizable collection of her writings various doctrines and, in particular, “theories…about the world of the Angels, their personal names, their groupings and functions”, “foreign to Sacred Scripture and Tradition” which “cannot serve as a basis for the spirituality and activity of associations approved by the Church”. (cf. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20110316_nota-opus-angelorum_en.html)
Hence, "the members of the Opus Angelorum were to follow the doctrine of the Church and the teaching of the Church Fathers and Doctors. In particular, the members were not to make use of the “names” of angels derived from the alleged private revelations attributed to Mrs. Gabriele Bitterlich and they were not to teach, spread or make use of the theories originating from these alleged revelations." (cf. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20101002_opus-angelorum_en.html)
Therefore, now without doubt this devotion of naming the other four archangels is infact forbidden by the Church in its Magisterium as clearly clarified by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in October 2, 2010 and March 23, 2011.
The same Congregation of Doctrine of the Faith warns that there are rouge members whether lay or priests of the Opus Angelorum and the Canons of the Holy Cross to which the Opus is attached or affiliated, who go around continuing to spread the devotion to the Angels and the Four Archangels with their names. They are to be avoided and rejected. The faithful are warned of the dangers to faith and spiritual life if one insists on the erroneous teachings.
----------
UPDATE 01 September 2015
I am posting here the response of Fr. Edward MacNamara Professor of Liturgy and Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the Pontifical University of Regina Apostolorum - Rome regarding the issue in question.
Assigning Names to Angels
Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum University.
By Father Edward McNamara
Rome, September 01, 2015 (ZENIT.org)
Q: In the Philippines there is a growing devotion to the seven archangels with the corresponding images and names to the remaining four aside from those of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. In the Holy See's 2001 Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, No. 217, item 2, it clearly states that "The practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael whose names are contained in Holy Scripture." However, this seems to be clearly violated as in many Catholic religious stores images, prayer booklets dedicated to Saints Uriel, Barachiel, Sealtiel and Judiel are being sold, and priests are asked to bless these images. Moreover, there are Catholic retreat houses, spirituality centers and Catholic cemeteries being dedicated to them, or their names and images are part of the fixtures of churches for the people's veneration. We wonder whether the devotion to the seven archangels with their names and images are doctrinally licit and approved at the level of the official Church magisterium since there are priests promoting them in their preaching and in parish devotions. -- W.F.C., Manila, Philippines
A: The precise text mentioned by our reader is:
"Popular devotion to the Holy Angels, which is legitimate and good, can, however, also give rise to possible deviations:
"when, as sometimes can happen, the faithful are taken by the idea that the world is subject to demiurgical struggles, or an incessant battle between good and evil spirits, or Angels and demons, in which man is left at the mercy of superior forces and over which he is helpless; such cosmologies bear little relation to the true Gospel vision of the struggle to overcome the Devil, which requires moral commitment, a fundamental option for the Gospel, humility and prayer;
"when the daily events of life, which have nothing or little to do with our progressive maturing on the journey towards Christ, are read schematically or simplistically, indeed childishly, so as to ascribe all setbacks to the Devil and all success to the Guardian Angels. The practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael whose names are contained in Holy Scripture."
Roman Catholic Tradition generally does not mention the names of seven archangels or even stress very much the number seven. It is true that Tobit 12:15 mentions seven angels ready to enter the presence of God, and Revelation 8:2 mentions seven, but these texts have not influenced Latin Catholicism very much. On the other hand, there has been continuous and great devotion toward the three mentioned by name in Scripture, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, as well as to the guardian angels.
Some branches of Eastern Orthodoxy do, however, venerate the seven archangels, although many only add Uriel as a named archangel. The Anglican tradition also has prayers to Uriel as a fourth archangel.
The sources of the other names are apocryphal Jewish writings that do not form part of the Bible. The names are found in First Book of Enoch and another list in the so-called Second (or Fourth) Book of Esdras. The lists do not always agree, although the name Uriel is fairly constant. Other names include Raguel, Sariel, Jeremiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, Gabuthelon, Beburos, Zebuleon, Aker and Arphugitonos. Some of these names might be variations in spelling of the same name but others are unique to some books. These and similar books were written by Jewish writers in the period between the Old and New Testaments or even after much of the New Testament had already been written, following the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Similar names are mentioned in the Pseudo-Dionysius (late fifth to early sixth centuries) and in Pope Saint Gregory I. (540-604).
With respect to the naming of the angels, the Latin Church has always been somewhat wary. In a synod or council held in Rome in the year 745 Pope St. Zachary sought to curb a tendency toward angel worship and forbade the use of names not found in Scripture.
A text describing this synod (or council) is reported in Volume XII of Cardinal Cesare Baronio's "Annali Ecclesiastici" (published 1607). The remarkable and somewhat harsh text of this synod dealt with the supposed heretical teachings of a priest living in Germany called Adalbert. A prayer he had composed included the lines:
"I pray ye and conjure ye, and supplicate myself to ye, angel Uriel, angel Raguel, angel Tubuel, angel Michael, angel Adimis, angel Tubuas, angel Sabaoth, angel Simuel."
Baronio's text said, "And when this sacrilegious prayer had been read to the end, the holy Pope Zachary said: How, holy brothers, to you respond to this? The holy bishops and venerable priests responded: What else is to be done, but that all these things that have been read in our presence should be burned in flames; and their authors cast into the chains of anathema? For the eight names of Angels, which Adalbert has invoked in his prayer, are not, excepting Michael, names of Angels, but rather of demons, whom he has invoked to bring aid to himself. But we (as taught by your holy Apostleship), and as divine authority transmits, acknowledge no more than the names of three Angels, that is, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. These the Fathers [say]. By whom you perceive that the book called by the vulgate name Fourth Esdras, in which there is frequent mention of the angel Uriel, is rejected and altogether proscribed by the Roman Church."
In this text the basic doctrine is clear regarding the restriction to the three biblical names. The strong language regarding the possible demonic nature of the other names should be seen in the context of the concrete condemnation of Adalbert's doctrine and not as an absolute statement. It is not clear when this document was written, and it might have been redacted many years after the synod took place. Forty four years later, in 789, at the Council of Aix-la-Chapelle, the capitularies of Charlemagne also condemned the naming of angels.
There has been little more official teaching regarding this point. In 1992 a decree from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith forbade addressing or using names of angels, but this decree was primarily concerned with supposed private revelations to a concrete person and is not directly related to our case. It might, however, have contributed to the Directory on Popular Piety's discouragement to naming angels.
On the other hand, notwithstanding the overall reluctance on the part of the Church, occasionally there have been paintings with images of the seven angels, such as a fresco in Rome's St. Mary of the Angels which has Mary surrounded by seven angels. Permission was also granted in 1720 to dedicate a church in Germany in which each of the Seven Angels have an altar.
Doctrinally, not much can be read into such approvals. According to generally accepted principles of theological interpretation, the Church's approval of a liturgy or a feast based on extra-biblical traditions or legends cannot be used as to proof of their historical veracity. The Church is merely acknowledging a particular religious tradition which might have some spiritual benefits for the faithful.
In this sense the use of taking names from apocryphal sources is not in itself forbidden. The Church, for example, has taken the names of the three wise men, the names of Mary's parents, as well as the feast of Mary's presentation in the temple from Christian apocryphal writings. This practice does not mean that the Church gives historical credence to these books but only affirms that they reflect a longstanding tradition.
Thus, for example, the myriad images and churches dedicated to Mary's presentation in the temple do not attest the historical truth of the pious legends regarding her actually spending years in that building or that there ever was a group of virgins in Jerusalem's temple. The feast affirms the basic truth of Mary's total dedication to God from the beginning of her life that is reflected in the apocryphal gospels written several centuries after the time of Christ.
Likewise, the fact that on some rare occasions paintings and a church were dedicated to the seven archangels does no more than recognize some local devotion and tradition. The overwhelming spiritual practice of the Latin Church has shown great devotion toward the three archangels while practically ignoring the other four spirits mentioned in Tobit and Revelation. Nor can anything certain be said about the supposed characteristics, symbols, or particular patronages of these other named archangels.
Therefore I would say that, since the Church has itself officially discouraged promoting a spirituality based upon naming angels other than the traditional three plus the guardian angels, a Latin Catholic should refrain from doing so, even if it is not, strictly speaking, forbidden. It is clear that the Latin Church does not believe that much spiritual profit can be gained from following this path and considers that it is not exempt from some dangers.
Setting up an icon for public veneration or dedicating a building or chapel to an angel other than Michael, Gabriel and Raphael or the guardian angels as a collectivity would require special permissions, and a bishop would not allow such a dedication or blessing to a personage not generally recognized as an angel or saint in the current universal calendar.
This applies above all to Latin Christianity. The Orthodox and Anglican practices are legitimate within the context of their own spiritual traditions.
When fallen angels give their names, they initially would give the name they had before the fall from grace, before they were expelled from heaven. The intention of course is to deceive. Every angel at the time of their creation were given by God a name that reflected one of the Almighty's attributes -- e.g. Michael "Who is like God". They would generally have an "El" (Lord/God) at the end of their name. But when they fell and were banished eternally to hell, the fallen angels became the demons and they assumed names entirely in consonance with their vileness and evil, e.g. Beelzebub --Lord of the Flies.
 |
| Seen in Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Bulacan. This devotion is in direct contradiction to the instructions from the Vatican regarding the naming of Angels. |
UPDATE:
Apparently the names of the other angels were found in the writings of Mrs. Gabriele Bitterlich who was instrumental in the founding of the Opus Sanctorum Angelorum. However, when the group sought approbation from the Holy See, they examined all works of Mrs. Bitterlich and " there were found in the sizable collection of her writings various doctrines and, in particular, “theories…about the world of the Angels, their personal names, their groupings and functions”, “foreign to Sacred Scripture and Tradition” which “cannot serve as a basis for the spirituality and activity of associations approved by the Church”. (cf. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20110316_nota-opus-angelorum_en.html)
Hence, "the members of the Opus Angelorum were to follow the doctrine of the Church and the teaching of the Church Fathers and Doctors. In particular, the members were not to make use of the “names” of angels derived from the alleged private revelations attributed to Mrs. Gabriele Bitterlich and they were not to teach, spread or make use of the theories originating from these alleged revelations." (cf. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20101002_opus-angelorum_en.html)
Therefore, now without doubt this devotion of naming the other four archangels is infact forbidden by the Church in its Magisterium as clearly clarified by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in October 2, 2010 and March 23, 2011.
The same Congregation of Doctrine of the Faith warns that there are rouge members whether lay or priests of the Opus Angelorum and the Canons of the Holy Cross to which the Opus is attached or affiliated, who go around continuing to spread the devotion to the Angels and the Four Archangels with their names. They are to be avoided and rejected. The faithful are warned of the dangers to faith and spiritual life if one insists on the erroneous teachings.
II. At the same time, however, the Congregation wishes to draw the attention of Ordinaries to the fact that, in the course of these years, a certain number of Opus Angelorum members, including some priests who either left or were expelled from the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross, have not accepted the norms given by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and seek to restore what, according to them, would be the “authentic Opus Angelorum”, that is, a movement which professes and practices all those things which were forbidden by the above-mentioned documents. The Congregation has learned that very discrete propaganda in favour of this wayward movement, which is outside of any ecclesiastical control, is taking place, aimed at presenting it as if it were in full communion with the Catholic Church.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, therefore, asks Ordinaries to be vigilant with regard to such activities, disruptive as they are of ecclesial communion, and to forbid them if they are present within their Dioceses.
(cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Circular Letter to the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences regarding the Association Opus Angelorum. 2 October 2010).
----------
UPDATE 01 September 2015
I am posting here the response of Fr. Edward MacNamara Professor of Liturgy and Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the Pontifical University of Regina Apostolorum - Rome regarding the issue in question.
Assigning Names to Angels
Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum University.
By Father Edward McNamara
Rome, September 01, 2015 (ZENIT.org)
Q: In the Philippines there is a growing devotion to the seven archangels with the corresponding images and names to the remaining four aside from those of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. In the Holy See's 2001 Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, No. 217, item 2, it clearly states that "The practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael whose names are contained in Holy Scripture." However, this seems to be clearly violated as in many Catholic religious stores images, prayer booklets dedicated to Saints Uriel, Barachiel, Sealtiel and Judiel are being sold, and priests are asked to bless these images. Moreover, there are Catholic retreat houses, spirituality centers and Catholic cemeteries being dedicated to them, or their names and images are part of the fixtures of churches for the people's veneration. We wonder whether the devotion to the seven archangels with their names and images are doctrinally licit and approved at the level of the official Church magisterium since there are priests promoting them in their preaching and in parish devotions. -- W.F.C., Manila, Philippines
A: The precise text mentioned by our reader is:
"Popular devotion to the Holy Angels, which is legitimate and good, can, however, also give rise to possible deviations:
"when, as sometimes can happen, the faithful are taken by the idea that the world is subject to demiurgical struggles, or an incessant battle between good and evil spirits, or Angels and demons, in which man is left at the mercy of superior forces and over which he is helpless; such cosmologies bear little relation to the true Gospel vision of the struggle to overcome the Devil, which requires moral commitment, a fundamental option for the Gospel, humility and prayer;
"when the daily events of life, which have nothing or little to do with our progressive maturing on the journey towards Christ, are read schematically or simplistically, indeed childishly, so as to ascribe all setbacks to the Devil and all success to the Guardian Angels. The practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael whose names are contained in Holy Scripture."
Roman Catholic Tradition generally does not mention the names of seven archangels or even stress very much the number seven. It is true that Tobit 12:15 mentions seven angels ready to enter the presence of God, and Revelation 8:2 mentions seven, but these texts have not influenced Latin Catholicism very much. On the other hand, there has been continuous and great devotion toward the three mentioned by name in Scripture, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, as well as to the guardian angels.
Some branches of Eastern Orthodoxy do, however, venerate the seven archangels, although many only add Uriel as a named archangel. The Anglican tradition also has prayers to Uriel as a fourth archangel.
The sources of the other names are apocryphal Jewish writings that do not form part of the Bible. The names are found in First Book of Enoch and another list in the so-called Second (or Fourth) Book of Esdras. The lists do not always agree, although the name Uriel is fairly constant. Other names include Raguel, Sariel, Jeremiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, Gabuthelon, Beburos, Zebuleon, Aker and Arphugitonos. Some of these names might be variations in spelling of the same name but others are unique to some books. These and similar books were written by Jewish writers in the period between the Old and New Testaments or even after much of the New Testament had already been written, following the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Similar names are mentioned in the Pseudo-Dionysius (late fifth to early sixth centuries) and in Pope Saint Gregory I. (540-604).
With respect to the naming of the angels, the Latin Church has always been somewhat wary. In a synod or council held in Rome in the year 745 Pope St. Zachary sought to curb a tendency toward angel worship and forbade the use of names not found in Scripture.
A text describing this synod (or council) is reported in Volume XII of Cardinal Cesare Baronio's "Annali Ecclesiastici" (published 1607). The remarkable and somewhat harsh text of this synod dealt with the supposed heretical teachings of a priest living in Germany called Adalbert. A prayer he had composed included the lines:
"I pray ye and conjure ye, and supplicate myself to ye, angel Uriel, angel Raguel, angel Tubuel, angel Michael, angel Adimis, angel Tubuas, angel Sabaoth, angel Simuel."
Baronio's text said, "And when this sacrilegious prayer had been read to the end, the holy Pope Zachary said: How, holy brothers, to you respond to this? The holy bishops and venerable priests responded: What else is to be done, but that all these things that have been read in our presence should be burned in flames; and their authors cast into the chains of anathema? For the eight names of Angels, which Adalbert has invoked in his prayer, are not, excepting Michael, names of Angels, but rather of demons, whom he has invoked to bring aid to himself. But we (as taught by your holy Apostleship), and as divine authority transmits, acknowledge no more than the names of three Angels, that is, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. These the Fathers [say]. By whom you perceive that the book called by the vulgate name Fourth Esdras, in which there is frequent mention of the angel Uriel, is rejected and altogether proscribed by the Roman Church."
In this text the basic doctrine is clear regarding the restriction to the three biblical names. The strong language regarding the possible demonic nature of the other names should be seen in the context of the concrete condemnation of Adalbert's doctrine and not as an absolute statement. It is not clear when this document was written, and it might have been redacted many years after the synod took place. Forty four years later, in 789, at the Council of Aix-la-Chapelle, the capitularies of Charlemagne also condemned the naming of angels.
There has been little more official teaching regarding this point. In 1992 a decree from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith forbade addressing or using names of angels, but this decree was primarily concerned with supposed private revelations to a concrete person and is not directly related to our case. It might, however, have contributed to the Directory on Popular Piety's discouragement to naming angels.
On the other hand, notwithstanding the overall reluctance on the part of the Church, occasionally there have been paintings with images of the seven angels, such as a fresco in Rome's St. Mary of the Angels which has Mary surrounded by seven angels. Permission was also granted in 1720 to dedicate a church in Germany in which each of the Seven Angels have an altar.
Doctrinally, not much can be read into such approvals. According to generally accepted principles of theological interpretation, the Church's approval of a liturgy or a feast based on extra-biblical traditions or legends cannot be used as to proof of their historical veracity. The Church is merely acknowledging a particular religious tradition which might have some spiritual benefits for the faithful.
In this sense the use of taking names from apocryphal sources is not in itself forbidden. The Church, for example, has taken the names of the three wise men, the names of Mary's parents, as well as the feast of Mary's presentation in the temple from Christian apocryphal writings. This practice does not mean that the Church gives historical credence to these books but only affirms that they reflect a longstanding tradition.
Thus, for example, the myriad images and churches dedicated to Mary's presentation in the temple do not attest the historical truth of the pious legends regarding her actually spending years in that building or that there ever was a group of virgins in Jerusalem's temple. The feast affirms the basic truth of Mary's total dedication to God from the beginning of her life that is reflected in the apocryphal gospels written several centuries after the time of Christ.
Likewise, the fact that on some rare occasions paintings and a church were dedicated to the seven archangels does no more than recognize some local devotion and tradition. The overwhelming spiritual practice of the Latin Church has shown great devotion toward the three archangels while practically ignoring the other four spirits mentioned in Tobit and Revelation. Nor can anything certain be said about the supposed characteristics, symbols, or particular patronages of these other named archangels.
Therefore I would say that, since the Church has itself officially discouraged promoting a spirituality based upon naming angels other than the traditional three plus the guardian angels, a Latin Catholic should refrain from doing so, even if it is not, strictly speaking, forbidden. It is clear that the Latin Church does not believe that much spiritual profit can be gained from following this path and considers that it is not exempt from some dangers.
Setting up an icon for public veneration or dedicating a building or chapel to an angel other than Michael, Gabriel and Raphael or the guardian angels as a collectivity would require special permissions, and a bishop would not allow such a dedication or blessing to a personage not generally recognized as an angel or saint in the current universal calendar.
This applies above all to Latin Christianity. The Orthodox and Anglican practices are legitimate within the context of their own spiritual traditions.
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