Angel

This name means “angel, messenger, the messenger of God.” Saint Angelus (Italian: Sant’Angelo) (1185–1220) was one of the Carmelite Order’s early members, who suffered martyrdom for the Faith at Leocata, Sicily. The story of his life, as it has come down, is not very reliable. It may be summarized as follows: His parents were Jews of Jerusalem who were converted to Christianity by a vision of our Lady. In Greek mythology, Angelos was a daughter of Zeus, and Hera turned deity of the underworld. Her story only survives in Scholia on Theocritus’ Idyll 2 and is as follows. English names linked to the root Ángelos are in use since the 18th-century. An angel is a supernatural being or spirit, often depicted in humanoid form with feathered wings on their backs and halos around their heads, found in various religions and mythologies. The theological study of angels is known as “angelology.” In the Zoroastrianism and Abrahamic religions, they are represented as heavenly and benevolent beings who act as intermediaries between Heaven and Earth or as guardian spirits as a guiding influence.