Praying with the Saints

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Praying with the Saints
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Saints

• Saints are those individuals who are recognized
  for their holiness and virtue on earth
• During their life, saints prayed faithfully
• We never worship saintswe do however call on
  them in heaven
• They can then present their petitions for us at
  the throne of God

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Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of
heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only
Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy
Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was
buried he descended into hell on the third day
he rose again from the dead he ascended into
heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God
the Father almighty from there he will come to
judge the living and the dead. I believe in the
Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen."

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Communion of Saints

• The communion of saints is made up of all men and
  women who have placed their hope in Christ,
  whether they have died or are still alive
• There are saints, known and unknown
• We are all united and members of the body of
  Christ

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• We can all help one another-we can call upon the
  saints but also our departed relatives and
  friends who we believe are already with God
• Whenever an individual does good or suffers for
  Christ, all benefit
• On the other hand, this unfortunately means that
  every sin harms the entire communion

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How does one become a Saint in the Catholic
Church Canonization Process

• 1. Venerable The process begins after the death
  of a Catholic whom people regard as holy. Often,
  the process starts many years after death The
  local bishop investigates the candidate's life
  Then a panel of theologians at the Vatican
  evaluates the candidate. After approval by the
  panel and cardinals of the Congregation for the
  Causes of Saints, the pope proclaims the
  candidate "venerable."

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• 2. Beatification requires evidence of one
  miracle (except in the case of martyrs). Since
  miracles are considered proof that the person is
  in heaven and can intercede for us, the miracle
  must take place after the candidate's death and
  as a result of a specific petition to the
  candidate. When the pope proclaims the candidate
  beatified or "blessed," the person can be
  venerated by a particular region or group of
  people with whom the person holds special
  importance.

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• 3. Saint Only after one more miracle will the
  pope canonize the saint (this includes martyrs as
  well). The title of saint tells us that the
  person lived a holy life, is in heaven, and is to
  be honoured by the universal Church. Canonization
  does not "make" a person a saint it recognizes
  what God has already done.

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Praying with the Saints

• We pray with saints, not to them.
• Since saints led holy lives and are close to God
  in heaven, we feel that their prayers are
  particularly effective. Often we ask particular
  saints to pray for us if we feel they have a
  particular interest in our problem.

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Patron Saints

• Patron saints are chosen as special protectors or
  guardians over areas of life. These areas can
  include occupations, illnesses, churches,
  countries, causes -- anything that is important
  to us.
• For example, Francis of Assisi loved nature and
  so he is patron of ecologists. Francis de Sales
  was a writer and so he is patron of journalists
  and writers. Clare of Assisi was named patron of
  television because one Christmas when she was too
  ill to leave her bed she saw and heard Christmas
  Mass -- even though it was taking place miles
  away.