Saints In The Catholic Church

The Communion Of Saints

This term refers to the union of believers on Earth, in Heaven and also those in Purgatory. All form part of the body of Christ.

Each group is identified by the following terms:

Catholic belief indicates that those saints now in Heaven are able to intercede, not only for those on Earth, but also those in Purgatory. Their intercession is considered to be effective on account of their closeness to God. Also, those on Earth can intercede for those in Purgatory.

We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always attentive to our prayers.

Paragraph 962, CCC.

Allied to the idea of saintly intercession is the concept of a Patron saint, i.e. a special kind of intercessor for a country, special situation or job. Examples include:

• St. Antony of Padua for lost articles.
• St. Francis of Assisi for Animals.
• St. Patrick for Ireland.

St. Isidore of Seville has been proposed as the patron saint of the Internet.

Meet Lorie Smith The Christian Artist With A Supreme Court Free Speech Case

It is good to see that, with their evangelical witness, these Saints have fostered the spiritual and social growth of their respective nations and also of the entire human family, the pope said. While sadly in the world distances grow, and tensions and wars increase, may the new saints inspire solutions of togetherness and ways of dialogue, especially in the hearts and minds of those who hold positions of great responsibility and are called upon to be agents of peace, not war.

And now, let us turn to the Virgin Mary, so that she may help us joyfully imitate the example of the new saints, said Pope Francis.

Staff Writer Kevin J. Jones contributed to this story.

Welcome To All Saints Catholic Church

Become a part of our vibrant, faith-filled community.

All Saints Catholic Church is an ever-changing and evolving community, steeped in a rich history and diverse culture. We are dedicated, hard-working families and individuals from virtually every walk of life.

We are disciples of the Lord Jesus. By virtue of our baptism, we live our Catholic faith and are Gods voice calling out to others. We celebrate the Eucharist and Sacraments, live out the scriptures in service to our neighbors, and are faithful to Church teachings.

We are called to keep our faith vibrant and to pass on the faith for all generations to come, that we may bring others closer to Christ and continue building the kingdom of God.

Every baptized person has received the vocation to proclaim to proclaim something to proclaim Jesus the vocation and mission to evangelize: to proclaim Jesus. Pope Francis

Don’t Miss: Grace Baptist Church Mount Vernon

We Ask You Humbly To Help

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot that’s great! It’s a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We’re not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

Catholics Turn To These 8 Popular Saints In Times Of Trouble

Lost something? St. Anthony has your back.

Trying to sell your home? St. Joseph might be able to help.

Catholics don’t actually worship saints, but they sometimes turn to them for guidance or in times of trouble.

On the road to possible sainthood is Father Solanus Casey, who will be beatified in on Saturday at Detroit’s Ford Field. But before Casey can be declared a saint, Catholic officials will need to attribute a future healing to Caseys intercession.

In church doctrine, the “Communion of Saints” is a spiritual union between the living on earth and the saints in heaven. Believers often call upon the saints, asking them to pray, or intercede, on their behalf to God.

Within popular culture, some saints are associated with real-world mini-miracles and superstitious practices that are not part of official church teaching.

Also Check: What’s In The Bible With Buck Denver

St Catherine Of Siena

Despite never receiving a formal education, St. Catherine of Siena served as an advisor to religious and political leaders , was named a doctor of the church, and is the patron saint of Europe. This Saint wasnt afraid to use her voice and her gifts as a leader to advocate for church reform, and she reminds us all that submissive martyrdom is not the only path to sanctity.

Saints Michael Gabriel And Raphael Archangels

Patrons of soldiers & police messengers & postal workers travelers & the blind

The air between God and man is thick with mystical beings

It is a principle of Catholic theology that salvation is mediated, that individual man does not go to God alone, and that God does not come to man alone. This means that there are layers of words, symbols, art, priests, nuns, catechists, music, books, churches, shrines, and endless other things and places and people that channel God to us. Even using the name God or Father or Jesus Christ presupposes the mediation of language. So although someone may say they want to cut out the middle man of the Church and go directly to God, they cant. At some point in their youth they absorbed who God was from others, so even the most basic, apparently innate knowledge we have of God is mediated, even if only by nature itself. Todays feast is about the created spiritual beings known as angels who fill the space between God and man, communicating His message, protecting man from harm, and battling against the armies of Satan. The Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael transmit some of Gods most important messages.

Raphael appears in the disguise of a man in the Book of Tobit, guiding the young Tobiah along his journey. God sent me to heal you and Sarah your daughter-in-law. I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord . Raphael means God heals.

Further Reading:

Also Check: Search Words In The Bible

St Peter Patron Saint Of Popes And Rome

Known originally as Simon, St. Peter was one of Jesus 12 disciples during his public ministry and is one of the most important Catholic saints. We see Jesus calling Peter to follow him in Matthew 4:18-20. Peter and his brother Andrew were the first disciples Jesus called, and this saint would prove to be one of the most influential of the 12 during and after Christs time on earth.

Peter was a common fisherman for most of his life until Jesus called him to be a disciple. He couldnt have ever guessed how drastically his life would change as a result of saying yes to Jesus calling. He followed Our Lord throughout his ministry on earth, witnessing his incredible signs, miracles and wonders. But most importantly, he heard Jesus teachings firsthand and would lead the Church after Christs Ascension into Heaven.

The Bible describes how Jesus set Peter apart from the other disciples in Matthew 16:17-18. Catholic Tradition emphasizes this moment as Jesus establishing Peter as the first pope of the Catholic Church. Peter would go on to write two influential epistles in the Bible, 1 and 2 Peter. St. Peter is also the patron saint of net makers, shipbuilders and fishermen due to his status as a fisherman before following Jesus.

No Contact With The Dead

Sometimes Fundamentalists object to asking our fellow Christians in heaven to pray for us by declaring that God has forbidden contact with the dead in passages such as Deuteronomy 18:1011. In fact, he has not, because he at times has given itfor example, when he had Moses and Elijah appear with Christ to the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration . What God has forbidden is the necromantic practice of conjuring up spirits. There shall not be found among you any one who . . . practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. . . . For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, give heed to soothsayers and to diviners but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you so to do. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brethrenhim you shall heed .

God thus indicates that one is not to conjure the dead for purposes of gaining information one is to look to Gods prophets instead. Thus, one is not to hold a seance. But anyone with an ounce of common sense can discern the vast qualitative difference between holding a seance to have the dead speak through you and a son humbly saying at his mothers grave, Mom, please pray to Jesus for me Im having a real problem right now.

Also Check: Joseph Dreams In The Bible

One Mediator Between God And Men

Another charge commonly levelled against asking the saints for their intercession is that this violates the sole mediatorship of Christ, which Paul discusses: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus .

But asking one person to pray for you in no way violates Christs mediatorship, as can be seen from considering the way in which Christ is a mediator. First, Christ is a unique mediator between man and God because he is the only person who is both God and man. He is the only bridge between the two, the only God-man. But that role as mediator is not compromised in the least by the fact that others intercede for us. Furthermore, Christ is a unique mediator between God and man because he is the mediator of the New Covenant , just as Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant .

St Maria Domenica Mantovani

Public domain

St. Maria Domenica grew up in a pious home, where she was encouraged by her parents to enter religious life. Under the direction of her parish priest, Blessed Giuseppe Nascimbeni, Maria Domenica dedicated herself to the needs of catechesis and care for the sick. In 1886, she made a private vow of chastity, relying on the Blessed Mothers guidance to make clear a path to more formally live her vocation. In 1892, St. Maria Domenica, with Blessed Giuseppe, became a co-foundress of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family, professing vows with four others. Despite only three years of formal education, St. Maria Domenicas deep interior life served as the foundation for her four decades of service as the nascent congregations first superior.

You May Like: Where In The Bible Does It Talk About The Tribulation

St Maria Francesca Rubatto

Public domain

Born in Italy, Maria Francesca lost her father when she was just 4 years old and received a marriage proposal as a teenager. She turned down the young suitor and made a vow of virginity. In Turin, she was supported by a well-to-do woman in her efforts to teach the Faith, care for the poor and visit the sick. When she sprang to action on the street one day to help a worker injured while building a convent in Loano, Italy, the fledgling congregation looking for a leader knew God was providing for them in St. Maria Francesca. She was convinced to join the group and was appointed their superior by the local bishop after she professed vows in 1885. Her vocation brought her across the globe to South America, where she helped solidify the foundation of the community now known as the Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto. It was in Uruguays capital Montevideo, where she spent over a decade of her last years, that St. Maria Francesca died of cancer.

Evening With St Nicholas

Please join our parish school for our annual Evening with St. Nicholas on Thursday, December 1 at 7:00 PM in the church. The event will begin with an Advent Prayer Service and traditional Advent carols in the church. The Procession of the Shoes will be led by St. Nicholas and Mother Seton.

We will be collecting donations of new shoes, with the proceeds benefitting House of Mercy. Donation guidelines are as follows: NEW plain color tennis shoes in white, blue, black, tan or brown. No character sneakers, please.

Golden Sunday St. Vincent de Paul SocietyThe Second Collection next Sunday, December 4, is for Golden Sunday to support the works of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in serving the needy of our area.

Grateful for all God grants us, let us share the bounty of his blessings generously. The proceeds of this collection, along with your donations collected from the Poor Boxes, provide the funds for the emergency financial assistance extended by the St. Vincent de Paul Society to struggling families in Manassas. Our Vincentians respond to hundreds of calls each month from people facing utility cut-offs eviction, or other immediate financial crises. With the onset of the cold months, the needs increase. If you are facing a financial emergency, call 571-516-3200 Spanish: 571-516-3201.

Recommended Reading: How Are We Saved According To The Bible

Stage I Examining The Life Of A Candidate For Sainthood

Phase 1: Diocesan or Eparchial Level

Five years must pass from the time of a candidate’s death before a cause may begin. This is to allow greater balance and objectivity in evaluating the case and to let the emotions of the moment dissipate. The pope can dispense from this waiting period.

The bishop of the diocese or eparchy in which the person died is responsible for beginning the investigation. The petitioner asks the bishop through a person known as the postulator to open the investigation.

The bishop then begins a series of consultations with the episcopal conference, the faithful of his diocese or eparchy and the Holy See. Once these consultations are done and he has received the ‘nihil obstat’ of the Holy See, he forms a diocesan or eparchial tribunal. The tribunal will investigate the martyrdom or how the candidate lived a life of heroic virtues, that is, the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, and the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude, and others specific to his or her state in life. Witnesses will be called and documents written by and about the candidate must be gathered and examined.

Phase II: Congregation for the Causes of Saints

List Of Catholic Saints

This is an incomplete list of people and angels whom the Catholic Church has canonized as saints. According to Catholic theology, all saints enjoy the beatific vision. Many of the saints listed here are to be found in the General Roman Calendar, while others may also be found in the Roman Martyrology still others are particular to local places and their recognition does not extend to the larger worldwide church.

Candidates go through the following four steps on the way to being declared saints.

You May Like: What The Bible Says About Silence

Send Your Prayer Intentions To The Catholic World Mission

The many Catholic saints and their meanings provide a source of help and encouragement to Catholics around the world. Catholics offer up prayers to the patron saints in this list with the hope that they will intercede on their behalf. We at Catholic World Mission also want to pray for your needs, big and small. We invite you to send your prayer intentions to us so that we can offer them to God on your behalf.

If youd like to get involved with making a difference in peoples lives around the world, you can donate to our mission today. Our goal is to help underprivileged communities experience lasting physical and spiritual renewal. Contact us today for more information.

St Christopher Patron Saint Of Travelers

Before the modern advances enjoyed today, travel was a dangerous affair. The common folk had to do most of their traveling on foot and in groups, making journeys seen as easy by todays standards quite a task to undertake. The story of St. Christopher begins during this time.

St. Christopher was a large, strong man from the Eastern Mediterranean region. In seeking the most powerful master to serve, he chose Satan and began a life of thievery. This saint would prey on travelers until one day he tried stealing from a man who made the sign of the cross.

St. Christopher learned that this man feared God more than Satan, and he chose to give up his life of thievery to serve God by helping travelers cross the river near his house. One day, he helped a young boy across the river, but the boys weight grew until St. Christopher felt no burden in the world could be heavier. Upon crossing, he realized he had been carrying the Christ Child. In helping travelers cross the river, he had been carrying out the work of Jesus.

Catholics often wear necklaces depicting St. Christopher during trips for the saints protection and blessings. Traveling can cause some anxiety, but remembering St. Christopher and meditating on Gods protection can put ones mind at ease. This sentiment makes St. Christopher one of the most popular Catholic saints on this list.

Don’t Miss: How Many Psalms Are There In The Bible