Saints

[Ellenita]

Is the term saint only used to describe a person who has been specially recognised by the Church, or can it be used to describe the whole body of believers as the protestant church understands the term?

When did it start to become used for particular individuals?

Can you officially pick your own patron saints? My apologies for having St Thomas Aquinas as my avatar if not - didn't mean to insult anyone! :(

[CatholicAndFanatical]

Can you officially pick your own patron saints?  My apologies for having St Thomas Aquinas as my avatar if not - didn't mean to insult anyone! 

No Offense taken St Thomas Aquinas was a genius at least to me.

you can pick your own Patron Saint..thats amesome you chose Aquinas.

Patrons saints are very special, I chose St. Augustine as my Patron Saint, As a Patron Saint I will try to use his intercession, and examples to guide my life and become a better version of myself.

as to when we started using particular individuals as Saints (Capital S), im not sure, ill leave that to ironmonk or Likos..

but everyone in Heaven is a saint, but some that have died are recognized for living an extraordinary life on earth, God filled and only by their miracles here on earth are they deemed a Saint, capital S by the Church.

as for we on earth being a saint....I dont think so, were a saint in the making.

CatholicAndFanatical

[willguy]

"Saint" comes from the Latin "sanctus" meaning "holy." So, when it is found in the New Testament letters, Paul addressing the "saints" could also be read "the holy ones." Likewise, saying Saint So-and-so is similar to saying Holy One So-and-so. We are all called to be saints, because we are all called to holiness.

[Uncle Gus]

The communion of saints is comprised of those in heaven, those in Purgatory and those on Earth, so yes, we are saints too. The measure of our sainthood is proportional to the measure of our communion with Christ.

From the Catholic Encylopaedia

The living, even if they do not belong to the body of the true Church, share in it according to the measure of their union with Christ and with the soul of the Church.

[Anna]

That's an excellent answer, willguy. I like that!

We are all members of the Mystical Body of Christ, which is The Church (the Catholic Church). So we are all members of the Communion of Saints.

The Communion of Saints is our family. It consists of us here on earth (the Church Militant) the Souls in Purgatory (the Church Suffering) and those already in Heaven (the Church Triumpant). So there is like three tiers of saints, all working our way to the top!!!

In order to become a "canonized" saint, (having the Church officially declare that they are certain beyond any doubt that you are in heaven) certain criteria must be met. You must have lived an extraordinarily holy life, been a Catholic (of course) and certain miracles must be attributed to your intercession after your death.

For instance, a Church-affirmed miracle needs to be received from God through the intercession of Mother Teresa before the Church will canonize her. At the moment, they are considering her "cause," and call her "blessed." Once canonized, she'll be given the official title of "Saint," but no one knows how long that can take, for that is up to God. It could be centuries, or weeks...

Pax Christi. <><

[Katholikos]

From the beginning of Christianity -- at least by the year 100 A.D. -- Catholics were honoring other Catholics who had died, and asking for their intercession. This practice originated in Judaism. In the Jewish faith, prophets and holy people were honored with shrines, where the people visited. The Jews prayed for their dead (and still do). The Jewish tradition of prayers for the dead and honoring religious heroes was naturally carried over into Christianity. The first Christian saints were martyrs -- those who gave up their lives for the Faith during the Roman Empire's fierce persecution of the Church. The name came from St. Justin Martyr.

So much of Judaism was incorporated into the Church -- the liturgy, the prayers, honoring our dead heroes in faith, purgatory (the Jews don't have a name for it, but they certainly believe it). As a Catholic, I'm a spiritual child of Abraham, for sure. I'm reminded of it often. And I remember that the Apostles attended both synagogue and "the breaking of the bread" (the Mass) for a long time before the break finally came. I'm so grateful for our Jewish heritage. Glad I feel free to talk to Abraham, Noah, Moses and the gang.

There's an historical disconnect in Protestantism.

Any Friend of God's is a Friend of Mine (title of Patrick Madrid's little book on praying to the Communion of saints.)

All you Saints of heaven, pray for us!

JMJ Likos

[Ellenita]

Thank you! :D

I learn so much from you all....and not just about the Catholic faith! :D I didn't know the origins of the word Martyr before, though of course I knew about the persecution of the early church.

I have been told by someone that you can take a Saints name when you are confirmed. Is that right?

[Dave]

I have been told by someone that you can take a Saints name when you are confirmed. Is that right?

Yup, you heard correctly. The saint you choose becomes a special patron for you. For example, for my patron saint I chose St. Joseph.