Saints and Ties to Catholicism

By Riley Crowe

Celebrated on November 1st, All Saints Day is a Catholic holiday taken to recognize and celebrate all saints, from Saint Michael the Archangel to patron saints of everyday tasks. This holiday is largely celebrated by the Catholic denomination of Christianity. Catholicism differs from other denominations of Christianity--Baptist, Methodist, etc.--mainly through its belief in the sacraments and the importance of Mary and Saints. 

For example, Catholics believe in having communion at every mass. During communion, you take bread and wine, or the body and blood of Jesus Christ, which is called the Eucharist. Catholics also have prayers that differ, like the “Hail Mary” and the “Saint Michael the Archangel” prayer. Being in a Catholic community--any Christian community, at that--helps you find people who are willing to share their experiences with Christ and help you. Being Christian and/or Catholic can have a different meaning to people and they have many ways to incorporate it into daily life.

“Being Catholic means going to adoration and being a part of a group whose top priority is getting everyone to heaven. It means you can make mistakes and sin but be surrounded by people who want to guide you to God, who want to show you that he will forgive and love you under all circumstances,” says Chloe Marston, a freshman at Owensboro Catholic.

“In my everyday life, I hope to inspire others to follow Christ. I do my best to try to make people laugh and be kind. One thing that I am extremely happy I started is a Marshalls for Christ at Marshall County High School. What we do is every Friday we invite whoever wants to come and hear the word, and we share the word with those who accept it. We are devotional, we pray in and out. This is one way I hope to impact others in their faith lives,” Maggie Ralph, a sophomore at Marshall County High School shares.

A saint, according to the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,) is “persons in heaven (officially canonized or not,) who lived heroically virtuous lives, offered their life for others, or were martyred (killed for their religious beliefs,) and who are worthy of example.”

Saint Jose Sanchez Del Rio was 15 years old when he was killed by soldiers in the Cristero Wars in Mexico. The wars were an attempt by the Mexican government to extinguish the influence of the Catholic Church. Soldiers told Sanchez to deny Christ as his savior just once and he would be set free, but he refused. His last words were “Viva Cristo Rey” or “Long Live Christ the King.” Catholics consider his determination and his will to show Christ is his savior until his last moments to make him a brave and wonderful example for a saint. 

There are many famous saints who differ in what they did in life but still are saints, this being said not every saint has to be martyred. Mother Teresa of Calcutta is an example of this. Born in 1910 and dying in 1997, she lived a very long and good life. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in India in 1950 and for over 45 years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying. In her lifetime she was the world's most recognizable symbol of charity, she had a wonderful spirit of love and compassion and had a motto of  “Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier.” These saints are able to provide strength and hope to people in the Catholic faith along with Christ himself.

“I’ll have little moments throughout the day where I can just feel Jesus in me. It’s crazy. I’ll just get this overwhelming feeling of joy and gratitude, and I know it’s Jesus. He has provided me with so many great things in my life, and when I am feeling joyful, I feel Him and I thank Him for all that He has done for me and given me. By His constant reminders that He is with me, I am strengthened by His Presence,” shares Ella Johnston, a junior at Owensboro Catholic.

The word “faith” is used often with each and every person, but do any of us really understand or begin to understand the meaning of faith…? I don’t think so. In the Bible, it says many times that God is faithful to His children, and I can tell you that it is 100% accurate that He is good to us, He believes in us, gets us through, and never gives up on us. That is faith. 

“When my uncle had just passed away due to cancer in 2022, I did not understand why He took someone who was so loved so soon. As I went through that tough time, I spent a lot of it in prayer and asking God why. Well, I began to start soul-seeking, seeking God, and the answer. The answer came to me surprisingly, I was sitting outside with my family. One of my grandmother’s friends had just been diagnosed with cancer, and my Maw-Maw said that this woman said to her, ‘Jenny I’ve asked God why me, and then I started to think and said why not me. I am just like every other human. I am a sinner.’ When my Maw-Maw told me what was said it went right over my head and I never thought about it until my priest had been preaching about the same topic. He said the same thing about what everyone goes through. He also said, ‘Jesus says to pick up your cross and take after me.’ At this moment I realized God had sent me a sign. Something to give me hope. If it wasn’t for these moments, this realization, and HIS faith in me I would’ve never gotten over my uncle’s death,” Maggie also shares.

Many different individuals from many different backgrounds and cultures are saints, and you or people you know can become saints. To become a saint, you have to go through a long and detailed process and be canonized--officially declared a saint. To make it simpler, it has three different stages, Examination of Life for Sainthood, Beatification, and Canonization. Five years must pass between a candidate's death and the start of the process to make them a saint. 

The bishop of the diocese--the equivalent of the governor of churches in the region--is responsible for beginning the examination. The bishop will consult with a chosen group in the diocese to look at how the candidate lived; through heroic virtues, virtues in faith, martyrdom, and lots more. 

Beatification is the declaration by the Pope that he approves of the candidate becoming a saint, and becoming canonized. In this step, they look for miracles that might have happened in the candidate's life. 

A miracle, by Christian definition, is an extraordinary and astonishing event that is attributed to the presence of a divine power. An example of a miracle is healing--make the deaf hear again, healing the blind to see, etc. 

Step three is canonization. This is the final look through the candidate’s life and finalizing the process. Becoming a saint can take years or decades from how long and thorough the process is. 

Mary and the Saints are recognized through every denomination of Christianity, but they are more emphasized and celebrated in Catholicism with things like Feast Days, the Rosary, and the Hail Mary Prayer. Mary and Saints can provide ongoing examples of what life open to God's grace looks like. 

Another thing that goes along with the importance of saints to Catholics is Patron sainthood. A Patron saint is an advocate of a nation, place, activity, craft, etc. Catholics believe praying to specific patron saints will help them with tasks, be productive, and give them confidence. An example of a famous patron saint is Saint Jude. Saint Jude, which is also the name of a children's hospital, is the patron saint of desperate cases and people will pray to him for strength in difficult times in their lives or others' lives. His name is fitting for a hospital, considering that he is a symbol of strength and hope.

All Saints Day is a way to celebrate many things for Catholics: hope, faith, role models, and Christ. It's a day to reflect and celebrate the many achievements of saints and their lives that glorify God.