What is a Saint?

For All The Saints

When we think of Saints, we mostly think of the examples we know - stained-glass windows, marble statues, and heroic stories of virtue and determination. But we often mistakenly think that these people were born fully formed and are unapproachable. We might even see some people in our own daily lives that make us think, wow, she’s such a saint! I’ll never be like her. As distant as these people and stories may seem, they began in the same place that each of us do. The first thing we need to do in order to become one ourselves is to humbly ask: what is sainthood?

What Even IS a Saint?

Saints are people who lived lives of heroic virtue in service to God and can be taken as an example to follow. This may include special service to the poor, dedication to missionary work, or even martyrdom. The word “Saint” comes from the Latin word sanctus, meaning holy. However, there’s much more to the process of going from saintly to Saint than just a title. This process is known as ‘canonization.’

How does a Person Become a Saint?

The ‘canonization’ process has four major steps. When a person dies, and other people recognize that that person lived a life of exemplary holiness, their diocese can begin an investigation into the person's life to see if the person's fame for holiness isjustified. Once a person’s life has been found to be really holy, the Diocese will officially declare him or her a “Servant of God.” Once that report has been reviewed by the Vatican and another investigation has taken place, where the Church confirms everything the diocese investigated, the person may then officially be declared “Venerable.” A Venerable is declared Blessed (“beatified”) when a verified miracle is attributed to his or her intercession. Finally, with a second miracle, the Blessed can be 'canonized' (declared a Saint).

What Kind of Saints are There?

Within the broader category of “saints,” there are also some special qualifications by which you may have heard Saints addressed. One of the most common is as a martyr. This means that the Saint died “in hatred of the faith;” that even if they weren’t directly killed because they were Catholic (such as Saint Philip Howard), they died as a consequence of their Faith. Another common title is “Doctor of the Church.” This is a special title reserved for those who played a major role in the articulation of theology, such as Saint Thomas Aquinas, St. Therese of Lisieux, and Saint Gregory the Great. There are also patron Saints of different places, occupations, and situations, whatever they may be! As baptized members of the Church, we are all members of the same Communion of Saints as all of these great saints. 

What is the Communion of Saints?

The Communion of Saints is the unity between baptized members of Christ’s Church. It means that we’re members of the Body of Christ, alongside Saint Francis, Pope Saint John Paul II, or even Saint Peter. One Saint put it this way: If we are able to pray for one another on earth, then why wouldn’t we be able to pray for each other once we reach Heaven? In fact, wouldn’t the prayer of someone who was one of God’s closest friends be particularly effective? With that in mind, we can turn to our heavenly brothers and sisters with confidence and eagerness, asking for them to intercede to God on our behalf. 

Why do the Saints Matter to Us?

Some Saints may have a particular patronage over a place we live, a job or affliction that we have, or an activity we love. Others may share a heritage or an experience that we relate to. Something that anyone can take from reading about the communion of saints is the universal nature of God’s call to Holiness. Anyone can find a Saint that’s been in a situation that they’re in now and ask for their particular help in that difficulty. Even those we can’t relate to directly, or seem far away from us, are amazing examples of heroic virtue for us to follow. And maybe, with their help and intercession, we’ll be able to meet them one day in Heaven.

Discover your new favorite Saint at thesaintspodcast.com!

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