All Saints Day |
All Saints Day is a day dedicated to
celebrate all holy men and women. The Solemnity
of All Saints is when the
Church honours every saint, known and unknown. Although, we have information on
many saints, and they are honoured on specific days, there are many unknown,
forgotten or never been honoured specially. On All Saints Day, we celebrate
these holy individuals, and ask for their prayers and intercessions.
There are thousands of canonized saints that are officially
recognized by the Catholic Church as holy men and
women worthy to be our patrons and role models. These Saints have been
associated with miracles, and their lives have been fully examined and found
holy by the Catholic Church, we are assured that they a excellent examples of
holiness, and powerful intercessors before God on our behalf.
A very familiar question asked by many non Catholics is; Do Catholics worship the Saints?Well, the answer is NO. We do not worship the Saints,
rather we ask them to pray for us and with us and since, the Saints already
showed signs of holiness and were very prayerful while on Earth, just imagine
what more they can do now when they’re in Heaven. So, that is just exactly what
we do, we ask for recommendation of our problems to God as they live in His
Kingdom now and will send our petitions to God easily. But why do we keep their
statues and pictures one might ask? Well, that’s easy to answer, just as how we
keep a picture of our best friend, spouse, or family member, in the same way we
keep the pictures and statues of Saints. Because we love them and want to see
their face and because they help us so much by praying with us and for us for
every problem we are faced with. We also buy them flowers, decorate their
pictures and dedicate special areas in home or in Church to place their
statues. And just like we celebrate and adore our loved ones on their
Birthdays, we also celebrate and adore our Patron Saints Feast Days!
There are many patron saints, of different
areas and states of life. For example, St. Vitus is the patron saint against
oversleeping, as he was known for waking up early. Another example is,Saint Expeditus is the patron saint against
procrastination and emergency cases. It may sound odd to have
a patron saint against oversleeping, but keep in mind the Church has something
meaningful for every area of our human lives.
Firstly, “patron saints” simply means the protecting or guiding saint of a person or place.Therefore, a patron saint
will protect us, pray for us and guide us to the correct part to achieving
Heaven and all its graces. Asking for the intercession of Saints, does not mean
that we cannot approach God directly, instead it is like asking a friend to
pray for you and in this case your friend is already in Heaven and closer to
God.
St. Gianna's Grotto, Archdiocesse of Regina |
Statue of St. Cajetan |
We do all this because we respect, love and like someone
very much.
For example, if your family or friend prayed so hard for you to get a job and you actually got a job through their intercession, I’m sure you’ll buy them some flowers, a present or cook them some dinner as sign of saying “thank you”.Therefore, we do not worship the Saints, but we treat them just as we would treat our friends and families, the only difference is that the Saints are already in God’s Kingdom.
For example, if your family or friend prayed so hard for you to get a job and you actually got a job through their intercession, I’m sure you’ll buy them some flowers, a present or cook them some dinner as sign of saying “thank you”.Therefore, we do not worship the Saints, but we treat them just as we would treat our friends and families, the only difference is that the Saints are already in God’s Kingdom.
Your family in heaven awaits you!
How to choose a Patron Saint for
BAPTISM,CONFIRMATION, or DAILY LIFE
There are many
ways in choosing a Patron Saint. But the most important thing is to allow the
Holy Spirit to work more fully when we cooperate with God’s grace. To do this,
we must keep an open mind and heart, and prayerfully listen to the promptings
of the Holy Spirit.
1.YOUR VOCATION OR STATION IN LIFE:
Perhaps
you are married and find it difficult in conceiving a child? A mother who just
lost her child? or A mother with a child who strays away? You may be a father
who has lost your job and is struggling to provide for your family.
A
single person praying for God to bring you a holy, Catholic spouse? or A Youth
struggling with life’s daily pressures? Are you experiencing a call to the
religious life? Consider the saints who are patrons of these beautiful
vocations and others.
Examples: St. Gerard
Majella is the patron saint of expectant mothers, St. Joseph is the patron saint
of fathers, St.Anne is the patron of finding a Spouse, Blessed Chiara Luce
Badano patron of Youths, and many more saints.
2. YOUR OCCUPATION OR FIELD OF STUDY:
2. YOUR OCCUPATION OR FIELD OF STUDY:
Through
the work we do we can find ways to evangelize. There will be times when
everything seems trying or a burden, it is in these moments that we offer it
back to God in love. There is a patron saint for every occupation you can
imagine. Some occupations have more than one patron saint. From accountants to
zoo-keepers, there is an intercessor for us all.
Examples: St. Apollonia is
the patron saint dentist, St. Nicholas of Tolentine is the patron saint of mariners,
St. Tatiana of Rome is the patron saint for students, and so on.
3. YOUR HOBBIES or SPECIAL INTEREST
3. YOUR HOBBIES or SPECIAL INTEREST
Saints
are the patrons for particular causes including it could be anything, from
sports, to hobbies, to areas of interest in the world around us.We can invoke
their help and feel close to them because of shared personal characteristics,
hobbies and interests.
Examples: St. Therese of the
Child Jesus is the patron saint of gardeners, St. Cecilia is the patron saint
of musicians, and many more.
4. YOUR CURRENT LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES
Are
you unemployed? Looking for your lost car keys? Are diagnosed with Cancer? Preparing
for travel? There is a saint who is waiting to intercede for you in whatever
you are experiencing today. Sometimes the life stories of the saints include
incidents that result in their patronage. When we can identify with these
details and shared situations, we feel a kinship or closeness to a particular
saint.
Examples: St. Cajetan is the
patron saint of the unemployed, St. Christopher for travel, St. Anthony of
Padua for lost cases, St. Gianna is the patron saint for mothers, St. Peregrine
is the patron saint for Cancer and so on.
Finally,
the most important thing of all, is to pray and seek guidance from the Holy
Spirit when you being to consider a Patron Saint. Once you develop a
relationship with a saint or with many saints, your pray life will change and
you’ll experience richness in faith and pray you have never before.