A Little Apologist's Guide to Talking about the Saints

With All Saints Day this past week, you're likely to encounter more questions than usual about the Saints. Here are answers to a few of the most commonly asked questions. Bookmark or save this post to come back to when you need to answer someone's question or to use as a resource for others!

1. "What is a Saint?"

   1. A saint is any person who is in Heaven.

2. "Why do you pray to the Saints? Can't I just go directly to God?"

   1. Of course you can! But just like we ask our friends to pray for us when we're struggling or have a prayer request, we can ask the Saints to pray for us, too, as our Brothers and Sisiters in Christ.

3. "But isn't that talking to the dead?"

   1. No. Jesus Christ defeated death. This means that those wo are in Heaven are not dead at all, but alive in Christ Jesus!

4. "How does someone become a Saint?"

   1. As I said, a saint is any person who is in Heaven. However, to recieve the actual title of Saint, a certain process is followed by the Church through which it is infallibly declared that the person is in Heaven (meaning, we have proof!). Here is an article about the process of canonization: https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/beatification-and-canonization

5. "Do Catholics worship Saints?"

   1. No. We worship God alone. There are different types of veneration, though, that can help us distinguish Worship of God from veneration of the Saints:

      1. Dulia: is the term for the general veneration of Saints and Angels. They are in no way worshipped. However, they are role models and intercessors for the faithful as they journey to Heaven.

         Proskynesis: This is a term for the simple form of veneration that is reserved for relics, images of Saints, and holy places. They are to be treated and talked about with reverence and respect. The word comes from the Greek word "proskyneo" which translates to two words: pros (towards), and kyneo (to kiss).

         Hyperdulia: This literally means "more-dulia" and is reserved for veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is distinct from the Saints but not on the same level as God, and thus, deserving of more veneration and honor than other Saints.

         Latria: This is the form of worship reserved for God alone.

         
         

6. "Are we allowed to pray for the intercession of a person who we believe is in Heaven, but hasn't been canonized?"

   1. We are absolutely allowed to ask for the intercession of those holy people who have not yet begun the canonization process. If we would have asked for their prayers on earth, we can certainly ask for prayers while they are (presumably) in purgatory or heaven!

      Another way to look at it is, in order for a Saint to be canonized, multiple miracles attributed to his intercession must occur, and these would not occur without someone here on earth praying to that particular person even though they are not yet canonized. 

7. "What are patron saints?"

   1. Patron Saints are saints who, in their lifetime, were intercessors for a certain cause, group of people, or location. They most likely have a similarity to whatever they are the patron of. When a Catholic is Confirmed, they choose a Saint to be their patron because they relate to them in some way.

      
      
   
   

   What other questions do you have about the Saints? What are some objections you've heard about the Church's teaching about the Saints? Feel free to leave a comment and I'll help you to answer your question!