Why does the Catholic Church venerate its Saints

Why does the Catholic Church venerate its Saints? We venerate them as our role models who can help us make it to heaven. We can be like them living a holy life. We are not WORSHIPPING them. We only worship God- who is what we can never be.

What are the Steps to Sainthood? � Live a holy life, have a holy death. � Others ask the local Bishop to start it � A review takes place with a PROMOTER and a DEVIL’S ADVOCATE. You “pass” the review. � Venerable � Medically-documented Miracle � Blessed �A NEW Medically-documented Miracle � Sainthood (canonized)- given a feast day

Saints- How are God’s Holy Ones Represented in Art?

1. OCCUPATION- the saint is featured doing the work he/she did in life. Ex. Who was a carpenter?

St. Joseph the Worker- May 1 How will you work to support your family?

St. Joan of Arc- May 30

St. Isidore the Farmer He is always pictured out in a field OR plowing behind a team of oxen.

2. SCRIPTURE- an event found in scripture involving the saint is shown in the picture. Ex. A man in a dungeon with lions? A man with a snake biting his hand?

3. MARTYRS- there is often a symbol of how the saint was tortured OR killed. Ex. A man on an upside down cross? A woman burning at the stake?

They were no longer 12 Apostles. So, they decided to replace Judas the Betrayer. They chose two good men and then drew lots to see which the Holy Spirit preferred. Acts of the Apostles St. Matthias, Apostle- May 14

Those are her eyespart of her martyrdom. St. Lucy- Dec 13

St. John Nepomucene May 16 Confessor to the Queen of Czechoslovakia. When the King wanted to know what she had said, Fr. John refused. He was thrown in prison. He refused. He was tortured. He refused. In the end, the King had him drowned. We’re asked all the time, what if the priest tells? He won’t.

4. WITH HALOs- Many saints or bible figures are shown with a HALO (hallowed or holy). In your notes- describe how any of the following halos look…

5. MYSTICAL or MIRACULOUS- experiences that the saint had are pictured. Ex. A man knocked off a horse in a blinding light?

St. Anthony the Abbot. January 17 Tormented by demons in the desertnot for the faint of heart. This is the marker on the front of the altar over his remains. The church is He contracted the Plague San Lorenzo (Lawrence) in Rome, Italy. from those he ministered to… and died.

St. Juan Diego Dec 9 Scientifically speaking, the tilma (cloak) should have decayed in 30 -40 years. It is nearly 500 years old. Don’t think that they had some fabulous preservation method in 1531. They had the power of God. Guess that’s enough.

6. SUFFERING- the saint could be pictured with wounds from Christ’s PASSION. Ex. The stigmata

Cascia, Italy is in region #10 St. Rita of Cascia- May 22

The Wounds of the Cross

7. HAND GESTURES- how the hand is painted is a kind of sign language. In your notes, describe how the two following gestures LOOK and what they MEAN.

St. N I c h o l a s Dec 6 This hand gesture, finger to thumb is part of the hand spelling of Jesus Christ in Greek- it is the ‘C’ for Christ. It stands for the joining of divine and human natures in Jesus Christ.

8. WRITINGS- If the saint wrote important things on the faith, look for a written piece of the MESSAGE he/she taught. Ex. Gospel writers like…

Doctors of the Church

An anchoress detached herself from the world. She lived in a small room, or cell, attached to the church, which, according to a 13 th century rule, had three windows: one that opened into the Church, so she could hear Mass and receive the Blessed Sacrament; one to speak with her servant, who met her daily domestic needs; and one to give spiritual advice to people who came to her. Sometimes an anchoress moved around the parish, but she lived and spent most of her time in her cell.

9. GOOD WORKS- The saint might be pictured with what they did for others, their charity. Ex. This saint fed the poor and made her husband, the King, angry…

St E L I Z A B E T H

St. Katherine Drexel

St. Vincent de Paul

10. The INCORRUPT might be shown as themselves in the artwork!

St. Bernadette of Lourdes d. 1879

The Incorrupt Ø Corrupt means to decay or rot Ø When used as a prefix, ‘IN’ means ‘not’ Ø There are 250+ known incorruptibles around the world. Ø Of course, there may be any number of incorrupt who have not been exhumed. Ø Do not think any scientific preservation was used… mummy v incorrupt

St. Silvan died approx. 325 AD

St. Charbel Makhlouf, who died in 1898, was a Maronite monk from Lebanon. In his life, he seemed unremarkable except for his quiet and intense devotion. After his death, for 45 nights, strange lights appeared over his grave. Because 45 days is the traditional length of time for a body’s decomposition, the monastic authorities called for his exhumation. His body was found perfectly fresh, despite the fact that recent rains had reduced the cemetery to a quagmire and the body was found floating in a muddy pool. Charbel’s body was re-clothed and transferred to a wooden coffin, but a strange blood- like “oil” kept exuding from his body… so much so that the clothes had to be changed twice a week. In 1927 – 29 years after his death – his still incorrupt body was examined and found to be totally flexible. It was then re -buried in a niche in the ancient abbey church. Pilgrims to the shrine in 1950 noticed liquid seeping from the tomb and the coffin was opened again.