Churches and Saints?

[RomanRyan1088]

Just a questoin from a Kid

Why do we name our chuches after saints, I understand they are great people, but why after saints? Why not name it after something that has to do with God?

For Example:
Chris the King

Or something like that, Is their a reason for naming our church after saints?

 

[Lance]

Some are named after other things. In our are we have The Church of The Holy Cross, we also have St. Peter, St. Patrick and St. John Newman. I don’t know why we name most of our Churches after saints. I notice most protestant churches are not so named.

 

[_veritas]

Hmm… Here is a list of the non-Saint/Marian parishes in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Archdiocese:

Ascension (2 parishes)
Blessed Sacrament
Christ the King
Corpus Christi
Divine Mercy
Good Shepherd
Holy Childhood
Holy Family
Holy Name of Jesus
Holy Redeemer
Holy Spirit
Holy Trinity (3 parishes)
Incarnation
Most Holy Redeemer
Most Holy Trinity (2 parishes)
Nativity of Our Lord
Pax Christi
Risen Savior
Sacred Heart (3 parishes)
Transfiguration

Granted, there are way more total parishes than this in our Archdiocese… so most parishes are still saint-named or Marian.

The reasons for naming parishes after saints stem, I’m sure, from the same reasons for individauls or groups having patron saints. Patron saints give a parish their particular example to follow, and set the tone for the development of parish charisms. For example, St. Francis named parishes will naturally tend to be more Franciscan. Ethnic communities also have “their” saints. In our Cathedral of St. Paul, we have the Shrine of Nations that was built to honor the many immigrants who helped to build her–St. Anthony for the Italians, St. John the Baptist for the French, St. Patrick for the Irish, St. Boniface for the Germans, Ss. Cyril and Methodius for the Slavics, and St. Therese for the missions (everyone else I guess ). Remember, back in the day you could have three parishes within a short distance of each other. This was because you had both diocesan parishes and ethnic parishes (ie, German or Italian). Thus, many times you could tell what ethnicity a parish was by its name–St. Anthony was a dead give away for an Italian parish, St. Andrew Kim for a Vietnamese parish, Our Lady of Gudalupe for a Hispanic/Mexican parish, etc. Today, with the nature of our “globalized” societies, there is no longer so much of a distinction in parishes as to their ethnicity (though some still are decidedly ethnic to be sure!!)

We are only human, and we need to look to the example of the saints before us as we walk our own spiritual path.

+veritas+

 

[Mike_C]

We name our churches after Saints, Our Lady and Our Lord to invoke their protection. We can derive comfort from it and also spark devotion to that particular person after whom it is named.

That is why Catholics name their children after Saints also; to invoke their protection. Unfortuately, people don’t always live upt to that devotion. How many times do you read in the paper or see on the news that Jesus Rivera was picked up for grand larceny, burglery, grand auto theft, etc. What a shame!

Also, I read on a diocesean web site that Sister Dawn______ was leading the Religious Ed program. What was the priest drinking (or smoking ) the day he baptized her?? Thats why religious took another name; to symbolize their new way of life. Sister Dawn? Pleeeeease!
In Philadelphia there is a St. Joseph’s Baptist church!

 

[ralphinal]

Don’t forget that saints are saints because everything they did had to do with God. You cannot be a saint if God is not first in your life. It makes more sense then naming a Church after the street it sits upon, order it was founded, or the area it serves.

A few years ago, the Atlanta Braves where moving into a new baseball field. Many people pointed out that there was not a professional sports facility named for a former player, though there are for coaches and owners. That is where the Catholic Church is different. We recognize our hall of famers by naming things after the,.

 

[Charles]

Isn’t it true that when and where possible Parishes will have a relic of the saint they are named after? I’ve heard this from somewhere but didn’t know if it was true or not.

 

[ralphinal]

Charles:

Isn’t it true that when and where possible Parishes will have a relic of the saint they are named after? I’ve heard this from somewhere but didn’t know if it was true or not.

I am not at home to find it exactly, but if I am not mistaken, that all churches have a relic in them, preferably from their patron, but not always from their patron.

 

[RomanRyan1088]

Charles:

Isn’t it true that when and where possible Parishes will have a relic of the saint they are named after? I’ve heard this from somewhere but didn’t know if it was true or not.

I don’t think so because the one of the churches here is named St.Mary, and they can’t have a relic of st mary because well, her body is in heaven.

And i go to a church called St.Joseph, but do we have relics from him?

 

[Charles]

I understand there wouldn’t be relics from Mary and other early saints, but I had thought there was something about having a relic in your Church. Again, I’ve never heard definitively so I could be absolutely wrong.

 

[Mike_C]

Yes, there are relics of early saints. Only 2nd class relics of St. Joseph. (One of my former pastors had a relic of the staff and cloak of St. Joseph)

 

[_veritas]

It is not so much the churches that traditionally have relics, it is the altars.

Until very recently in Church history, all fixed altars were required to have a relic inside to commerate a particular saint and pray for their intercession at each Mass offered at that altar.

Nowadays, I think most churches do still have at least one relic, but not necessarily one per altar… I could be wrong on this.

The relic, if possible, is usually a 1st class relic from the patron saint of the parish/city/community. Obviously, Marian parishes will not have an actual Marian relic (though other relics, such as the Nativity crib, can be used) since she was Assumed (and actually, the fact that NO CHUCH or people have ever claimed to have the body of Mary is a supportive reason given for the Church’s proclamation on Mary’s Assumption!)

At our parish, the Cathedral of St. Paul, we have numerous relics. In our high altar, we have the relics of St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Maria Goretti, St. Pope Pius X, and a fragment of the True Cross.

I tried to upload a picture of our altar, but the forums won’t let me If anyone wants to see the altar engraving (in Latin) stating the relic contents of our high altar, e-mail me and I can send it to you.

+veritas+