Studying the Saints

  • Thread starter Thread starter BabyDoll4
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

BabyDoll4

Guest
Last Easter my husband and I joined the Catholic church. Surprisingly it has/was a fairly easy journey. However, I really know nothing about the saints. I had begun reading St Faustina’s diary, but have not finished it yet. Where are some other places I can go to to learn about the saints. Secondly, what role do saints have in our lives?
 
BabyDoll4 said:
Last Easter my husband and I joined the Catholic church. Surprisingly it has/was a fairly easy journey.
Click to expand...
Wonderful; welcome to the Church! 😃 😃 Praise God :).
However, I really know nothing about the saints. I had begun reading St Faustina’s diary, but have not finished it yet. Where are some other places I can go to to learn about the saints.
Click to expand...
I can’t answer this very well, unfortunately. I tend to do most of my reading online. I google the names and just hunt down information.

But it’s certainly worth mentioning that there’s a great website about St. Gemma that a member of this forum just set up. The topic he made about her (which includes the link to his website) is still on the first page of this Spirituality subforum, I believe.
Secondly, what role do saints have in our lives?
Click to expand...
Prayer support, primarily :). At least that’s how I understand it (I’m new to the Church, too). The saints in Heaven pray for us to God, when we ask them to.
 
The Saints are our heavenly family; they inspire us, they support us, they help us, they love us, and they pray for us.

The Saints are part of the Church triumphant and we are part of the Church militant. The Saints are still part of the Church, but they have triumphed over sin and have won the battle against sin and death. We are part of the Church militant because we are still fighting concupsience, sin, death, and the Enemy. The Saints are victors who understand what we are going through; they understand our needs and do their best to help us attain eternal life. Just as we want our children to do well, the Saints in heaven want us to be holy and good.

Pray regularly to the Saints. They are there to help us win the battle and defeat sin and death.
 
Dempsey1919 said:
The Saints are our heavenly family; they inspire us, they support us, they help us, they love us, and they pray for us.

The Saints are part of the Church triumphant and we are part of the Church militant. The Saints are still part of the Church, but they have triumphed over sin and have won the battle against sin and death. We are part of the Church militant because we are still fighting concupsience, sin, death, and the Enemy. The Saints are victors who understand what we are going through; they understand our needs and do their best to help us attain eternal life. Just as we want our children to do well, the Saints in heaven want us to be holy and good.

Pray regularly to the Saints. They are there to help us win the battle and defeat sin and death.
Click to expand...
Good answer. 😃

The saints, since they are close to Jesus, pass along our requests directly to Him for us. 😃

Here’s a few places you can look up information on saints:

PATRON SAINTS PATRONAGE INDEX: a privately-created and run website. I really like it!
catholic-forum.com/saints/patronnf.htm

Catholic Online: news, commentary, and lots of Catholic stuff! catholic.org/ (look under “Most Popular” and you’ll find it)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church: you can search alphabetically in the index – look under “s” for saints. scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

Hope these help! 😃 Welcome home!
 
Dempsey1919 said:
The Saints are part of the Church triumphant and we are part of the Church militant. The Saints are still part of the Church, but they have triumphed over sin and have won the battle against sin and death. We are part of the Church militant because we are still fighting concupsience, sin, death, and the Enemy. The Saints are victors who understand what we are going through; they understand our needs and do their best to help us attain eternal life. Just as we want our children to do well, the Saints in heaven want us to be holy and good.
Click to expand...
Wow, I think that is the best explanation I have ever received. Thank you very much.

Thank you for the links. I had browsed last night the link about St. Gemma. I book marked it (I think 🤷 ) and will read more. Thank you all for your (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
And the most important and holiest of all the saints, with the most power to intercede for us and form us and make us more Christ-like is the Blessed Virgin Mary. 🙂

A great book on her is True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis De Montfort or The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis De Montfort
 
My Life With the Saints by Fr. James Martin is one of my favorite books on the Saints. It really helped me in my understanding of the Saints and how to have a relationship with them.
 
Thank you for all those links. The books all look great. Now I just need to find time to read them! 🤷

Who are some of your favorite saints? I am so excited to start this study. I know there are so many out there too.
 
Who are some of your favorite saints? I am so excited to start this study. I know there are so many out there too.
Click to expand...
The Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint Dominic
Saint Michael the Archangel
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Saint Bernadette
Saint Anthony
Saint Philip Neri
Pope St Pius X

These are some of my favourite Saints, but I often pray to others.
 
40.png
BabyDoll4:
Who are some of your favorite saints?
Click to expand...
Dances all over the place, singing: The Virgin Maaaary!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

And St. Gemma. And St. Daniel. I think those are my three favorites right now. Most of all the Virgin Mary :).
 
BabyDoll4 said:
Last Easter my husband and I joined the Catholic church. Surprisingly it has/was a fairly easy journey. However, I really know nothing about the saints. I had begun reading St Faustina’s diary, but have not finished it yet. Where are some other places I can go to to learn about the saints. Secondly, what role do saints have in our lives?
Click to expand...
In the Apsotles Creed we say we believe in the Communion of Saints. We are in communion with the saints, and one another who are alive here on earth. We are in a faith communion here on earth. In heaven there is no faith. Faith is fulfilled there. We believe here, but in heaven there is no need to believe. The saints see God face to face. They were once like us. They needed faith. They were all sinful in some way, but by grace achieved lives of heroic virtue. Now they are in heaven and we are in communion with them.

Love is more powerful than death. Death does not separate those who love one another and are in spiritual communion. In any communion something must be shared. We are in a spiritual communion with the saints and share spiritual goods. Their race is run. Ours is ongoing. We are on our way, en via. They have arrived at their destiny. They pray for us on our way. We here can still perform spiritual sacrifices. They can not. We suffer and offer our suffering to Christ. They no longer suffer. They love us. We love them.

We believe in prayer. Prayer is a spiritual communion. It is an experession of love for one another and God hears our prayers. This is a communion and we are in that communion with the souls who have gone before us, not only the saints, but the holy souls in purgatory who are on their way to heaven.

My favorite saints are Mary the Mother of God, Saints Joseph, Padre Pio, Maria Goretti, martyr, Maximillian Kolbe, martyr, Edith Stein (Theresa Benedicta) martyr, Therese of Lisieux, Kateri Tekawitha, Isaac Joques, martyr, Louis DiMontfort, Francis DeSales, Thomas Aquinas, Gerard Majella, Angela Foligno, Anthony of Padua, Athanasius, Bernadette, Joan of Arc, Elizabeth Ann Seton, John Bosco, John Vianney.

Just thinking about them lifts my spirits.
 
How could I forget Saint Joseph! He is a great saint and is actually the patron of the Universal (Catholic) Church. Saint Jospeh is a model of manhood and fatherhood.
 
Dempsey1919 said:
The Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint Dominic
Saint Michael the Archangel
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Saint Bernadette
Saint Anthony
Saint Philip Neri
Pope St Pius X

These are some of my favourite Saints, but I often pray to others.
Click to expand...

St. Philip ? Wonderful !!!​

Also:
  • St Claude de la Colombiere (S.J.)
  • Ven. Cesare Baronio
  • Ven. John Henry Newman
  • St. Alphonsus Liguori
  • St. Thomas Aquinas
  • St. Francois de Sales
  • St. Bede (the only English Doctor of the Church)
  • St. Cuthbert
  • Moses the Man of God, Prophet & Lawgiver
  • St. Teresa of Avila
    But mostly St. Philip 🙂
 
Because you’re a convert, you may want to read about St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. She was a convert, a mother and an American. You may have some things in common with her.

Reading her story is easy. It is written in contemporary English and it flows nicely. Her writings are very deep in mysticism and she writes a great deal about her relationships with her family and friends who are not Catholic. Another thing that she does in her writings and through her life is to keep up those relationships with a great deal of charity and almost a sense of humour. She also deals with everyday issues that face a mother.

There was a wonderful film about her which you may find on amazon.com. It’s called A Time for Miracles. It’s quite accurate.

You may like her.

Fraternally,

JR 🙂
 
Saintly Solutions to Life‘s Common Problems by Fr. Joseph Esper is a good book.

There are many reasons to feel close to a saint, for example:
  • I or my spouse bear his or her name.
  • He or she shared some territory with me: lived and worked in my city or region, worked at my trade or is patron of it, founded an Order with whose charisma I identify, had a disability or a problem similar to mine.
  • He or she had a quality I admire, or a gift or ability in my area of need.
  • He or she furthered, or is patron of, a cause I care about.
  • Someone I admire is inspired by this saint.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top