One important tenet of the Catholic faith is that there is only one God that is allowed to be worshiped.
The Trinity made up of God, Jesus, and the holy spirit, is seen as one entity and the one true god.
So do Catholics pray to saints, and is this seen as the same as worship?
It’s a common practice in the Catholic faith to offer prayers to saints. This type of prayer is not considered worship, so it doesn’t go against the core commandments of the faith as some suggest. Instead, it is believed that saints are there to listen to our requests for help and guidance.
Saints hold a special significance in the eyes of God for their actions when they were once living, and so it is believed that there is a lot that Catholics can learn from the lives of saints that could be of benefit throughout life.
What Saints Do Catholics Pray To?
St. Jude
St. Jude is the patron saint of lost causes and is invoked when all other hope seems lost. He is also the patron saint of cancer patients, as he is known for his intercession in miraculous healings.
St. Anthony
St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost things and is often invoked when something has been lost or stolen. He is also the patron saint of poor people and travelers.
St. Christopher
St. Christopher is the patron saint of safe travels and is often invoked before undertaking a journey. He is also the patron saint of transportation workers, such as truck drivers and pilots.
St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals and nature and is known for his love of all creatures great and small. He is also the patron saint of Italy and city planners.
St. Patrick
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is one of the most well-known saints in the Catholic Church. He is also the patron saint of engineers, as he was said to have used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to pagans
Why Do Catholics Pray To Saints?
Catholics pray to saints for a variety of reasons. Many prayers make reference to saints, and there are prayers that have been written specifically for certain saints.
Before a person officially becomes a saint, it’s also common for Catholics to pray to them as well for spiritual guidance or protection.
Most saints are considered to be patrons of certain things, practices, people, or places, and so one might choose to pray to a patron saint of something that relates to their current life situation.
For example, St. Nicholas is considered the patron saint of children, so one might pray to St. Nicholas if their child is sick or is in need of some help of some kind.
What Are Saints?
Saints are people who have either lived a life dedicated to spreading the word or the will of God or who have made some kind of sacrifice in their life due to their faith.
A saint may also be someone who lost their life because of their faith; these people would also be called martyrs.
Someone might also become a saint if their life was associated with some kind of miracle. It may be that they were witnesses to a miracle, or they were involved in a miraculous occasion of some kind.
One could also be declared a saint if there is sufficient evidence that one lived a life of consistent faithfulness and duty to god.
There are virtues that the Catholic church considers for someone to be worthy of sainthood, and several members of the church will analyze a person’s life to see if they meet that criteria.
How Does A Person Become A Saint?
The Catholic Church is responsible for declaring a person into sainthood.
There is a ceremonial process in place for one to be declared a saint, and there is also a process to submit a recommendation for sainthood that can be sent to the Vatican.
There are a host of criteria that a person must meet before the church might consider canonizing them as a saint after death.
Canonization is part of the process of one becoming a saint. There is also criteria that a person must meet to be canonized, and a formal mass will be performed to make the announcement.
Additionally, a person can be beautified, which means that a person is on the path to becoming a saint.
What Praying To Saints Represents
A person who practices Catholicism is encouraged to pray to a saint of their choosing if they are experiencing some kind of distress or challenge in their life.
Since it is believed that saints have a unique connection to God, the belief is that they are in the position to advocate for people on Earth to God.
Interestingly, there have been a plethora of documented and anecdotal miracles and unexplained, positive occurrences that have happened throughout history after a person has prayed to a saint.
Final Thoughts
Saints are of great importance to the Catholic religion, and it has been a long-held tradition to offer prayers and speak with saints.
It is not considered the same thing as worship, which is something saved specifically for God and Jesus.
Saints and God are very close, as these people have lived lives as close to God’s vision as possible, even in times where it cost them everything.
