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| Home : Catholicism : Christian Saints |
| Christian Saints | Hits: 1117 |
 Description: n general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. It can be applied to both the living and the dead and is an acceptable term in most of the world's popular religions. The Saint is held up by the community as an example of how we all should act, and his or her life story is usually recorded for the edification of future generations.
The process of officially recognizing a person as a saint, practiced by some churches, is called canonization.
In the Roman Catholic church, the title of Saint - with a capital 'S' - refers to a person who has been formally canonized (officially recognized) by the Church. This takes place sometime after the person’s death and by this definition, never refers to a living person. Formal Canonization is a lengthy process often taking many years, even centuries. The individual is thoroughly investigated by the church and often a number of visions and miracles have to be linked to the person in order to declare them a Saint. Also, by this definition there are many people in heaven who are not Saints simply because their lives were not exemplary (though they still went to heaven) and the church does not wish to uphold the individual as an example to be emulated.
Catholics believe that the Saints are intermediaries between God and man. Saints are not worshiped - this would violate the Commandments - but they are asked for help or to pray for a person. Saints are usually considered to be specific intercessors for specific problems as well. The term Patron Saint usually defines this purpose. Once a person has been declared a Saint, the body of the Saint is considered to be holy. In past centuries, the bones of saints were distributed as holy artifacts. The ring on the finger of Catholic bishops contains the relic of a Saint. In modern times, however, there is a growing trend to show respect for the body of a Saint by leaving it alone and buried.
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| Resource Specification | | CustomTeaserText: | n general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. It can be applied to both the living and the dead and is an acceptable term in most of the world's popular religions. The Saint is held up by the community as an example of how we all should act, and his or her life story is usually recorded for the edification of future generations.
The process of officially recognizing a person as a saint, practiced by some churches, is called canonization. | | Date Added: | 12pm30UTC_f2005Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:39:11 +000004pm30 |
| Last Updated: | 12pm30UTC_f2005Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:39:11 +000004pm30 | | Author: | admin |
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