The history of saints and we venerate them

SAINTS  In the Roman Catholic Church, the title ‘Saint’ is given to a person who has been formally canonized (recognized) by the Catholic Church and is believed to be already in Heaven. Canonization is a lengthy process and can take many years, decades or even centuries. In the canonization process, a thorough investigation of the life of the candidate is done. Only after the application is approved can the candidate be given the title ‘Venerable’ which could lead to his or her beatification, making the candidate ‘Blessed’. In order to be formally declared as a ‘Saint’, at least two approved miracles are required. Why We Venerate Saints We don’t worship them, but we do venerate them by having days dedicated to them. We hope to honor their memory by creating images and statues of them, to serve as an inspiration for all of us to follow. We hope to imitate their holiness. We ask them to pray for us, not to replace Our Lord Jesus Christ as the mediator between man and God the Father, but as brothers and sisters in heaven with whom God is pleased with. It’s like asking our families, our friends, priests or pastors to pray for us, to strengthen our prayers. Remember Matthew 18:20? “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.”