by Kat Apf

Created on: December 21, 2011   Last Updated: December 23, 2011

Many people misunderstand Catholics and saints.  Catholics do not pray to saints, but with and through them.  Catholics pray to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Catholics do ask the saints for help but they do not pray to saints the way they pray to God.  Often, due to ignorance, people will ridicule Catholics for their beliefs about saints and that's quite sad considering the beauty of saints and how they relate to the Catholic faith.

Catholics believe that the saints are in Heaven with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, guiding and helping people on earth.  The Communion of Saints, which is an essential belief for all Catholics, means just that, that the saints are there to assist, comfort and nourish us in our faith.

Quite a few Catholics have a favorite saint or a patron saint.  Some Catholics take on a saint's name at Confirmation. This saint is usually important to them in some way and they may celebrate their saint's feast day or say a special thank you to their saint for helping them.

Every saint is associated with a job or an affliction or many times both. Some saints are even associated with hobbies, states and countries. Catholics will choose a saint to pray with and through, who is noted for being helpful to those people with whatever issue they are having.  For example, Saint Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye diseases.  A Catholic may pray through Saint Lucy, asking her to help and direct Jesus toward them if they are having eye issues.  For a list of patron saints click here.

The concept is difficult, even for some Catholics, to understand.  Think of it like this, you have a problem and you go to a friend and ask them to say a prayer for you.  When Catholics ask the saints for help, it's the same idea.  Would you not ask a friend to pray for you? Would you not pray for a friend?  The saints are there to help us with every and any situation. 

It's quite comforting to many Catholics that there are saints and angels to accompany them in their faith journey.  Saints can be a source of inspiration, a friend who understands you, a role model to emulate and a way to be closer to Jesus. Saints can lead a person to the right path, revive a person's faith and reassure a person when they are not feeling well. One of the best parts of being Catholic is knowing that you have saints surrounding you and knowing they'll step up and help whenever you need them.

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