How to Pray with the Saints
Bob Burnham Loyola Press: Praying with the Saints
We are shown a 5 step meditative approach to praying with the saints. He tell us us:
Getting to know the saints—or letting them get to know us—involves more than learning facts about them. We want to develop a relationship with them. Just as being a good neighbor requires that we know more than a neighbor’s address, developing a relationship with a saint means more than knowing the saint’s date of birth, feast day, what he or she is the patron of, and other biographical details.
Bob Burnham
Ask Fr. Francis: “I was challenged by a Protestant group that why Roman Catholic pray to saints and Mary and not directly to Jesus and God. Do we Catholic deviate from what the Bible is telling us? I was a bit bothered by that question. Please help me understand why we practice such way.”
Scott Richart Why Do Catholics Pray to Saints? Learn Religions
Like all Christians, Catholics believe in life after death. But unlike some Christians who believe that the divide between our life here on earth and the life of those who have died and gone to Heaven is unbridgeable, Catholics believe that our relationship with our fellow Christians does not end with death. Catholic prayer to saints is a recognition of this continuing communion.
Scott Richart
Praying the Liturgical Calendar
You can pray with the saints on their Memorial or Feast Day as designated by the liturgical calendar. You can find these days on the Canadian Bishops website : 2019-2020 (Year A) | 2020-2021 (Year B You can see particular memorials and Feasts for Canadian Dioceses here: Liturgical Calendar Proper to the Dioceses of Canada
What is the difference between a solemnity, a feast, and a memorial? from Catholic Straight Answers
Stories of the Saints
Canadian Bishops: Canada’s Saints and Blesseds
A number of men and women, each in some particular way, have shaped the life of the Church in Canada by their holiness of life. Nourished by prayer and the Sacraments and fortified by the practice of the virtues, they spread the Good News in Canada, dedicated themselves to the service of others—especially the underprivileged—scarified life’s comforts and in some instances even gave up their lives in witness to their faith. Over the years, a succession of Popes has recognized these noble men and women, declaring them Saints, Blesseds, Venerables, and Servants of God.
CCCB Website
Sections:
- Why do Catholics remember and venerate saints?
- Why do we pray to the saints?
- How is someone declared a blessed or saint?
Franciscan Media: Saint of the Day This site reflects the Liturgical Calendar for the United States which mostly coincides with the Canadian Liturgical Calendar.
Loyola Press: Saints Stories for All Ages. See also Calendar of Saints Stories for All Ages | Saints Activities and Lesson Plans | Laughing with the Saints | Celebrate the Lives of the Saints | Getting to Know the Lesser Known Saints
10 Videos for Children about saints
Christian Kids TV: Stories of Saints
Images of the Saints
Wikimedia: Roman Catholic Saints
A Guide to Christian Iconography: Images, Symbols, and Texts
Fisheaters Symbols of the Saints in Art