What is a Saint?
In the Catholic Church, the saints are ordinary people like you and me who made it to heaven. They’ve done nothing that you and I cannot do, if we persevere in following Jesus Christ and living our lives according to His teaching.
Catholic devotion to the saints is nothing more than respect and admiration for the memory of the deceased heroes of the Church. We honor them as men and women of heroic virtue who can serve as our role models. They were no more perfect than are we; but, at the end of their lives – and hopefully, ours – they received from Our Lord his words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
We also ask the saints to intercede for us. Have you ever asked anyone to pray for you when you were having a hard time? That is how Catholics “pray to” the saints – we pray with saints, not to them. As the Letter of James says, “The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.”
Well-known saints like those below often are remembered in a special way on particular days during the year.
January – February – March – April – May – June
July – August – September – October – November – December
This Weeks Saints
April 20
St. Agnes of Montepulciano
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Divine Mercy Sunday
April 21
St Anselm of Canterbury
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April 22
Pope St Soter
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April 23
St. George
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April 24
St Fidelis
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April 25
St. Mark
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April 26
Our Lady of Good Counsel
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April 23
St. George
One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, George is one of the most famous saints in Western Europe. He was thought to be a Roman officer of Greek descent from Cappadocia who served in the Praetorian Guard and was beheaded during the reign of the emperor Diocletian for refusing to recant his faith. This happened during Diocletian’s persecution of 303AD, aimed at Christians among the professional soldiers of the Roman army. There is no reason to doubt the historicity of St. George, although there is no historical evidence of many of the tales told about him.
Legends of St. George’s deeds were incorporated into the medieval account of the lives of the saints called the Golden Legend, and he became associated with dragons in Italian accounts of his life. The legends concerning dragons arose in the twelfth century and made him a model knight and a protector of women.
George was venerated in England as early as the eighth century and was the patron of the Christian crusaders. The red cross worn by crusaders, later seen in the Union Jack and in the decorations of the Order of the Garter in England, are called “St. George’s Arms.” The Order of the Garter has been under his patronage since its founding in 1347. The cult of St. George is part of the history of the crusades and England. He has been a popular figure for artists, depicted as a young knight in mortal combat with a dragon, a Middle Ages symbol of evil. The “Arms” of St. George are a red cross in a white ground.
“As for Saint George, he was consumed with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Armed with the invincible standard of the cross, he did battle with an evil king and acquitted himself so well that, in vanquishing the king, he overcame the prince of all wicked spirits, and encouraged other soldiers of Christ to perform brave deeds in his cause.”
St. Peter Damian
April 25
St. Mark
Like one of the other Gospel writers (Luke), St. Mark was not one of the original 12 apostles. We can’t be sure whether or not he ever encountered Jesus personally. But what we are certain of is that he was a missionary companion of his cousin, St. Barnabas and St. Paul, and a close friend of St. Peter, who called him “my son”. When Saint Peter escaped from prison, he went to the home of Mark’s mother.
Mark’s Gospel is the oldest and shortest of the four Gospels. Mark’s Gospel was probably written between 60 and 70 A.D., and was based upon the teachings of St. Peter. It is believed Mark provided both Luke and Matthew with basic sources for their Gospel’s. He is held to be the first bishop of Alexandria, Egypt; and is claimed as its patron by the city of Venice.