Show ‘Saints’ differ among faiths By JOHN DeVILBISS Standard Examiner religion editor To be called a saint today you can either join the Latter-da- y Saint Church or wish you were an early member of the Roman Catholic Church At one time all it took was an acclamation from a Catholic church gathering for a person to become a saint Consequently saints by the hundreds were being declared in the early days of the church said Father Thomas Delaney assistant pastor of St Mary’s Church in Ogden Since Vatican II however many of those saints have been downgraded because more of their history appears to be legendary than factual That does not mean that St Christopher the legendary patron saint for travelers has been reduced to “Mr Christopher” He and hundreds of other saints are still considered saints just not canonized by the church he said - should not be declared a saint Delaney said “We just don’t want to make a mistake” he said “We’re probably too cautious” While Halloween festivities continue to dominate the sacred holiday of All Saints’ Day the act of honoring saints is still quietly observed by many churches Today the process of making today Generally all churches is a good day a person a saint is much more agree that Nov laborious often taking several to honor the saints but they don't all agree on what makes a hundred years The procedure which some may liken to the saint Most churches however congressional ratification of a agree that a person cannot beSupreme Court nomination in- come a saint until many years cludes petitions investigations after he or she has died An oband proof of miracles The vious exception to this can be church even holds its own court found in the Church of Jesus Saints Just hearing complete with a defense Christ of Latter-da- y and a prosecutor who hear the as the name states everybody is case as to why or why a person" called a “saint” in the Mormon 1 Saint Section Cover Roman Catholic saints today include apostles martyrs men and women Most all of their churches are named after saints Most of their stained glass figures also depict saints St Joseph’s Church in Ogden for example includes 12 saints that don its windows and six more as statues They are painted and sculptured to exoke holy veneration and stand as perfect examples of unfaltering faith devotion and virtue But even so their pedestals are not so lofty that they can’t come down from time to time to aid in some of the more pedestrian tasks of mortality — like looking for From" lost keys Take for instance St Anthony of Padua Born in Lisbon Portugal in 1195 AD he was the first theologian of the Franciscan Order He was beloved for his fiery sermons and the many miracles -- he performed He died at the age of 36 in 1231 AD and was canonized a saint 6 Church News Standard-Examine- r Church The late Mormon Apostle Elder Bruce R McConkie in “Mormon Doctrine” wrote that faithful members of the church are called saints “a title signifying that they have been cleansed by baptism and are pure and clean before the Lord” He said the use of the term “saints” can be found frequently in the scriptures In all it is used 40 times in the Old Testament 60 times in the New Testament and 30 times in LDS Scripture the Doctrine and Covenants He quoted the Apostle Paul from II Thessalonians 1:10 who said true believers in the last day will be called saints “The only true saints in this day are thus members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat one year later Interestingly his name lives on today not so much as a brilliant preacher but as the patron saint of lost articles No one in the church today seems to know the reason why he earned this title But it is St Anthony that Catholics throughout the world turn to when they lose their keys or other possessions “I've always had a special devotion to St Anthony” said Pat Duncan a member of St Mary’s Church She recalled once when her son lost her car keys She said she frantically looked all over the car for them but to no avail In desperation she told her son to pray with her to St Anthony Afterwards “we looked down on the floor board and there were the keys” Barbara Zimmerman a member of St Mary’s said her husband used to accuse her of working St Anthony overtime But she also turns to other saints such as St Jude when faced with an overwhelming task Jude is the patron saint of desperate or hopeless cases Patron saints list like a “Who’s Who” ter-da- y Saints” McConkie wrote Catholics and members of other faiths take exception to such a bold statement For Catholics who believe it takes much more than simply baptism to become a saint the Mormon’s use of the term is used much too casually term applies to those men and women who by exemplary holiness and after careful scrutiny by the church are declared saints only by the pope To hear it used otherwise and as pervasively as Mormons do “grates on my ears” Delaney said Dean L May professor of history at the University of Utah and of “Building the City of God” said Mormons are not trying to be smug by calling themselves saints They use the title as a hope of what they one day can become “Sainthood for Mormons is an honorific term that is given to lead us toward achieved sainthood but one does not have to show they have been sanctified in order to get that title” he said “As long as you are trying you are a saint” or “You don’t use the word lightly” said Delaney “To use the word ‘saint’ is to use the word with great devotion and respect” While Catholics teach that any person who dies and goes to heaven is a saint only when the church knows for sure they have gone to heaven can they officially declare or canonize them Delaney said The strict modern usage of the in the “1987 Catholic Almanac” with a compilation of patron saints who serve a wide range of people from accountants to youth A patron is a saint who is venerated as a special intercessor before God Most patrons according to the almanac have been so designated as the result of popular devotion and longstanding custom Thus you have St Monica who died in 387 AD and is the patron of mothers Custom has it that she was a model of a patient mother Fathers on the other hand are on their own No patron saint was listed for them But if you are a skier you can pray to St Bernard of Montjoux (or Menthon) who died in 1081 He was an Italian priest who founded Alpine hospices A skier who desires to pray for snow however will probably have to take a more direct route no such patron saint was listed And the list goes on including patrons for teachers pregnant women in labor lovers people who suffer from headaches even journalists and editors As a girl Zimmerman said she has al ways prayed to various saints to help her In her home today she has pictures and statues she uses as a reminder of these saints She said she prays to saints — not worships them The purpose they serve is to intercede for her before God's throne Delaney said that by recognizing that saints have power to intercede encourages others to pray to saints While they are not to be worshipped he said the church does encourage veneration — a way of showing adoration to God - — ’through his saints From the writings of the Catholic “Cure of Ars” it is said that saints are like so many little mirrors in which Jesus Christ sees himself Thus when the virtues of the saints are extolled Christ himself is extolled “We too can be saints and we must all strive to become so” it states “We must take the saints as our models for we should never forget that we must either be saints or be damned that we must live either for heaven or for hell There is no middle way” October 23 1963 |