For the month of October, we all prepare for Halloween, or “All Hallows Eve.” Then on the Christian calendar we jump right into “All Saint’s Day” or “All Hallows’ Day,” Hallowmas, or “Feast of All Saints.” This is the day that Christian churches commemorate all the saints of the church. The celebration is on November 1st in the Western churches and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Eastern churches.
In honor of All-Saints’ Day, I thought I would learn more about saints and pass what I have learned onto you. I was brought up Christian in a Protestant faith, but I wasn’t taught much about specific saints. Those teachings were left to those who follow the Catholic faith. As the co-founder of a paranormal team, we use prayers involving saints. I understand those who follow the Catholic teachings often pray to or ask for assistance and guidance from saints.
I first wanted to know how many saints there are. In this modern age of technology, I did what anyone else would do, I Googled my question, and I was amazed on how many saints were recognized. There are at least 8,050 in total. This number includes all saints, blessed, and venerable (a title for someone proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church to have attained the first degree of sanctity or of an Anglican Archdeacon). So, I am not going to write about all 8,050. This blog would turn into a book.
There are so many saints that when prayed to or asked guidance from, it is hard to choose. My head is spinning with the amount of knowledge one must know. Please don’t be offended if your favorite saint isn’t mentioned.
It is best to start off with probably the most important saint (in my opinion), Saint Mary. Arguably the most important Saint of all. Mary the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ is said to have been born without the burden of sin. Like her son, she too has been exalted by the divine grace, and stationed above all angels and men. It is said when you ask Mary for guidance or help, she asks her son to perform the task you ask for. The task will be granted because Jesus will not deny his mother’s requests.
Saint Anthony is a popular saint. He is the go-to saint of the lost. Saint Anthony isn’t just for lost items. He is sought out for all the lost. Associated with finding lost items, lost people, lost causes, and most importantly, lost souls. St. Anthony’s voice alone is said to have had the power to convert non-believers after hearing just one of his sermons.
Saint Vincent is called upon when charitable causes need his help. Saint Vincent having experienced a life of poverty and struggle, as a slave. Vincent shifted his focus to the poor and destitute. Saint Vincent aimed to help feed and clothe the poor and provide shelter for women and children. As he became more familiar with the needs of the people, he found financial backers that helped to fund hospitals, gather relief funds for the victims of war, and it is said that he helped to free some 1,200 gallery slaves from North Africa.
Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers and children, isn’t a saint at all. Well at least, there is no documentation of his beatification or canonization. His claim to fame (if you will) is first, he chose to guide travelers to cross a difficult river. Saint Christopher was a large and strong man. Other men who tried to perform this job often failed and drowned.
The legend goes a child approached Saint Christopher and asked him to help him cross the river. Saint Christopher carried the child across the river but mid-way, the child became extremely heavy. It took all Saint Christopher’s might to carry the child, but they made it to the other side.
When Saint Christopher asked the child why he became so heavy, the child’s response was that he was the Christ child and when he carried him, he was carrying the world. From this legend is where Saint Christopher also became the patron saint to children.
These are just a few saints I found interesting. When I Googled a list of patron saints, I was floored. There is a saint for almost, if not all, patronages (occupations). If you are in need to find a saint to match your patronage, I suggest you Google your request.
I can’t leave out the saints of the archangels. As a paranormal investigator, these saints are called upon more often. It may help for me to know and you as well, who they are and why we call upon them.
There are three archangels that the Catholic church recognizes. Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, and Saint Raphael. There are seventeen archangels in total.
Saint Michael – Michael means, “who is like God.” God gave Saint Michael the responsibility of protecting us. He has been depicted conquering the devil and it is why we pray to him when encountering malevolent or demonic entities.
Saint Gabriel – Gabriel means, “hero of God.” Gabriel is God’s hero because he communicates His message. We all know of Gabriel from the Christmas story with his role in announcing to Mary that she would become the mother of God’s son.
Saint Raphael – Raphael means, “God has healed.” Raphael is the archangel designated for physical and emotional healing. Working in conjunction with Archangel Michael, Archangel Raphael helps to clear away fears and stressors that maybe adversely affecting your health.
Here are the remaining fourteen archangels and their purposes:
Archangel Ariel – The angel that helps you achieve your physical and material needs.
Archangel Azrael – The angel of death and spiritual counseling.
Archangel Chamuel – The angel of peaceful relationships.
Archangel Haniel – The angel of joy and helping maintain divine communication.
Archangel Jeremiel – The angel to help you become aware of your own thoughts and emotions.
Archangel Jophiel – The angel of wisdom and beauty.
Archangel Metatron – The angel of life. He is responsible for writing the good and evil of mankind.
Archangel Muriel – The angel of intuition and emotion.
Archangel Orion – The angel that will help manifest your dreams.
Archangel Raziel – The angel that works with increasing one’s psychic abilities and spirituality.
Archangel Sachiel – The angel that is connected to the streams of wealth, success, prosperity, harvest, harmony, and material gain.
Archangel Sandalphon – The angel helping you become more self-loving, gentle, patient, and kind.
Archangel Uriel – The angel of wisdom.
Archangel Zadkiel – The angel of forgiveness and mercy.
You can certainly do more research on these archangels. There is so much information on the web. This article is intended to give you a small insight of saints and the archangels. My research has created more questions than answers, but it has pointed me in the right direction.
The reason you might want to ask for assistance from saints or to call upon an archangel are as numerous as the saints themselves. I guess my takeaway from this is that God has given us many entities to rely on depending on our needs. In my opinion, God should be the first to rely on, but I believe he has also provided us “helpers” to assist us on our life’s journey.
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