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Don Francis, presents interesting facts and FAQs about All Saints day and more...
Origin of All Saints Day
Origin of All Saints Day
Although the origin of All Saints Day is unclear, some sources indicate that the celebration started somewhere around the fourth century on the first Sunday after Pentecost by the Greek Christians to commemorate all Martyrs and Saints.
Later, on May 13, 609 AD Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon, best preserved ancient Roman building as a church in honor of “St. Mary and the Martyrs”. This event inspired the Church to observe May 13th as the All Saints Day.
The current date of November 1 was accustomed when Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel in St. Peter's Basilica in honor of all Saints sometime in the eighth century. Furthermore, in 837 AD Pope Gregory IV declared November 1 as All Saints Day for the entire Church.
Who are All Saints?
Who are All Saints?
All those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven, whose sainthood is known only to God.
All those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven, whose sainthood is known only to God.
What are the other names of All Saints Day?
What are the other names of All Saints Day?
All Saint’s Day, is also called as All Hallows’ Day or Hallowmas or Feast of All Saints
All Saint’s Day, is also called as All Hallows’ Day or Hallowmas or Feast of All Saints
Traditions on All Saints Day
Traditions on All Saints Day
In certain countries, the faithful make offerings
In certain countries, people bring flowers to the graves of their dead relatives
In certain parts of Europe, they light candles on top of the graves of their deceased relatives
In certain countries, people clean and / or repair the graves of their deceased relatives.
How many Saints are there?
How many Saints are there?
There are more than 10,000 saints recognized by the Catholic Church, though the early martyrs and confessors were not officially canonized saints.
For example, none of the Apostles were officially canonized.
Who was the first canonized saint?
Who was the first canonized saint?
The first Catholic saint , canonized by Pope John XV in 993 AD was St. Udalric.
The Stages to Sainthood
The Stages to Sainthood
These are the stages that a candidate navigates through before being canonized as a Saint.
1. Investigation:
The process commences with a request from the candidate's church / community to the local Bishop. The Bishop launches an investigation about the candidate’s life and if found worthy of sainthood, the report is submitted to Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
2. Servant of God:
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints further investigates the candidate’s life history. If the Congregation gathers enough evidence to consider the candidate for sainthood, they request the Vatican for permission to initiate a special tribunal. At this stage, the witnesses are called to attest to the candidate’s devotion to God, holiness, and other virtues. Advancing through this stage, the candidate will be named Servant of God.
3. Venerable:
During this stage, nine theologians review the materials and determine whether it is worth passing the request to the entire Congregation. If so, every aspect of the candidate’s life is examined to ensure there are no incidents or writings that are against the teachings of the Church. Once the Congregation for the Causes of Saints approves the candidate, they can declare that the candidate lived a heroically virtuous life (a life of holiness). Subsequently the candidate may be called Venerable.
4. Blessed:
For a candidate to be called Blessed, a healing miracle is necessary. The miraculous healing has to be permanent, and inscrutable for the healthcare community. After the doctors verify the healing, the panel of theologians approve the candidate. Thereafter the request is forwarded to the Pope for final approval and declared the candidate Blessed. This process is called beatification.
Note: There is one exception to the miracle requirement that’s worth noting. A martyr, who died for their faith, may not need a verified miracle to be called Blessed.
5. Saint:
After being beatified, another miracle through the intercession of the candidate is necessary for him/her to be canonized. The Congregation verifies the miracle and sends the information over to the Pope for the final decision. Once canonized, the candidate is officially declared a Saint.
Who are the Youngest Saints?
Who are the Youngest Saints?
St. Tarcisius, known as a martyr of the Eucharist, died at the age of 12. He died in the 3rd century, which was before the Congregation.
St. Maria Goretti died at the age of 11. She was beatified on Apr 27, 1947 and canonized on Jun 24, 1950 by Pope Pius XII.
St. Kizito was the youngest of the Martyrs of Uganda, who died at age of 14. He was beatified in 1920 and canonized on Oct 18, 1964 by Pope Paul VI.
St. Jacinta Marto died at the age of 10, just three years after seeing visions of an angel and Our Lady in Fatima, Portugal. She was Beatified on May 13, 2000 and canonized on May 13, 2017 by Pope Francis.
St. Francisco Marto, sibling of St. Jacinta, died at the age of 11, was also one of the three children blessed with a vision of Our Lady of Fatima. He was Beatified on May 13, 2000 and canonized on May 13, 2017 by Pope Francis.
St. Jose Luis Sanchez del Rio was another young martyr died at the age of 14. He was beatified on Nov 20, 2005 and canonized on Oct 16, 2016 by Pope Francis.
Who are the most recent Saints?
Who are the most recent Saints?
Saint Marguerite Bays (8 Sep, 1815 – 27 Jun, 1879) was a Swiss seamstress and Roman Catholic mystic who was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. She was beatified on Oct 29, 1995 and canonized on Oct 13, 2019 by Pope Francis.
Saint John Henry Newman (21 Feb, 1801 – 11 Aug, 1890) was an English theologian and poet, first an Anglican priest and later a Catholic priest and cardinal. He was beatified on Sep 19, 2010 and canonized on Oct 13, 2019 by Pope Francis.
Saint Giuditta Vannini (7 Jul, 1859 – 23 Feb, 1911) was an Italian Roman Catholic nun who became a Camillian. She was beatified on Oct 16, 1994 and canonized on Oct 13, 2019 by Pope Francis.
Saint Mariam Thresia (26 Apr 1876 – 8 Jun 1926) was an Indian Syro-Malabar Catholic professed religious and the founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family. She was beatified on Apr 9, 2000 and canonized on Oct 13, 2019 by Pope Francis.
Saint Dulce Pontes (26 May, 1914 – 13 Mar, 1992) was a Brazilian Catholic Franciscan Sister. She was beatified on May 22, 2011 and canonized on Oct 13, 2019 by Pope Francis.
Who are the saints from Kerala?
Who are the saints from Kerala?
Saint Alphonsa, F.C.C., (19 Aug, 1910 – 28 Jul, 1946) was an Indian religious nun and educator. She was beatified on Feb 8, 1986 and canonized on Oct 12, 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI. She is the first female saint from India
Saint Euphrasia Eluvathingal (17 Oct, 1877 – 29 Aug, 1952) was an Indian Carmelite nun. She was beatified on Dec 3, 2006 and canonized on Nov 23, 2014 by Pope Francis
Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, C.M.I. (10 Feb, 1805 – 3 Jan, 1871) was an Indian Catholic priest and the co-founder of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (C.M.I.). He was beatified on Feb 8, 1986 and canonized on Nov 23, 2014 by Pope Francis. He is the first male saint from India.
Saint Mariam Thresia (26 Apr, 1876 – 8 Jun, 1926) was the founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family. She was beatified on Apr 9, 2000 and canonized on Oct 13, 2019 by Pope Francis.
Saints who lived in India over the centuries
Saints who lived in India over the centuries
Saints who lived in India over the centuries
Saints who lived in India over the centuries
St. Thomas the Apostle lived in India during the 1st century.
St. Bartholomew the Apostle is said to have lived in India during the 1st century.
St. Francis Xavier from Navarra, Spain, lived in India during the 1500s. He was canonized on Mar 12, 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.
St. Gonsalo Garcia born in Bassein, Bombay around the 1500s. He was canonized on Jun 8, 1862 by Pope Pius IX.
St. John de Brito Lisbon, Portugal, lived in India during 1600s. He was canonized on Jun 22, 1947 by Pope Pius XII.
St. Maximilian Kolbe born in Poland, and lived in India in 1932. He was canonized on Oct 10, 1982 by Pope John Paul II
St. Joseph Vazin born in Benaulim, Goa around the 1600s. He was canonized on Jan 14, 2015 by Pope Francis.
St. Mariam Baouardyin born in Israel, lived in India during the 1800s. She was canonized on May 17, 2015 by Pope Francis.
St. Teresa of Calcutta born in Skopje, Macedonia but spend most of her life in India. She was popularly called as Mother Teresa. She was beatified on Oct 19, 2003 and canonized on Sep 4, 2016 by Pope Francis.
Who are the Patron Saints of India?
Who are the Patron Saints of India?
Our Lady of the Assumption
Saint Thomas the Apostle
Saint Francis Xavier
Saint Rose of Lima
Patron saint of U.S.A
Patron saint of U.S.A
Peter Paul Rubens, “The Immaculate Conception”, ca. 1628 (photo: Public Domain)
On 13 May 1846, the United States bishops unanimously chose the Virgin Mary, conceived without sin, as patroness of the country, a decision approved by Pope Pius IX on February 7 of the following year and published in a decree of 2 July 1847
Most recent beatifications:
Most recent beatifications:
Blessed Carlo Acutis (3 May, 1991 – 12 Oct, 2006) was an Italian Catholic school boy and amateur computer programmer. His work was compiling all the Eucharistic miracles around the world onto his website http://carloacutis.com/. He was beatified on 10 October 2020.
Father Michael McGivney (12 Aug, 1852 – 14 Aug, 1890) the founder of the Knights of Columbus who lived a life of service will be beatified October 31 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut.
References:https://www.catholichawaii.org/media/314379/canonization_4_steps_to_becoming_a_saint.pdfhttps://www.catholic.org/news/saints/story.php?id=78107https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_saints_of_Indiahttps://focusoncampus.org/content/how-does-someone-become-a-saint-a-5-step-processhttps://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-all-saints-day-542459https://www.usccb.org/offices/public-affairs/saintshttps://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/these-are-the-four-women-being-canonized-with-john-henry-newman-95404https://uscatholic.org/articles/201310/how-many-saints-are-there/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patron_saints_of_placeshttps://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/named-for-father-michael-mcgivney-catholic-high-school-eager-to-celebrate-beatification-17324
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