CATHEDRAL OF MARY OUR QUEEN
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A Visual Catholic Catechism
 

 

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What is the Communion of Saints?

Question: Doesn't "saint" mean holy ones who are now in heaven?

Answer: Some of the faithful who have died can be described as so holy that they are now, most assuredly, living in the fullness of God in heaven.

From the Catechism para. 1023:

Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they "see him as he is, face to face" (1 John 3:2; cf. 1 Cor 13:12; Rev 22:4).

Question: Why does the Church "canonize" some?

Answer: The Church officially acknowledges that some of the saints who are now in heaven are helpful to us who are still on earth.
 

From the Catechism para. 828:

By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God's grace, the Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors. "The saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult moments in the Church's history" (Pope John Paul II).

How do we experience communion with saints?

See also: The Cathedral's Art & Architecture or Historical Perspectives or Parish Community

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