Facts About Saints
Written and researched by Margaret Odrowaz Sypniewska, B.F.A.
Orthodox Catholic Icon
Facts About Saints:
- Not all saints are Christians.
- Not all saints are Catholic.
- Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism all have saints or holy people.
- Every religion has the concept of sainthood.
- The word saint comes from the Latin word santus meaning holy or consecrated.
- The Church of England named St. Charles (Charles I, King of England).
- The Episcopal Church has nominated:
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- Amelia Bloomer
- Sojourner Truth
- Harriet Tubman
- These people were all pioneers in anti-slavery.
- Before a pious person can reach sainthood, they must go through three stages:
- nomination
- beautification
- canonization
- Normally it takes approximately fifty years to be canonized.
- St. Catherine of Siena took 81 years
- St. Joan of Arc took 464 years
- St. Bernadette of Lourdes took 54 years
- Seventy-seven popes have been made saints.
| St. Peter (33-64)
| St. Linus (64-76)
| St. Cletus (76-88) |
| St Clement (88-97)
| St. Evaristus (97-105)
| St. Alexander I (105-115) |
| St. Sixtus I (115-125)
| St. Telesporus (125-136)
| St. Hyginus I (136-140) |
| St. Pius (140-155)
| St. Anicetus (155-166)
| St. Soter (166-174) |
| St. Eleutherius (174-189)
| St. Victor (189-199)
| St. Zephyrinus (199-217) |
| St. Callistus (217-222)
| St. Urban I (222-230)
| St. Pontian (230-235) |
| St. Anterus (235-236)
| St. Fabian (236-250)
| St. Cornelius (251-253) |
| St. Lucius (253-254)
| St. Stephen I (254-257)
| St. Sixtus II (257-257) |
| St. Dionysius (260-268)
| St. Felix I (269-274)
| St. Eurychian (275-283) |
| St. Gaius (283-296)
| St. Marcellinus (296-304)
| St. Marcellus I (308-309) |
| St. Eusebius (309-310)
| St. Miltiades (311-314)
| St. Sylvester I (314-335) |
| St. Mark (336-336)
| St. Julius I (337-352)
| St. Felix II (355-365) |
| St. Damasus I (366-384)
| St. Siricius (384-399)
| St. Anastacius I (399-401) |
| St. Innocent I (401-417)
| St. Zosimus (417-418)
| St. Boniface (418-422) |
| St. Celestine I (422-432)
| St. Sixtus III (432-440)
| St. Leo, the Great (440-461) |
| St. Hilarus (461-468)
| St. Simplicius (468-483)
| St. Felix II (III) (483-492) |
| St. Gelasius (492-496)
| St. Symmachus (498-514)
| St. Hormisdas (514-523) |
| St. John I (523-526)
| St. Felix III (526-530)
| St. Agapitus (535-536) |
| St. Silverius (536-537)
| St. Gregory I (590-604)
| St. Boniface III (507-607) |
| St. Boniface IV (608-615)
| St. Deusdedit (615-618)
| St. Martin I (649-653) |
| St. Eugene I (654-657)
| St. Vitalian (657-672)
| St. Agatho (678-681) |
| St. Leo II (682-683)
| St. Benedict II (684-685)
| St. Sergius (687-701) |
| St. Gregory III (731-741)
| St. Zacharius (741-752)
| St. Paul I (757-767) |
| St. Paschal I (817-824)
| St. Leo IV (847-853)
| St. Nicholas I (858-867) |
| St. Adrian III (884-885)
| St. Leo IX (1002-1054)
| St. Gregory VII (1073-1085) |
| St. Pius V (1566-1572)
| St. Pius X (1903-1914)
| ...
| ...
|
- St. Elizabeth Seton was the first person, born in the U.S.A., to be canonized as a saint.
- Only a few saints received stigmata:
- St. Francis of Assisi (in 1224 until his death)
- St. Catherine of Siena (after making communion in the Church of St. Christina in Pisa, Italy.
- Padre Pio, an Italian monk.
- Some saints were crusaders:
- St Louis IX, King of France (in 1248 and in 1270)
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux (in 1128). He was one of the founders of the Knights Templars.
- Many saints have royal or noble blood.
- There are nine types of saints:
- 1. Virgins
- 2. Apostles
- 3. Martyrs
- 4. Confessors
- 5. Prophets
- 6. Patriarchs
- 7. The Chaste
- 8. The Married
- 9. The Penitents
- Famous Pilgrimage Sites are:
- St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy
- *Lourdes, France. (1858)
- *Fatima, Portugal (1917)
- Saint Anne de Beaupre, Canada
- Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- the Tomb of St. Nicholas in Bari, Italy
- the Shrine of the Three Holy Kings in Cologne, Germany
- the Sanctuary of St. Mary Magdalene in Marsailles, France.
- Our Lady of Czestochowa shrine in Poland.
- *Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico (1531).
- *Rue du Bac, Paris, France (1830)
- *La Salette, France (1846)
- *Pontmain, France (1871)
- *Knock, Ireland (1879)
- *Beauraing, Belgium (1932-33)
- *Banneaux, Belgium (1933)
- *Akita, Japan (1973-1981)
- *Medjugorje, Bosnia (1981-?)
- *Kibeho, Rwanda (1981-1989)
- *San Nicolas, Argentina (1983-1990)
- *Betania, Venezuela (1984)
- * = places the Holy Mother of God/Virgin Mary appeared.
Feast of the Virgin Mary ... Dolars of the Virgin Mary ... Stanislas Papczynski, Founder of the Marions
- Holy Symbols:
- the Lamb symbolizes sacrifice, modesty, and innocence.
- the Dove is the emblem of the Holy Ghost and the soul of man.
- the Sword represents the battles that have been fought for the sake of humanity
- the Chalice is the mark of faith.
- Some Patron Saints:
- USA - Virgin Mary (since 1846)
- Canada - St. Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and St. Anne - the Mother of the Virgin Mary.
- Latin and South America - St Rose of Lima (1586)
- England - St George
- Scotland - St Andrew and St. Columba
- Ireland - St. Brigid, St. Columba and St. Patrick
- Wales - St. David
- Europe - St. Benedict
- Poland - St. Stanislas (the name of our Order).
- For more about St. Stanislas, CLICK HERE
- For more Polish Saints CLICK HERE
- For various artist's images of St Stanislas, CLICK HERE
- Asia, Australia, and New Zealand - St. Xavier (a Jesuit)
- A saint's feast day is generally the day on which they died.
- U.S.A.'s most celebrated saint feast days are: St Valentine's Day (Feb. 14th), and St. Patrick's Day (March 17th).
- Michaelmas Day (Sept. 29th) was originally celebrated in honor of St. Michael, the Archangel and all the angels. Today St. Gabriel and St. Raphael has been added to this list.
- Saint Boniface (b. 680) popularized the Christmas Tree.
- St. Nicholas popularized the giving of gifts on Christmas Eve.
- St Francis of Assisi popularized the practices of nativity creches (in 1223)
- April Fool's Day (Apr. 1st) is the feast day of St. Hugh, bishop of Grenoble.
- Many flowers are dedicated to the Holy Mother/Virgin Mary:
- Roses-symbolize pure love and matryrdom.
- Forget-me-nots - are named after Mary's eyes.
- Marigolds - Mary's Gold
- Cowslip - Our Lady's keys
- Harebell - Our Lady's thimble
- Lily-of-the-Valley - Our Lady's tears
- the Rose of Mary - were said to have changed from white to blue when St. Mary/Virgin Mary laid her cloak over the plant.
- Blessed Milk Thistle - the white leaf veins of this plant were said to have come from Mary's milk.
- Lady's Mantle and Lady's Smock were also named after the Virgin Mary
*numerous gardens were dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Middle Ages.
