The Communion Of

Saints

The Communion of Saints• The ‘Communion of Saints’ incorporates both the living

and the dead (McBrien , 1994) and this project will require students to reflect on the lives of exemplary Christians, both living and dead.

• This tasks requires students to focus on the stories of the heroes and heroines who have lived exemplary lives (Treston , 2000)

• The ‘Communion of Saints’ is alive and well in the Church today. Students will be asked to examine the lives of two individuals who have heard Holy Wisdom’s call and followed her path of righteousness (Johnson , 1998)

What / Who are Saints

• Across the centuries, Saints and saint-like persons have responded to the call for holiness.

• They met with opposition during their lives and were not concerned with popularity or fame. (MacDonald, 1993:126)

Why study the ‘Communion of Saints’

• Hieromonk Damascene (2002)provides us with a reason for studying the communion of saints in his work ‘The Place of Lives of Saints in the Spiritual Life’ when he cites the example of St. John Maximovitch, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco.

He was a true student of the Saints, one who sought to follow in their footsteps, and thus to follow in the footsteps of Christ. By living like the Saints, he became one of them. (Damascene, 2002).

Brainstorming ‘Saints’

• Brainstorming known Saints and what they did

• Talk about ‘Saint names’– Explain the process of

‘Saint names’– Encourage students to

share their ‘Saint names’.

List of Saints

• The link below provides a list of ‘Saints’ (Index of Saints).

• Review the List of Saints provided

List of Saints (adapted from www.jesus-passion.com/Saints.htm)

Individual Saints

• Select a Saint• Research the ‘Saint’ and

prepare a brief timeline on what they did to ‘deserve’ canonizing

• The following slides provide some suggestions on the type of information to research

Areas to Consider

• Name• Their world• Their family life and

childhood• Other points of interest• What they did to make a

difference in their day– Action – effect

• What others thought of them• What motivated them

– What / who challenged them to do what they did?

• Why they are good role models for us today

Time Line

• Draw a time line showing the key events in the person’s life

• Find out key events that were happening in their world at the same time

Their Life Their World

Requirements for Canonization

• Through research (see links for inspiration) prepare a list of the requirements for canonization.

• http://www.beliefnet.com/story/215/story_21596_1.html

• http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/nov2004/feature3.asp

Process for Canonisation• Congregation of Rites examines all

the evidence• Attempts to verify person’s

‘holiness’• Requires proof of two miracles that

have been worked by God through that person

• Requires proof that the person has led an outstanding Christian Life.

• Once the miracles have been verified the title ‘Blessed’ is given.

• Once the total life story, which will include highly significant evidence of love and service to God and to others, is examined and confirmed, the person is ‘canonised’ a saint.

(Journey in Faith, p118)

Modern requirements for Sainthood

• Using the list created previously as guidance, research and present a modern version of the rules for ‘canonisation’

• You need to explain why you would change, delete or add particular elements.

Select a Modern Day ‘Saint’

• Select a modern day ‘exemplary Human’ (not necessarily a Christian)

• What did they do to deserve this ‘classification’ (prepare a timeline similar to that prepared for the ‘existing’ saint). (see following slides).

Area to Consider

• Name• Their world• Their family life and childhood• Other points of interest• What they did to make a difference in their

day– Action – effect

• What others thought of them• What motivated them

– What / who challenged them to do what they did?

• Why they are good role models for us today

Time Line

• Draw a time line showing the key events in the person’s life

• Find out key events that were happening in their world at the same time

Their Life Their World

Canonisation• Reviewing the work you did previously

on the stages of Canonisation, answer the following questions, explaining your reasons– Would they make it under the

‘old’ system?

– Would they make it under your ‘new’ system?

• Complete the task with a brief statement about why the person is worthy of inclusion into the Communion of Saints and hence why they have been worthy of study.

Reference ListBooks and Readings• Treston, Kevin (2000) ‘Setting the Scene’ in Stories and Seasons: Saints and Feast

for Catholic Schools and Parishes, Creation Enterprises, Brisbane.• McBrien, Richard (1994) Catholicism, Harper Collins, Victoria.• Johnson, Elizabeth A. (1998). ‘All Saints’ in Friends and Prophets: A Feminist

Theological Reading of the Communion of Saints, The Continuum Publishing Company, New York.

• MacDonald, Marie (Ed) , (1993), Journey’s in Faith: Student Book, Harper Collins, Victoria.

Internet Sites• Hieromonk Damascene (2002), The Place of Lives of Saints in the Spiritual Life; A

talk delivered at the Annual Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Western America, February 16/March 1, 2002. in http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/place_lives.aspx

• http://www.beliefnet.com/story/215/story_21596_1.html• http://www.americancatholic.org/messenger/nov2004/feature3.asp • http://www.jesus-passion.com/Saints.htm • http://www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php • http://www.thestrawmen.com/blogger/2004_12_01_archive.html

Reference List (cont’d)Images• http://www.antiochianarch.org.au/Antiochian-Saints.aspx• http://josephpatterson.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/all-saints.jpg• http://thewindowshowsitall.blogspot.com/2007/11/november-1-all-saints-day.ht

ml?showComment=1193935260000

• http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/11/la-toussaint • http://landru.i-link-2.net/shnyves/left.saints.peter.paul.jpeg • http://www.allsaintsofamerica.org/orthodoxy/saintsbios.html • http://www.yogalifestyle.com/PORA108SaintsPoster.htm • http://www.thestrawmen.com/blogger/images/stjohnmaxcorrincorr.jpg• http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/10-2-2005-77985.asp • http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2005/05/13/pope-sainthood050513.html • http://josephpatterson.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/st-peter-and-st-paul-2.jpg