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Saints: Miracle Workers

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By MICHELLE BEARDEN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 20, 2008

Never underestimate the power of a saint.

Darlene Yetta doesn't. As owner of Just for Heaven's Sake, a South Tampa Catholic gift store, she hears lots of stories from customers who believe a saint has interceded on their behalf.

Who couldn't use some divine intervention about now?

Want to sell your house? Call on St. Joseph, a carpenter whose homebuilding skills ensured that his son Jesus and wife, Mary, always had a roof over their heads. Have a desperate cause for which there seems no solution? Turn to St. Jude, a martyr whose New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere when the going gets harsh.

"We think nothing of asking a friend to pray for us," Yetta says. "So what's wrong with going the next step and asking for some saintly intercession?"

By definition, saints demonstrated high levels of sanctity and holiness during their lifetimes and, usually, are recognized posthumously by a religious denomination. Catholics claim the bulk of them — some 10,000 have been recognized by the church — but nearly every religion has its super-revered, those whose wisdom and grace merit special status.

"They were ordinary people just like us, who lived on Earth and did exemplary things in their lives," Yetta says. "I call them everyday heroes."

In early centuries, Catholic saints earned their due mainly by popular local acclamation. Some suffered brutal deaths in the name of God. Thankfully, that bloody chapter in history subsided, with deep spirituality and selfless sacrifice becoming more common paths to sainthood.

These days, achieving saintly status is a lengthy, bureaucratic process overseen by the Vatican. It includes a thorough examination of the nominees' lives for heroic virtue and doctrinal orthodoxy, and their association with miracles.

And what the church giveth, the church can taketh away. Christopher, a third-century martyr and one of the most beloved saints, got a demotion in the 1969 reform of the Roman calendar.

According to legend, a child asked Christopher to carry him across a river. That child turned out to be incredibly heavy — he was actually Jesus, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Thus, Christopher became the patron saint of travelers.

Centuries later, a church review of Christopher's story found no evidence to support it. So he lost his Feast Day (July 25) and is now recognized only on local diocesan calendars. But that doesn't stop Catholics from wearing St. Christopher medals or hanging his image on their car's rearview mirror.

The most prolific bestower of saintly status was the late Pope John Paul II, who named 476 saints in his 27-year tenure — more than the combined total named during the preceding 500 years. Some speculate he will one day hold the title of St. John Paul himself.

Unity Across Time, Space

The Rev. Pat McCloskey, editor of St. Anthony Messenger magazine, a Cincinnati-based publication, says saints give us "strength, protection and companionship." He says they are "daily reminders of the providence of God."

"Look at how they overcame situations that seemed impossible. They showed us that in a world running amok, there is nothing beyond God's care and control," McCloskey says.

Saints also are meant to remind the living of a connection between this world and the hereafter, uniting all believers across time and space.

Over the years, some saints have become "patrons" of particular causes, groups or special interests, usually for particular circumstances in their own lives. They're listed in alphabetical order at americancatholic.org — from beekeepers (St. Ambrose) to youth (St. Aloysius Gonzaga, among others).

Headache sufferers can ask St. Teresa of Avila for relief, and dogs have a special friend in St. Roch.

Catholics pray to patron saints in hopes they will intercede with God in their favor. McCloskey says he has some troubles with that concept.

"It may give the impression that God is pretty difficult to deal with, and you need a friend in court. Someone to run interference or fix a parking ticket for you," he says. "I prefer the idea that saints are there to remind us that this is always God's world, and while we have plenty of reasons to be concerned these days, we don't have to despair."

My Cousin, The Saint

Justin Catanoso found that comfort in a saint with whom he shares an unusual bond.

In 2001, he learned that Pope John Paul II had beatified his grandfather's cousin, Padre Gaetano Catanoso, four years earlier.

Justin Catanoso, a North Carolina-based business editor who teaches at Wake Forest University, was a lapsed Catholic at the time. But this new knowledge prompted him to journey back to the old country to learn more about the man who dedicated his life to serving the poor and founding an order of nuns. He was at St. Peter's Square with his wife and daughters on Oct. 23, 2005, when Pope Benedict XVI canonized the miracle worker from Calabria, Italy.

The experience has helped him cope with his brother's death and to confront his own shaky spiritual moorings. He tells the story in his recently published book, "My Cousin The Saint: A Search for Faith, Family and Miracles" (William Morrow, $24.95).

"As a journalist, I felt a certain obligation to research this when I found out I was related to an actual saint," Catanoso says. "The more I found out, the more inspired I got. I wanted to get to know this compelling person and learn from him."

He has now reconnected to the faith of his childhood and his forefathers. "I've got a foot in the door, but I'm still asking a lot of questions," he says. Like many Catholics, he's comforted by what saints can offer in these trying times, and he understands why believers turn to saints for miracles, blessings and prayerful favors.

But Catanoso cautions to keep the focus on the bigger picture. He suggests looking at the lives the saints led as examples for our own, such as helping our neighbors with both material and moral support.

That's what a saint would have done.

"Saints had the consistency of faith through hard times. They had a trust in God when everything seems upside down," Catanoso said. "They've been recognized for a reason. And we can learn much from them."

ABOUT THE SAINTS
So you say we could use a miracle about now? There's a patron saint for just about every cause imaginable. Work at a suffering restaurant? Talk to St. Martha. Worried about gas prices? Try St. Eligius. Need to get your house sold? St. Joseph's your man.

The belief is simple: Follow the example set by your patron saint, and ask him or her for intercessory prayers.

Here's a look at the popular patrons for today's troubling times.

ST. ELIGIUS
Born: About 590
Feast Day: Dec. 1
Patron for: Gas station workers
Back story: An extremely skillful metal smith, Eligius used his talents and wealth for the benefit of humanity. One of his notable acts: He founded a convent that housed 300 virgins.

ST. PEREGRINE LAZIOS
Born: 1260
Patron for: Cancer patients
Back story: After learning he was afflicted with cancer of the foot, he prayed fervently the night before the appendage was to be amputated. When he awoke the next morning, the cancer was gone.

ST. MARTHA
Born: First century
Feast Day: July 29
Patron for: Waiters and waitresses
Back story: A Scripture tells how Jesus came to Bethany to share a meal with three good friends. One, Lazarus, rose from the dead, and another, Mary, caused a commotion when she anointed Jesus with an expensive perfume. The third was Martha. All that was said of her was, "Martha served."

ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL
Born: Of heavenly origin, date unknown
Feast Day: Sept. 29
Patron for: Banking, grocers, police, paratroopers
Back story: He was one of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against Satan and his followers. He's described in Scripture as "one of the chief princes" and leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over the powers of hell.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Born: 1181
Feast Day: Oct. 4
Patron for: Merchants, ecology (and, of course, animals)
Back story: The son of a wealthy businessman, Francis was happy, charming and a natural born leader. He was a knight before an encounter with God changed everything. He became a pacifist and renounced his wealth, giving up all to pursue a simple life and to honor creation.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES
Born: 1567
Feast Day: Jan. 24
Patron for: Writers and journalists
Back story: A prolific writer, Francis is said to have converted some 40,000 people to Catholicism. He believed the worst sin was to judge people or gossip against them.

ST. GENGULF
Born: Eighth century
Patron for: Troubled marriages
Back story: Gengulf was a knight who faithfully served Pepin the Short, the mayor of the palace of Merovingian kings. He had a disastrous marriage with an unfaithful wife, and finally left her, dedicating his life to penance and almsgiving. He was reportedly assassinated by his wife's lover as he lay sleeping.

ST. JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO
Born: 1603
Feast Day: Sept. 18
Patron for: Air travelers
Back story: Joseph, a priest in the Franciscan order, was often seen levitating while saying Mass or praying. Once, as Christmas carols were being sung, he soared to the high altar and knelt in the air.

Sources: "Butler's Lives of Saints"; americancatholic.org; catholics.org; and "All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time."

Michelle Bearden can be reached at (813) 259-7613 or at mbearden@tampatrib.com

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