The Church: Saints and Angels

1. The Church: Saints and Angels

2. Greeting the Saints “To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”- Romans 1:7 “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”- 1 Corinthians 1:2-3 “To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”- Ephesians 1:1-2 “To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”- Colossians 1:2

3. Who is this saint? • He is the patron saint of animals because according to legends he once convinced a wolf to stop hurting people. • He is said to have preached to the birds because sometimes they were the only creatures who would listen. • God told him to rebuild His church, so he rebuilt the abandoned church near his home town. • Eventually, he realized God wasn’t just talking about the building, but the people. • He started his own religious order of men and women.

4. St. Francis of Assisi

5. Who is this saint? • He is not a human being, but normally looks like a man wearing armor with wings. • He is often shown piercing an evil dragon, representing the devil, with his sword. • He leads the entire army of God’s angels against the devil and his followers. • When we are afraid, we can pray to him to protect from evil and harm.

6. St. Michael the Archangel

7. Who is this saint? • She became a Carmelite nun in France when she was only fifteen. • She was one of five girls, and she and her sisters all became nuns. • She died when she was twenty-four. • She believed that the key to becoming a saint was doing small things with great love. • When people pray to her, they sometimes receive roses to let them know that their prayers were heard.

8. St. Therese of Lisieux

9. Who is this saint? • He was born in England, but was brought to Ireland as a slave when he was a boy. • When he escaped back to England, he became a priest and returned to Ireland to preach. • He taught the Irish natives about the Trinity using the three-leaf clover. • According to legend, he banished all the snakes from Ireland.

10. St. Patrick

11. Who is this saint? • He is not a human being, but he has appeared as a human being to many people. • There are stories about him in both the Old and New Testament. • He appeared to Mary and Joseph in order to announce the birth of Jesus Christ. • According to legend, he will blow a trumpet that will announce the second coming of Christ.

12. St. Gabriel the Archangel

13. Who is this saint? • She is the youngest saint in our church, since she died at the age of eleven. • She came from a very poor, but very faithful, family of field workers. • When she was hurt very badly by a man, she forgave him before she died. • She appeared to the man several times after her death. He eventually became a Christian.

14. St. Maria Goretti

15. Who is this saint? • He was a bishop in Turkey who took care of the poor. • He occasionally hid gold in the stockings of poor families so that they could buy food and clothing. • We celebrate his feast day on December 6th, and traditionally children are invited to leave their shoes out to receive little toys and candy. • He also goes by Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, and Father Christmas.

16. St. Nicholas

17. Who is this saint? • St. Michael came to her in dreams when she was a young girl. • St. Michael told her that she would lead the French army to victory. • She is often depicted in full armor because of her position in the French army. • St. Therese dressed up like her for All Saints Day while she was in the convent.

18. St. Joan of Arc

19. Who is this saint? • He was a priest in Italy who dedicated his entire life to helping poor children. • His guardian angel often took the form of a dog that helped him whenever he was in danger. • He had dreams that told him how to save his students’ souls. • He taught his students that the way to become saints was to be joyful and to do their duties well.

20. St. John Bosco

21. The Saint Song

22. Intercessions and Closing Prayer Dear Lord, Thank you for the wonderful examples that you have given us in the saints. Help us to become more like these saints by being joyful and doing our duties well. Amen.

23. “One Thing Remains”