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History Faculty Research and Publications History, Department of

1-1-1996 Saint John Donnelly Marquette University, [email protected]

Published version. "Saint," in The World Book Encyclopedia. Ed. World Book Inc. Chicago: World Book Inc., 1996: 29-30. Publisher Link. © 1996 World Book Inc. The publication can be found in Volume 17 of the The World Book Encyclopedia 1996 Edition. Saint 29

Salnt is a holy person who becomes a religious hero vice, to cure a disease, orto grant children to a childless by exemplifying a virtue or virtues of his or her religion. woman. The word comes from the Latín word sanctus/ meaning The Oriental religions have a greater variety of prac­ aholyone. tices and beliefs regarding saints than do the Western The followers of a religion regard its saints as unusu­ religions. Buddhism honors the buddhas and their close ally blessed. They believe these saints are able to give disciples, along with relics and sacred places associated special blessings and to exercise certain superhuman with them. Buddhist monks and nuns recognize patron powers. All the world's major religions revere (deeply saints as special guardians, and Buddhist martyrs are respect) saints, but in different ways. Sorne religions honored as religious heroes. Hinduism has no official have formal procedures for officially granting sainthood saints for all Hindus. There are many ranks of semidivine to certain men and women. Other religions do not for­ local or regional saints. A Hindu village, tribe, or reli­ rnally recognize saints, but they have religious practices gious order may raise its own heroes or protectors to that honor holy people. sainthood. Confucianism has holy men who are sages Many people achieve sainthood because they played (wise men) of intellectual and moral superiority. The a major role in the history of their religion or because most famous sage is Confucius. Shintoism has no they symbolize a traditional feature of it. For example, human saints or martyrs because its holy people are Saint Paul converted to Christianity from another reli­ considered divine. gion and became a great missionary who sought other converts. Sorne saints are martyrs who died for a holy Christian saints cause. Many Christians who died rather than give up The more traditional Christian denominations empha­ their faith during early Christianity are now considered size the honoring of saints. The Eastern Orthodox saints. Churches, the Roman Catholic Church, sorne lutheran A number of saints are considered especially close to churches, and the churches ofthe Anglican Communion God. Roman Catholics believe that the Vi rgin Mary is so regard many of the same people as saints. loved by God that she rose bodily to heaven. A canonized saint is a person whose name is included Sorne saints, such as Buddha, are believed to have in a canon (officiallist). Christian saints were first consid­ gained superhuman or special knowledge about, or in­ ered saints by common agreement among people in a sight into, holy mysteries. Eastern Orthodox Christians certain area, and later by regional bishops. Gradually, revere Saint john Chrysostom for his wi sdom. the authority to canonize saints for latin Christians cen­ Sorne people are revered as saints because before or tered on the pope. after death they performed rniracles and pleaded with The earliest Christian writings call all believers saints. God for blessings or curses on particular people. Others This practice has been renewed by severa! modern de­ achieved sainthood because their relics (remains or pos­ nominations, including the Mormons (Latter-day Saints). sessionsl or sorne place associated with them carne to During the zoas, the term saint referred specifically to be regarded as holy. martyrs, and in the 30as to bishops. By the soas, the Still others are considered saints because before or term referred to all departed heroes and heroines of after death they became demigods (partly a god and Christianity who were honored in worship services. In partly human) and had divine powers. Before World the early forms of honoring martyrs, local believers War 11, believers in one form of Shintoism regarded the gathered at their tombs on the anniversaries of their emperor of japan as divine. deaths. The fame of certain saints gradually spread to other congregations, and by the soas sorne famous Non-Christian saints saints were revered throughout the Christian world. judaism forbids praying to any being other than God. After many martyrs, bishops, monks, scholars, But jews honor saintly people as heroes. In jewish wor­ miracle-workers, and other heroes and heroines had en­ ship, the heroic deeds of holy people may be recited as tered the list of saints, their relics were considered able examples of faithfulness to God. Such early heroes as to give special blessings. Believers asked the saints to jacob and David sometirnes broke jewish laws. But later plead with God for special favors. The Christian saints jewish saints were learned in the Torah (religious lawl were popularly regarded as holy before they became of­ and firrn in following its rules of behavi or. jewish saints ficially recognized as saints. During the Middle Ages, have been called "toilers in the Torah." The most famous popular religious sentiment sometimes disregarded the jewish saints include Hillel the Elder and Akiba ben jo­ difference between worshiping or adoring God and seph. venerating (showing religious devotion to) saints. By the Islam credits supernatural powers only to Al/ah (God). early lSOas, many people prayed to the saints and their All Muslims acknowledge as saints such heroes as Mu­ relics for special assurances of salvation. Certain prac­ hammad and Ali. The lslarriic holy book, the Koran, does tices developed around the veneration of sorne Chris­ not provide for the worship of saints, but each locality tian saints, but were later considered superstitious. For cherishes a saint called wali (benefactor, companion, or example, many people thought St. Lazarus could cure friendl. Muslim saints are considered to be close to God measles if a person who had the disease prayed to him. but not divine. The spiritual powers they exercised as During the Reformation, both Protestants and Catho­ living people increase when they die. Then, their influ­ lics attacked abuses in the worship of saints. Most Prot­ ence centers on their tombs and relics, especially their estants refused to revere any persons as saints except robes. Muslims believe each saint can perform a special certain heroes mentioned in the New Testament. After miracle. A visit to a saint's tomb, with its holy objects the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church restated and often its pool or fountain, is believed to provide ad- the manner in which followers could call on saints for 30 Saint help or protection. Catholic saints were clearly ranked jerome, Saint Pachomius, Saint lower than God, and superstitious or other impious (dis­ joan of Are, Saint Patrick, Saint respectfull practices regarding them were outlawed. jogues, Saint Isaac Paul, Saint Roman Catholics, members of Eastern Orthodox john, Saint Peter, Saint john the Baptist, Saint Philip of Bethsaida, Saint Churches, and sorne Protestants still ask saints to plead joseph Rose of Lima, Saint with God in their behalf. jude, Saint Sebastian, Saint justin the Martyr, Saint Seton, Saint Roman Catholic saints Louis IX Elizabeth Ann Present Roman Catholic procedures of canonization Loyola, Saint lgnati us Simon, Saint Luke, Saint Stanislas, Saint were officially established between the late 1500's and Mark, Saint Stephen, Saint the mid-1600's. A commission appointed by the church Martin of Tours, Saint Swithin, Saint strictly examines the subjec(s life and works and any Mary Teresa, Saint miracles associated with the person. lf the investigation Matthew, Saint Thomas, Saint produces enough evidence, the person is eligible for Matthias, Saint Valentine, Saint Michael, Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint beatification. That is, he or she may officially be declared More, Saint Thomas Vladimir 1 "blessed." lf further investigation produces proof of two Neumann, Saint john N. Xavier, Saint Francis miracles associated with the person, he or she may be Nicholas, Saint Youville, Saint Marguerite d' canonized as a saint. Additional resources Canonization consists of declaring that a person be­ lieved to be holy was indeed a saint during his or her Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine's Abbey, comp. The Book o f Saints. 6th ed. Morehouse, 1993. lifetime and is in heaven with God. This official status Dunn-Mascetti, Manuela. Saints. Ballantine, 1994. does not approve all that the individual said, did, or Farmer, David H., ed. The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. 3rd ed. wrote. Among Roman Catholics, only the pope can grant Oxford, 1992. official recognition to a person nominated for beatifica­ Woodward, Kenneth L Saints: How the Catholic Church Deter­ tion or canonization. In 1969, the Vatican announced a mines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Ooesn't, and Why. Simon & Schuster, 1990. revision of the church's liturgical calendar, which lists the feast days of saints celebrated by the church. The Salnt Andrews lies on the east coast of Scotland be­ new calendar listed 58 saints. But many more saints tween the cities of Edinburgh and Dundee. lt is part of could continue to be venerated locally. The Roman Cath­ the North East Fife local government district, which has olic Church also made optional the celebration of the a population of 66,01 O. St. Andrews itself has about feast days of other saints. 16,000 people. For the location of St. Andrews, see Scot­ Children of Catholic parents and many others are land (political mapl. This town is sometimes called the named after a saint, often the saint on whose day the Capital of Golf. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, child was born or baptized. That saint becomes the founded in St. Andrews in 1754, establishes many of the child's special guardian or patron. A number of cities, rules for the game. The oldest university in Scotland, the especially in the Western Hemisphere, are named after University of St. Andrews, was founded in the town in saints. They include Saint louis, Missouri, and Sao Paulo 1411. A. S. Mather (Saint Paull, Brazil. In many denominations, parish See also Scotland (picture: The Royal and Ancient churches or congregations take the names of saints. Golf Club). Many Christians, recognizing that many holy men and Salnt Andrews, New Brunswick (pop. 1,652), is often women have never been canonized, celebrate them on called Saint Andrews-by-the-Sea. St. Andrews lies on All Saints' Day, November l. John Patrick Donnelly Passamaquoddy Bay, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) west Related articles in World Book. See Canonization; All of St. john, and about 1 mi le (1.6 kilometers) east of the Saints' Day; and the table of popes with the Pope article. Other United States border. For the location of St. Andrews, related articles include: see New Brunswick (political map). The many small is­ Albertus Magnus, Saint Bridget, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Saint Cabrini, Saint Frances Xavier lands in the bay and the ocean shoreline make the town Ambrose, Saint Canisius, Saint Peter a popular tourist center. Scientists at the Saint Andrews Andrew, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Biological Station conduct fishery research. St. Andrews Anne, Saint Cecilia, Saint was founded in 1784 by United Empire loyalists (see Anselm, Saint Christopher, Saint United Empire loyalistsl. T. w. Acheson Anthony of Padua, Saint Chrysostom, Saint john Salnt Augustlne, A W guh STEEN, Fla. (pop. 11 ,692), is Anthony of Thebes, Saint David, Saint Aquinas, Saint Thomas Dominic, Saint the oldest permanent settlement established in the Athanasius, Saint Dunstan, Saint United States by Europeans. lt was founded in 1565 by a Augustine, Saint Edward the Confessor Spanish explorer, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. St. Augus­ Augustine of Canterbury, Elizabeth, Saint tine líes in northeastern Florida, near the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Fisher, Saint john For location, see Florida (political mapl. Bartholomew, Saint Francis de Sales, Saint Basil, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Spain ruled St. Augustine for more than 200 years. Becket, Saint Thomas George, Saint Historians believe the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Bellarmine, Saint Robert lgnatius, Saint león visited what is now the St. Augustine area in 1513. Benedict of Nursia, Saint lrenaeus, Saint During the late 1500's, St. Augustine served as Spain's Bernadette, Saint james, Saint military headquarters in North America. The English Bonaventure, Saint james the Greater, Saint Boniface, Saint james the less, Saint naval commander Sir Francis Drake looted and burned Brébeuf, Saint jean de jean Baptiste de la Salle, Saint the settlement in 1586. Spain ruled St. Augustine until 1763, when the British gained control of it. Spain again