Catholics have a special reverence for those canonized as saints by the pope. We believe they were holy people, and on their death they were with God. Catholics pray to saints for their intercession with God to grant special requests. The four saints whose lives are briefly described in this book share a very unique relationship. They are the only saints who lived and died as American or United States citizens.
THE FIVE AMERICAN CITIZEN SAINTS
By James V. Canfield Eileen A. CanfieldTrafford Publishing
Copyright © 2012 James V. Canfield Eileen A. Canfield
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4669-6847-9Contents
1. Foreword................................................xi2. Five American Citizen Saints............................13. About the Saints........................................34. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini............................95. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton...............................276. Saint John Neumann......................................657. Saint Katharine Drexel..................................838. Saint Marianne Cope.....................................1139. The Citizen Saints National Shrines.....................13810. American Blesseds......................................140
Chapter One
FIVE AMERICAN CITIZEN SAINTS
Catholics have a special reverence for those canonized as saints by the pope. We believe they were holy people and on their death they were with God. Catholics pray to saints for their intercession with God to grant special requests. The four saints whose lives are briefly described in this book share a very unique relationship. They are the only saints who lived and died as American or United States citizens.
They are:
St. Frances X. Cabrini
- 1850-1917
- Birthplace: Lombardy, Italy
- Naturalized U.S. citizen: 1909 in Spokane, Washington
- Canonized: 1946 by Pope Pius XII
- Feast Day: November 13
- Patronage: immigrants, hospital administrators
- The first Naturalized U.S. citizen to become a saint
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
- 1774-1821
- Birthplace: New York City
- Born British subject—U.S. citizen after Revolutionary War
- Canonized: 1975 by Pope Paul VI
- Feast Day: January 4 (also venerated by the Episcopal U.S. church)
- Patronage: catholic schools, Shreveport, Louisiana, State of Maryland
- The first non-Naturalized U.S. citizen to become a saint
St. John Neumann
- Birthplace: Bavaria, Austrian Empire
- Naturalized U.S citizen: 1842
- Canonized: 1977 by Pope Paul VI
- Feast Day: January 5 (March 5 in Bohemia)
- Attributes: Redemptorist habit, Episcopal vestments
- The first and only male U.S. citizen to become a saint
St. Katharine Drexel
- 1858-1955
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, P.A.
- U.S. citizen by birth
- Canonized: 2000 by Pope John Paul II
- Feast Day: March 3
- Patronage: philanthropists, racial justice
- The first U.S. citizen by birth to become a saint
St. Marianne Cope
- 1838-1918
- Birthplace: Grand Ducy—modern day Germany
- Naturalized U.S. citizen—when father became citizen according to the U.S. law
- Canonized: October 21, 2012
- Feast Day: August 9
- Patronage: lepers, outcasts, HIV / AIDS patients, Hawaii
Chapter Two
ABOUT THE SAINTS
There are four steps to become a saint in the Roman Catholic Church: Servant of God; Venerable; Blessed; and finally, Saint. Only a small percentage of individuals who start the process ever become a saint.
Each saint has a specific feast day and it is almost always the date of his or her death. This is because the Catholic Church believes that death is meant to be our true birth when a person is born to eternal life.
The earliest saints were martyrs who, like Christ, were killed for their religious beliefs. When a martyr died those who knew him or her believed that person was now with God. People would ask for the saint's intercession when praying for God's help. As the legend of that martyr grew in the community and nearby regions a saint was recognized. In essence, the people created the saint, and the church recognized the saint's existence. They were the red saints—those who shed blood for their religion.
The next groups of saints were the ascetics. These white saints were hermits and monks who gave up all worldly comforts and lived a life of prayer and meditation. The ascetics followed the example of Christ when he went to the desert for forty days and nights to pray. People believed these holy men were close to God and used them in their prayers.
The third group are the modern saints who have been founders of Religious Orders and evangelist missionaries.
In 1234, Pope Alexander III reserved to the Popes the right to declare a person a saint. This does not mean the Popes make the saints—it means that after a formal procedure the pope issues a decree that the person led a life of Christ like perfection and is with God.
In 1969, the Catholic Church started a review of many legends of the saints. It was found that many of the legends were not based on factual evidence and some of the saints were removed from the universal church calendar. The Saint Christopher legend had him carrying a small child across a river. He then found out that the child was really Christ. It was determined that the story was not based on fact. His feast day of July 25th was removed from the Church calendar, but local dioceses could still honor him.
The formal sequence for declaring a person a saint can be illustrated by the canonization of Elizabeth Ann Seton.
1823: She died on January 4th at Emmitsburg, Maryland.
1882: Bishop Gibbons of Baltimore, acting on requests from the Sisters of Charity, and after consulting with other regional bishops, requested a detailed report on her life be prepared.
1940: The Bishops report was sent to Rome and reviewed by The Congregation for the Causes of Saints. A positive judgment was forwarded to the Pope.
1959: The title Venerable bestowed by the Sacred Congregation of the Catholic Church. This means people could pray to her and praise her virtue.
1963: The title Blessed bestowed by decree by Pope John XXIII after a miracle was authenticated due to prayers to Elizabeth.
1975: The tile Saint after canonized by Pope Paul VI and a second miracle was authenticated to Elizabeth's intercession to God.
The above sequence was a legalistic courtroom type process. The saint candidate had legal representation and the Church was represented by an Attorney called the Devils Advocate. This was changed in 1983. The sequence remained the same—but a new process was implemented. The legalistic approach was now more of a collegiate doctoral dissertation defense system. Local bishops were given more authority over the initial review of sanctity. The initial review when completed was sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. A realator was then given the task of preparing a positio, or formal authenticated document, for consideration by the Congregation. The realator was required to have a doctorate in theology and be fluent in latin, Italian, and three modern languages. Once the document was complete a postulator was assigned to help guide the candidate through the authentication of miracles. The steps of venerable, blessed and finally, saint was then possible to be given in the near or far future or never.
The important element to remember is that while the process to be named a saint has been formalized—in the end it is God who makes a saint. The pope acknowledges that the person is now with God and we can ask for his or her help in our prayers.
Some saints' bodies have been declared incorrupt. This means their bodies after death have not begun to decay and turn to dust. Saint Vincent DePaul is one example. In general, however, most saint bodies decompose in the normal manner.
Catholics use relics—parts of the body or...
