What is a saint?

A saint is someone who led a holy and virtuous life on Earth and is now believed to be in Heaven. Christians pray to saints for help and guidance. A famous saint is St. Patrick, whose feast day is March 17. He brought Catholicism to the Irish in the 5th century. He is greatly revered and loved by both the Irish and Irish-Americans.

There are many saints and feast days for them. We honor these men and women for their holiness and good example. Some were very sinful and came to the faith later in life like St. Augustine and others led blameless lives and died young like St. Philomena and St. Therese of Lisieux.

Yet, there are many saints walking the Earth today. They come in the form of older brothers and sisters, cousins, teachers, priests and ministers, wise neighbors, and lifelong friends. They also offer good advice, give a good example, and provide companionship in this complex and perplexing world we live in.

So, during March when we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day we should remember, too, the people in our lives that love and guide us every day, and we should thank them in a special way for their help and goodness to us!

Kathleen Maloney

Kathleen Maloney, Westlake

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Volume 8, Issue 5, Posted 9:37 AM, 03.01.2016