Special Section: Celebrate all saints

One of the richest traditions of the church is how we honor saints. Not merely faithful superheroes, saints are a reminder of our connection to the church in the past, present, and future.
 

Below, you'll find essays from contributors and readers on how different saints—both official and unofficial—speak personally to them, inspiring lives of deeper faith.

For even more articles on the saints, click here.
 

Oscar Romero: A saint for the poor
Oscar Romero, now back on the path to sainthood, was called to conversion by ordinary Salvadorans.

A chilly trek up St. Patrick's mountain
A pilgrimage brings one traveler to the side of Ireland’s holy mountain.

Following Saint Francis in today's world
To the well-known saint, the most important human right is the right to love.

All Saints blog
Readers and contributors share their stories about which saints inspire their own lives of faith.

Dynamic duo
Pat and Patty Crowley of the Christian Family Movement showed the importance of familiy in the fight for social justice.

Good shepherd
Father Stan Rother was an ordinary guy from Oklahoma–and a church martyr.

Globe-trotter
St. Francis Xavier was a trusting missionary to the East.

Poor on purpose
Clare of Assisi vowed to live in poverty not for its own sake but to enrich her relationships with others and God. Today her way of life is not just for cloistered nuns.

Doctor's orders
To cure the maladies of both the medieval church and spiritual seekers today, Doctor of the Church Catherine of Siena prescribes meditating on Christ’s passion.

First responder
Anthony Mary Claret led his church and his order, the Claretians, courageously, but it is his personal struggles that make him a role model today.

Conscientious courage
Franz Jägerstätter paved the way for those who object to war by following a higher order.

Amazon warrior
Even unto death, Dorothy Stang had no fear in her fight for the poor and the rain forest, and her example inspires us to join the battle.

Lives of the saints
These are the holy people who didn’t quite make the cut—until they did.

Fake it till you make it
St. Genesius isn’t just the patron of high school thespians. We can all learn something about acting like Christ from this legendary actor.

The other Irish saint
Raise a pint and air out your linens—St. Brigid is coming.

Great teacher
Eight centuries ago Albert the Great showed how theology and science can walk hand in hand.

In a Days work
Dorothy Day is the church's unofficial saint of peace and justice.

Who are you calling a saint?
"To say that Dorothy Day is a saint is to run the risk of boring people," wrote Bruce Cook in the April 1966 issue of U.S. Catholic.

Let's canonize Dorothy Day
Just as different truths of the faith are emphasized in different times of the church's history, so some saints seem to be suited for certain times. Certainly a saint for our time and place is Dorothy Day.

Street saints
The map of the City of Angels is a veritable Litany of the Saints.

May the circle be unbroken
Our understanding of the communion of saints is an important aspect of our faith.