The
Catholic Saints in Hoodoo & Voodoo
Saints are
people recognized as having attained a
certain level of holiness and have been
incorporated into hoodoo by many workers.
Saints of the Roman Catholic church. In Christian iconography, saints are often
depicted as having halos.
There are more than 10,000 canonized Roman Catholic saints. The Roman Catholic
Church teaches that it does not, in fact, make anyone a saint. Rather, it
recognizes a saint. In the Church, the title of Saint — with a capital 'S' —
refers to a person who has been officially recognized (canonized) by the Roman
Catholic Church, and is therefore believed by this church to be in Heaven.
Though
the term is mostly used for Christians considered holy or virtuous, the concept
can be used for other religions. In Hinduism, for example, saints are generally
referred to as a mahatma, paramahamsa, or swami, or given the prefix Sri or
Srila before their name.
According to John A. Coleman S. J., associate professor of religion and
sociology at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, saints across various
cultures and religions have the following family resemblances: (a) exemplary
model, (b) extraordinary teacher, (c) wonder worker or source of benevolent
power, (d) intercessor, and (e) possessor of a special and revelatory relation
to the holy.
The French sociologist Emile Durkheim proposed that the
central concept of religion was the distinction between sacred and profane, as
opposed to deity. Based on studies of Indigenous Australians, Durkheim
stated "religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to
sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden." According to
his theory, the sacred is embodied in groups of sacred symbols, icons, and
totems. The profane, on the other hand, involves mundane individual concerns.
Durkheim explicitly stated that the dichotomy sacred/profane was not equivalent
to good/evil: the sacred could be good or evil, and the profane could be either
as well.
Saints
can be considered sacred symbols of certain religions. While the
concept of sainthood developed in the Christian tradition, there are
parallel concepts in other religions that recognize certain
individuals as having attained particular holiness or enlightenment.
Judaism speaks of a class of (unidentified) individuals known as Tzadikkim. Buddhists hold the Arhats and Arahants in special esteem.
Islam holds the hadrat in similar esteem. According to the Bible, a
saint is one who is sanctified, and there are references to all
early Christians as saints (Book of Hebrews 13:24; Jude 1:3;
Philemon 1:5, 7). The concept of sainthood is rooted in the
Judeo-Christian belief that aligning one’s motives and actions with
the “will of God” makes one more perfect and holy, and that it is
possible in life to approach perfection. As Christianity developed,
the word saint came to be used more commonly to designate
specific individuals who were held to be exemplars of the faith, and
who were commemorated or venerated as an inspiration to other
Christians. Shortly thereafter, another type of saint became
recognized. This was the anchorite or hermit, of the type of Anthony
of Egypt. Although hermits did not die in the physical sense, they
did resolve to die to the pleasures of the world, making them
effective martyrs. Subsequently, after the formation of monasteries,
monks came under consideration as saints. When convents were formed,
nuns began to be canonized. Also, outstanding laymen became more
frequently considered as saints. Within some Protestant traditions,
saint is used to refer to any born-again Christian. To assist in
the differentiation of the various kinds of saints, terms were
invented to differentiate between them. In addition to the existing
bishop, martyr, and hermit, Virgin and Matron for women, Confessor,
Abbott and Abbess, Priest, and other words were added. Since then,
churches have created additional such terms to assist in
differentiating the ever-proliferating types.
Check out
our proprietary
Saints
Spiritual Oils.
Read
about St.
Anthony, St. Joseph
and
The Veneration of Saints in New Orleans.
