Saints
in St. Michael's Croydon
For
a Catechesis class on the Saints at St. Michael's Croydon, 30th
May 2019.
Saints
play a crucial role in the life of the Church. They are people who
are recognised for their exceptional devotion to God, and for their
service to other people. Saints are remembered and commemorated for
their great Christian witness in life – either in recognition for
the holiness they lived their lives by, or often for a particular
thing they did – and their lives, words and deeds can inspire us
today. Some saints are also martyrs – people who freely gave up
their lives on earth because of the love they had for Christ and for
others. St. Stephen, who was stoned to death soon after the
resurrection of Christ in Acts 7 for refusing to renounce his belief
in Christ, is the first martyr of Christianity. An example of a
modern-day martyr is St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Roman Catholic priest
who took the place of a stranger who had been condemned to death at
Auschwitz; the stranger and his family lived to see the saint's
canonization. Some saints are recognised as Doctors of the Church –
people whose work is recognised theologically as being of particular
authority in Christian doctrine, especially when orthodoxy is
reiterated over heresy.
St.
Michael's Croydon is a very beautiful Church building. Designed by
John Loughborough Pearson and built in about 1880, it has a Gothic
Revival architecture. This lends itself perfectly to the
Anglo-Catholic tradition practised here, and it also provides a
fitting home for the many statues, shrines and other visual
representations of some very important saints.
The
Blessed Virgin Mary is well-known here at St. Michael's; but perhaps
less well-known is St. Anne, the mother of Mary – and thus the
Grandmother of Jesus! She is venerated both in Christianity and
Islam, and although neither the Bible nor the Qur'an mention her by
name, we do read of her in the Gospel of James (from about 150
AD) in the Apocrypha. She lived from about 50 BC to 12
AD, and is the patron saint of several places and professions –
Canada, Brittany, Detroit, children and their carers, those without
children, grandparents, mothers, pregnancy, house moves, teachers and
poverty.
St.
Thomas of Canterbury, or St. Thomas Becket, was Archbishop of
Canterbury from 1162 until his martyrdom just eight years later,
following conflict between himself and King Henry II over the
Church's privileges and rights. We have recently celebrated the Feast
of St. Augustine of Canterbury, who was the first Archbishop of
Canterbury and this saint's predecessor; and St. Thomas is the patron
saint of secular clergy, the city of Portsmouth, Arbroath Abbey, and
Exeter College Oxford.
St.
James the Greater was one of the Twelve Apostles called by Jesus, and
the son of Zebedee, and lived from about 3 AD to his execution by
Herod in 44 AD (Acts 12:1-2). We read of his calling to follow Christ
in Mark 1:19-20 and Matthew 4:21-22, and he is one of only three
apostles to accompany Jesus at His Transfiguration. He is the patron
saint of many places, including Spain (his shrine being in the
Santiago de Compostela), Guatemala and parts of Mexico and the
Philippines; and he is also the patron saint of woodcarvers, oyster
fishers and pharmacists.
St.
Martin de Porres was a lay Dominican brother, who lived from 1579 to
1639. His life demonstrated a concern for the poor; he lived a simple
lifestyle himself, often fasting from certain foods. Moreover,
through his love of others he established a children's hospital and
an orphanage. He is the patron saint of mixed-race people,
innkeepers, barbers, and racial equality. His work for the poor
inspires the work of many Christian organisations and charities today
such as CAFOD (the Catholic Agency For Overseas Development).
Furthermore, it also inspires us today – for instance here at St.
Michael's Croydon, we collect food, clothes, toiletries and other
things for the refugee day centre at West Croydon Baptist Church,
where I volunteer.
St.
Joseph, sometimes known as St. Joseph the Worker, is the wife of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. According to the Apocrypha, Joseph is the father
of a number children including James, Simon and Jude – but most
significantly, he is the foster-father of Jesus Christ. Jesus is
fully human as well as fully divine, and needed to be fostered and
nurtured after His birth and Incarnation – just like any newborn
baby. He is the patron saint of the Catholic Church, unborn children,
fathers, workers, carpenters, immigrants, and of course people who
are or have been in foster care – like me, which is why St. Joseph
is one of the saints who inspires me the most.
St.
Michael, Archangel, is our principal patron saint here at St.
Michael's Croydon (along with St. James, and all the angels). He is
also the patron saint of the Jewish people, the Guardian of the
Catholic Church, Vatican City, police officers, Germany, France,
Ukraine, Toronto, Brussels and parts of the Philippines. St. Michael
is thought by Jehovah's Witnesses to be Jesus, in his pre-human and
post-resurrection existence – and Michael is identified as Adam by
Mormons; but that's not our understanding! Michael the Archangel
appears in the Book of Daniel, and particularly in the Book of
Revelation where he is the one who leads the armies of God to defeat
Satan and all evil spirits. This is the source for the 'Holy
Michael, Archangel' prayer
which is often said towards the end of the Rosary.
St.
George, or St. George of Lydda, is of course patron saint here in
England – but he is also the patron saint for many other places
around the world, including Ethiopia, Georgia and Catalonia, as well
as a number of universities. He often appears as an armoured soldier,
and is depicted as slaying a dragon as per the legend; although we do
not actually know many details about St. George or his life with any
certainty. What is widely accepted, though, is that he is a martyr –
he refused to give up his Christian faith.
St.
Ambrose was bishop of Milan. He lived from about 340-397 AD, and is a
Doctor of the Church. He is one of the most fierce defenders of
Christian orthodoxy, firmly reiterating how Christ has always existed
– that is, His attribute of pre-existence, being fully divine as
well as fully human. He spoke against the heresy of Arianism, the
belief that Christ had been created by God at a point in time. St.
Ambrose is the patron saint of bishops, bees and their keepers,
livestock, and Milan; and he also wrote the well-known Christian hymn
of praise, the Te
Deum, which
we say during prayer offices on particular feast days and has been
set to many choral anthems and settings.
St.
Gregory the Great was a Pope, and another Doctor of the Church, who
lived from about 540-604 AD. He is the patron saint of musicians and
singers, as well as students and teachers; another saint who
particularly inspires me, given my love of academic study and how I'm
a musician (I sing and play the flute – and I've also started
learning the ukulele, too!). He is particularly remembered by
theologians and Christian scholars for his Commentary
on Job.
St.
Augustine of Hippo is a philosopher, and a particularly well-known
Doctor of the Church. He is the patron of the Augustinians, brewers,
printers, and theologians. Living from 354-430 AD, he was a bishop
and has written some of the most influential Christian works,
including The
City of God, De Doctrina Christiana, and
of course his Confessions.
St.
Augustine's Confessions
are
almost unique in his field, because of their genre; the work is
written as a prayer to God, as he journeys from his earlier
affiliations with the Manichees towards Christ, and his coming to
repentance from earlier sins. This is a helpful and reassuring
reminder that even the saints are not perfect – noone is perfect,
apart from God – and we can look to them for inspiration as we seek
to live our lives as best as we can.
St.
Jerome, who lived from about 347-420 AD, is another Doctor of the
Church. He is best known for the Vulgate
– this
is his
extensive translation of the Bible into Latin, and also for his
commentaries on the Gospels. He is the patron saint of
archaeologists, Biblical scholars, libraries and their librarians,
students and translators.
These
are just some of the many saints who are depicted in the Church
building at St. Michael's Croydon. Which of these saints inspire you
the most? And are you inspired by the lives and works of other
saints?
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