Whether facing religious persecution, deep within a cloistered monastery or even living an ordinary life, the saints were like bombs, spraying holiness and influence throughout the world to blast away evil in the battle for souls. As part of the Church Triumphant in heaven, they are now powerful examples to follow and to pray for us.
In honor of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, our state’s shepherds, Bishop David Kagan of the Bismarck Diocese and Bishop John Folda in the Fargo Diocese, shared their own devotions to saints and the importance of praying for the souls in purgatory.
Bishop David Kagan
St. Catherine of Siena and St. Thomas Aquinas are two of Bishop Kagan’s favorite saints.
“It’s not just the historical things they accomplished during their lives, but they had a deep spiritual life that really sustained them in everything they did,” he explained.
Although neither lived very long—33 and 45 years respectively—he noted that they accomplished great good for the Church and had a tremendous devotion to the Eucharist. “Being in the presence of the Holy Eucharist seemed to sustain them,” he said.
Reading the lives of the saints was strongly encouraged during his seminary formation and it is something Bishop Kagan recommends to young people being confirmed as a way to grow in faithfulness.
“The saints turned obstacles into opportunities of greater grace,” he said. “They give us good examples of how to remain faithful to Christ and are proof that everyday people get to heaven.”
He added that reading the lives of the saints also gives us a historical perspective of the Church reflecting the times in which they lived.
A saint that Bishop Kagan pointed to as providing a strong example of God’s mercy is St. Dismas known as the good thief who hung on the cross next the Jesus.
“Once in a while someone will choose their confirmation saint as St. Dismas,” he shared. “If ever there was a reason for any of us to have hope, in the span of a minute, because he recognized Jesus on the cross, he received sainthood by looking to Jesus. All the saints teach us to rely on Jesus to help us like He always does when we ask Him.”
Bishop Kagan noted that we can always go directly to Jesus but that we belong to the communion of saints, so we honor them.
“We glorify God, their creator and sanctifier when we ask them to pray for us to extend the grace of Christ.,” he said.
Bishop John Folda
Bishop Folda’s favorite saints include St. John the Apostle, also known as St. John the Evangelist, and St. Peter.
Referring to the latter he said, “The greatness of the man, even with his denial of our Lord, is that he came back from that to show the greatness that we know. I love that image of him reaching out to Jesus, walking on the water sinking, but he cries out to our Lord.”
When Bishop Folda was discerning a call to the priesthood, he developed a devotion to St. Charles Borromeo, the patron saint of bishops, cardinals and seminarians.
“It was his feast day, November 4, 1982, when I decided to go to the seminary,” he recalled.
That following September, he was sent to Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Pennsylvania.
Later, as seminary rector for 14 years at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, Nebraska, he came to regard St. Gregory as a close spiritual friend. Bishop Folda also noted that amid his devotions to the saints is a special love for the Blessed Mother that he thinks most priests share.
Bishop Folda explained that it is no exaggeration to say that the saints can support us in our daily spiritual battles. “The evil one wants to prevent us from entering into eternal life with God. He never rests, constantly looking for ways to get us to sin. He can’t make us sin, but he wants to trip us up.”
We don’t need to fear evil. Bishop Folda explained. “Our Lord has won the battle. We just need to align ourselves with Him like the saints did. They lived in an extraordinary way in the context of their ordinary lives. We know that holiness is within our grasp because they showed it was possible.”
When Bishop Folda was in Rome, he felt a closeness to St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Gregory the Great and St. John Paul II. “I have sensed their spiritual closeness in the course of my life in the priesthood and as a bishop. It’s a comfort to know there is a companionship of kindred spirits on my side rooting for me.”
All Souls’ Day
The Church has had the constant teaching that people who lived a virtuous life but were not completely cleansed of sin when they died, go through a purification of venial sins in purgatory before they can enter heaven.
“Once we have died,” Bishop Kagan noted, “we cannot help ourselves anymore like we can when we are on earth. Those of us on earth have the opportunity to ask our Lord to apply our prayers and good works and acts of mortifications for the souls of purgatory.”
He added, “All Souls’ Day is a beautiful and an exceedingly important day for those of us continuing our daily lives of faith. We can do it by praying for the souls in purgatory. The Church always encourages daily prayers for souls of purgatory. All Souls’ Day highlights this element of the communion of saints and how we assist one another.”
Bishop Folda explained, “Understanding All Souls’ Day touches people’s hearts. We’ve all lost someone who was a part of our life and sense that they can be freed from anything holding them back from God.
“It is an act of hope that we believe they are on their way and an act of charity to help them by our prayers and sacrifices,” he said. “Also, our own lives here on earth will end soon enough, so the practice of visiting a cemetery helps us to stay focused, to realize that our days on earth are finite. “
Bishop Folda pointed out that we should also pray for the poor souls who are forgotten and known to God alone. “I always pray for them at Mass,” he said. “It helps us realize that eternity is just around the corner; something we don’t always think about.”
Having All Souls’ Day and the entire month of November dedicated to the souls in purgatory is spiritually very beneficial, according to Bishop Folda. “We still have to live our lives, but we should do it in a way recognizing that eternity is just a breath away and should shape how we live in the here and now.”