T housands of Christian saints have come along over the past 2000 years. There is a patron for virtually every cause, profession, hobby or special interest.
Many Christian practices have their roots in older religions.
In Judaism, for instance, prophets and holy people are honored with shrines - as are saints. Many religions designate and honor saints, but only the Catholic Church has an official process for adopting them. B eginning with the early Christian martyrs in the first century, saints were chosen by popular acclaim. These stories evolved into some wonderfully fantastic tales, probably arising from our intellectual need for heroes. Those who pray to them believe that saints must be closer to God than mere mortals, therefore the prayers might have a better chance of being answered if a saints acts as an intermediary.