The word saint often gets abused by the secular world, though. Surprisingly, it has even been given a negative connotation. However, saints aren't dull creatures without a concept of reality. These people were very much in the real world, serving the poor, ministering to the sick, etc.
Saints differ greatly in their personalities.
Francis of Assisi was a rich, frivilous playboy who willingly surrendered his material posessions to become a pauper in service to the Lord. Therese, a spoiled little girl, found the Lord during a difficult time in her life and chose to follow the religious life. King Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor, Thomas More, was beheaded for his refusal to say that Henry had the right to divorce his barren wife and remarry. Yet their love for the Lord and His Church unite them. The only intercessor we need is Jesus Christ, but we can still ask our friends in heaven, the saints, to pray for us.