<\/a>Some of my non-Catholic friends think we Catholics pray to the saints. We don\u2019t. During the Litany of the Saints, we ask the saints in heaven to pray for us. The Litany of the Saints begins by invoking the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We also ask more than 50 saints, by name, to pray for us.\u00a0Of course, these men and women are not the only saints. The Catholic Church has confirmed the existence of thousands of saints, men and women who have died and now are in union with God in heaven. Millions of other saints inhabit heaven, people whose lives were less notable. Faithful friends and family who have gone before us are also part of this great Communion of Saints. In great humility, we\u00a0beg this cosmic communion to pray for us. We are a hurting Church. We need their prayers.<\/p>\n Throughout my life, in years and Masses past, I have merely endured this Litany of the Saints, which lasts for four or five minutes. To me, it was a monotonous listing of out-of-date names. Saints to me, I am sad to say, had no more meaning than two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. \u00a0Now, I understand that these flawed, vulnerable, and brave men and women are still alive, in the \u201ccloud of witnesses.\u201d They are part of the Communion of Saints <\/a>\u00a0that exists here on earth, among the faithful souls on their way to heaven, and in heaven with those now united with God.<\/p>\n Thanks to my careful reading since Christmas, including the magnificent book\u00a0 My Life with The Saints,<\/a> which sparked Webster\u2019s own conversion, \u00a0I now feel familiar with many of those names. These saints are my friends. The early church, Father James Martin, SJ, writes, focused more on the \u201ccompanionship model, those who have gone ahead of us and are now cheering us on, brothers and sisters in the community of faith.\u201d\u00a0Here are the parishioners at Our Lady of Mercy, chanting the litany at their Great Vigil of Easter last year.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/__dQCWErAY9c\/S7lRIbMA3DI\/AAAAAAAAAD0\/PFWv_wCjpkE\/s1600\/litany.jpg\")
<\/a>At the Great Vigil of Easter this year, I teared up during the Litany of the Saints. Standing in the choir loft, I could see the entire parish, many of whom are dear friends, as we all pleaded with our heavenly companions to pray for us. At this time of immense crisis in our beloved Church, never has this plea for heavenly help felt more powerful and necessary.<\/p>\n