If protestants started canonizing people, who would they choose?

[andrewstx]

Originally Posted by aicirt

She's the second one who came to mind.


C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, Martin Luther King (maybe).

MLK is already on the Episcopal church kalendar.

Billy Graham

[SteveLy]

You'll find several modern one's here.

[Symphorian]

King Henry VIII does not appear in the Church of England Kalendar.

King Charles the Martyr has a small following in the Church of England. There is a Society of King Charles the Martyr who also hold relics of the saint.

http://skcm.org/

Church of England Kalendar for August (local commemorations in brackets). Catholics might be surprised to see St John Vianney and St Maximilian Kolbe.

Jean-Baptiste Vianney, Curé d'Ars, Spiritual Guide, 1859
John Mason Neal, Priest & Hymn Writer, 1866
The Name of Jesus
Dominic, Founder of the Order of Preachers, 1221
Mary Sumner, Founder of the Mother's Union, 1921
Laurence, Deacon at Rome, Martyr, 258
Clare of Assisi, Founder of the Poor Clares, 1253
(John Henry Newman, Priest, Tractarian, 1890)
Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Connor & Down, Teacher, 1667
(Florence Nightingale & Octavia Hill, Social Reformers, 1910 & 1912)
Maximilian Kolbe, Friar, Martyr, 1941
The Blessed Virgin Mary
Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, Teacher, 1153
(Symphorian of Autun, Martyr, 178)
(William and Catherine Booth, Founders of the Salvation Army, 1912 & 1890)
Batholomew the Apostle
(Melor and Erme, Martyrs)
Monica, Mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387
Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Teacher, 430
The Beheading of John the Baptist
John Bunyan, Spiritual Writer, 1688
Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary, 651

[Prosmith]

Originally Posted by DavidFilmer

Suppose protestants wanted to start "canonizing" people using a standard of personal piety similar to that currently used in the Catholic Church. Who would they choose?

The Catholic Church has both Saints and sinners. Some folk want to judge us by our sinners - by the people who fail to uphold the Catholic Faith. That's hardly fair - judge us by our Saints, who do uphold the Faith. We have many such Saints to offer as examples of faithful Catholics.

If a protestant wanted to offer a similar example of someone who had achieved remarkable piety through the steadfast practice of (some) protestant faith, who might serve as such an example?

Which Protestants are you talking about?

[Prosmith]

Originally Posted by DavidFilmer

Suppose protestants wanted to start "canonizing" people using a standard of personal piety similar to that currently used in the Catholic Church. Who would they choose?

The Catholic Church has both Saints and sinners. Some folk want to judge us by our sinners - by the people who fail to uphold the Catholic Faith. That's hardly fair - judge us by our Saints, who do uphold the Faith. We have many such Saints to offer as examples of faithful Catholics.

If a protestant wanted to offer a similar example of someone who had achieved remarkable piety through the steadfast practice of (some) protestant faith, who might serve as such an example?

You don't seem to realize that Anglicans have recognized Saints and others including some of the same folks that Catholics recognize for centuries.

[aicirt]

Originally Posted by andrewstx

MLK is already on the Episcopal church kalendar.

Billy Graham

How do they go about with Episcopalian canonization? What's the requirements? Didn't know they had modern saints.

[Prosmith]

Originally Posted by aicirt

How do they go about with Episcopalian canonization? What's the requirements? Didn't know they had modern saints.

It's not just Episcopalian, it's throughout the whole Communion. It's however not a cannonization process, it's more like a simpler recognition. Anglicans do not recognize patron saints as Catholics do.

[Della]

Gladys Aylward of China whose story was fictionalized in "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness"
Eric Liddell of "Chariots of Fire" fame who also served in China.

[jericho777]

All beleivers are addressed as saints in the NT so why the need to canonize? Is there a benefit to being canonized?

[Della]

Originally Posted by jericho777

All beleivers are addressed as saints in the NT so why the need to canonize? Is there a benefit to being canonized?

The Church canonizes saints as examples of the faith. They brought Christ to the world in a recognizable way and led lives of faith, hope and charity. However, the Church realizes there are many unsung saints, which is why we celebrated "All Saints Day" as a feast day.

[aicirt]

Originally Posted by Prosmith

It's not just Episcopalian, it's throughout the whole Communion. It's however not a cannonization process, it's more like a simpler recognition. Anglicans do not recognize patron saints as Catholics do.

Who and what constitutes the whole Communion? I'm reading that it is a group of Protestant Churches who agree on who is and who isn't recognized.

Do you look into the person's background? Or is it a vote that you think he/she was holy and then take a vote for him/her to be recognized?

[AbideWithMe]

I'll add William Wilberforce.

[aicirt]

Originally Posted by jericho777

All beleivers are addressed as saints in the NT so why the need to canonize? Is there a benefit to being canonized?

I'm sure there are those Catholics who will answer better than I. I believe the process goes something like this: those interested in promoting the cause of sainthood submits the person's name and documentation of his life and documentation of a miracle which might have occured at the time of the person's death and those miracles or acts of good works during his life.
Accepted, he/she is considered a Servant of God and an investigation begins at the Vatican level.
The more the person has written, the longer the investigation will take. For example, Vernerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen. There must be tons of written material to examine plus viewing all TV Shows etc. This is to discover any fault in the man which might have continued at time of death.
I believe when once there were five miracles required, it is now three miracles. The person then moves to the category of Blessed and then to Sainthood.

The person has to be a practicing Catholic at the time of his/her death. There can be no scandal related to him/her. That's the reason why the process is slow. It is also a process evoking the Holy Spirit intervention asking for a miracle in the proposed saint's name.

[masuwerte]

Originally Posted by DavidFilmer

If a protestant wanted to offer a similar example of someone who had achieved remarkable piety through the steadfast practice of (some) protestant faith, who might serve as such an example?

Martyrs, certainly. I've long felt a closeness to the Martyrs of New Guinea (1942), who have a day in the Episcopal kalendar (September 2nd) and are worth google-ing. They were ordinary men and women, clergy and lay, Australian, English and Papuan, who stood their ground in the face of evil and paid with their lives. Lucian Tapiedi, please pray for us.

[Contarini]

Originally Posted by Prosmith

You don't seem to realize that Anglicans have recognized Saints and others including some of the same folks that Catholics recognize for centuries.

We make a distinction between commemorating someone in the calendar and canonizing them. With the exception of Charles I, which is a highly dubious exception (he was "decanonized" later but some Anglicans don't accept that this is possible), we haven't canonized anyone since the Reformation and we don't use the word "saint" for post-Reformation Anglicans and other Protestants whom we commemorate.

Traditionally, the Episcopal Church has listed only Anglicans post-Reformation. The Church of England lists Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox. In the Episcopal Church, the book listing all the commemorations is traditionally called "Lesser Feasts and Fasts." It's revised every three years after General Convention. The most recent (2009) version is called "Holy Women, Holy Men." It includes some folks who are not Episcopalians, and even some whose status as Christians (at least orthodox Christians) is open to serious question: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, for instance. The new additions generally seem driven by political considerations--feminism, environmentalism, etc. My own bishop has not, I believe, authorized this version for use in our diocese--we go on for the time being using the old one. Of course, there will be a new one coming out soon, and there may be even further changes. . . .

Edwin