We are all familiar with the honorific title of
”
Saint,
”
as in
”
St. Louis, Mo.
”
or the Spanish equivalent
”
San,
”
as in
”
San Francisco.
”
This designation comes from the Roman Catholic Church, which has
developed over the centuries an elaborate process to determine who
is worthy of this title.
We are all familiar with the honorific title of “Saint,” as in “St. Louis, Mo.” or the Spanish equivalent “San,” as in “San Francisco.” This designation comes from the Roman Catholic Church, which has developed over the centuries an elaborate process to determine who is worthy of this title.
Some deceased people have been given official approval for public veneration because of the holy and virtuous lives they lived on earth. “Canonization,” as this process is called, involves elaborate investigations into the candidates’ lives, especially evidence of the miracles performed in response to prayer. There is even an official appointed, the so-called “devil’s advocate,” whose job is to oppose the candidacy. Once “beatified,” the candidate can achieve sainthood by having two more miracles verified.
Another traditional use of the title “saint” is little used today, but was often used by a major author of the New Testament. Paul believed every member of the Christian Church was a saint, and in his letters, refers to the “saints” in Rome, Corinth and Ephesus.
Last spring I attended an art exhibition held at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. This museum is dedicated to the history of America’s westward movement and its depiction on the silver screen. (It is named for Gene Autry, the cowboy star of radio, television and motion pictures in the ’40s and ’50s.)
“All the Saints of the City of the Angels” contains paintings and stories by J. Michael Walker, an exhibiting artist since 1984. Born in Arkansas, he studied and worked in Mexico before coming to California, participating in more than 100 exhibitions and receiving many grants and fellowships.
Los Angeles is home to 103 streets named for saints, stretching back to the time when “Spanish settlers bestowed upon new territories the names of saints to invoke their protection.” This exhibit and its accompanying book do a marvelous job of connecting those historical figures of centuries past with the contemporary residents of that great metropolis.
In November of last year, the exhibit moved to the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (555 W. Temple St., near downtown and the Hollywood Freeway), meaning that visitors no longer need to pay admission fees to visit. Forty-three paintings are thematically arranged in five chapels.
For example, the Chapel of Poverty, Humility and Dignity features San Julian Street. St. Julian (feast day Feb. 13, a date set aside for people to reflect on the example of his life) is the patron of wanderers and inn keepers.
Tradition says when he returned home one night, he discovered strangers sleeping in his bed. He killed them, only to realize they were his own parents. Overcome with remorse, he fled his home and built an inn for travelers and a hospital for the poor. When Julian later let a leper sleep in his own bed, the leper turned out to be an angel who gave him God’s forgiveness for his earlier sins.
The exhibit connects this legend to a homeless shelter coincidentally located on San Julian Street: “There are more than 80,000 homeless people living without homes in Los Angeles. A lucky few stay with friends and family. Most sleep on the streets where they fight hunger and disease daily. All of these began life in a family like yours, and most of them look forward to the day when they have a nice, safe home to live in again. Some find food and warmth in shelters … How can you be a ‘saint’ to the homeless?”
Walker synthesizes official saints of history with the people who go unrecognized in today’s society. He says, “We feel their presence, nonetheless, in the strength they bring our communities and the hope with which they fill our lives.” His theme is that “over-looked saints live all around us, tending our gardens, feeding the homeless and teaching our children.” He asks each of us to “take a moment to consider the ‘saints’ in our own lives.”
For more information see the internet at www.olacathedral.org or call (213) 680-5200.
