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Evangelical, Pentecostal or ProtestantStep 3 of 11

The saints, and asking for prayers

A long roll call of heroes, and then the writer turns round and looks at you.

The Church believes in the communion of saints: the faithful on earth, those being purified, and the blessed in heaven together form one Church.1 The saints in heaven do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, through the one mediator, Christ Jesus.2

Start reading 3 min read · 7 min film
The Apostle Paul, by Rembrandt: an old man with a white beard beside an open book.

Rembrandt, The Apostle Paul, c. 1657. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Public domain, source.

Journeys / Evangelical, Pentecostal or Protestant / Step 3 of 11

The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 11

The Letter to the Hebrews starts calling out names: by faith Abel offered his sacrifice.3 By faith Noah built the ark.4 By faith Abraham set out, “not knowing whither he went.”5

Of Abel, who died long before, it says something strange: “by it he being dead yet speaketh.”3

Then the roll call ends, and the writer turns to the readers. To us.

01The crowd

A great cloud of witnesses

“And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us:”

Hebrews 12:16

Most of us have asked a friend to pray for us at some point. Catholics believe that the friends of God who have died in Christ are still alive in him, and that we can ask them to pray for us too. Here is why.

But are the dead really still there to pray? Jesus answered that himself.

02The living

Alive in Christ

When he was asked about the resurrection, Jesus pointed to the burning bush, where God called himself the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.9

“For he is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live to him.”

Luke 20:3810

So the Church believes in the communion of saints: the faithful on earth, those being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church.1

And what does a family do for one another? It prays.

03The practice

Praying for one another

“Confess therefore your sins one to another: and pray one for another, that you may be saved. For the continual prayer of a just man availeth much.”

James 5:1611

Scripture asks Christians to make intercessions for all men.12 The Church teaches that those in heaven “do not cease to intercede with the Father for us,” through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus.2

The book of Revelation shows elders before the Lamb holding golden vials full of incense, “which are the prayers of saints.”13

The Catechism puts it simply: “We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.”14

So does asking a saint to pray take something from Jesus? Look at where the cloud is facing.

04The direction

Looking on Jesus

Asking a saint to pray for you is not adoration, which is due to God alone.15 The saints intercede through the one mediator, Christ Jesus.2

“Looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who, having joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:216

The cloud of witnesses is not the finish line. They are the crowd along the route, and every one of them is pointing to the same person.

Abel, being dead, yet speaks. So do the rest of them. Every one of them is saying his name.

Your move

Try this, this week

  1. Read Hebrews 12:1-2. Notice who the “cloud of witnesses” point us toward.
  2. Read Revelation (Apocalypse) 5:8. Look for what the elders hold.
  3. Learn about one saint. Read about their life and what they wrote.
  4. Ask a friend to pray for you this week. Then pray for them.

You’ll need

  • A Bible, open to Hebrews 12 and Revelation (Apocalypse) 5.

Remember Like asking a friend to pray for you.

Optional: watch a short film

Video: Do Catholics Worship Saints?, Ascension Presents (Ascension). Link checked 4 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube

What this video covers (summarized from the publisher’s description, not a transcript): Fr. Mike Schmitz explains that statues, paintings and icons of the saints are reminders of what God can do in a human life, so honoring the saints gives God greater glory.

What the Church teaches on this: The Catechism teaches that the honor paid to sacred images is a respectful veneration, not the adoration due to God alone. CCC 2132

Videos come from faithful Catholic teachers. Where a video and this page differ in wording, the Catechism and Scripture cited here are the authority.

If this is hard

If asking the saints for prayer feels uncomfortable, that is understandable, and no one will force you. Start with what you already do: asking friends to pray for you. Bring your questions to a priest whenever you like.

How to talk to a priest

Two questions people ask

Isn’t contacting the dead forbidden?

Scripture and the Church forbid divination, including conjuring up the dead and recourse to mediums.1718 Asking the saints to pray for us is different: the Catechism teaches that they share in the living tradition of prayer and that we can and should ask them to intercede for us.14

How does someone become a canonised saint?

By canonising some of the faithful, the Church solemnly proclaims that they practised heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace. It proposes them as models and intercessors.7

Do Catholics also pray for the dead?

Yes. From the earliest days the Church has honoured the memory of the dead and offered prayers for them, because “it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead.”1920 The Church offers prayers for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice.21

Only one thing to do

Your one next step

This week, ask one friend to pray for you, and pray for them in return. That is the heart of it. If you know a Catholic, you could ask them over coffee what the saints mean to them.

Coffee with a Catholic friend

Step 3 of 11 · Evangelical, Pentecostal or Protestant

Christ built his Church on Peter. What does that mean for the Pope today?

Take it with you

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Notes

  1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 962. vatican.va
  2. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 956. vatican.va
  3. Hebrews 11:4, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  4. Hebrews 11:7, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  5. Hebrews 11:8, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  6. Hebrews 12:1, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  7. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 828. vatican.va
  8. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2634. vatican.va
  9. Luke 20:37, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  10. Luke 20:38, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  11. James 5:16, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  12. 1 Timothy 2:1, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  13. Revelation (Apocalypse) 5:8, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  14. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2683. vatican.va
  15. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2132. vatican.va
  16. Hebrews 12:2, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  17. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2116. vatican.va
  18. Deuteronomy 18:10-11, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  19. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 958. vatican.va
  20. 2 Machabees 12:46, Douay-Rheims. read the chapter
  21. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1032. vatican.va

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America Copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with Permission. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Scripture: Douay-Rheims, Challoner revision (public domain). Early Christian writers: Ante-Nicene Fathers (1885, public domain). Video: “Do Catholics Worship Saints?,” Ascension Presents, supporting material, not a teaching source.

Scenes marked “Imagine” are an invitation to picture the moment, not a historical record. Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words; our wording is not an official Church text. Report an error.