The Catholic Church and Patron Saints

When I was growing up in New Castle, Pennsylvania, my family attended the St. Joseph the Worker, Catholic Church. Families attended specific churches because of address, or particular family allegiance. On occasion, certain churches were chosen because of who led the church. A group of uncles, aunts and cousins went to a different church known as St. Vitus Catholic Church. They often would state that their church was superior due to the fact that it was led by a Monsignor as opposed to a simple Priest. Monsignors were more spiritual and thus those that attended their churches also were likewise.

One cousin in particular, Angelo, grew up in St. Vitus. He attended their private Catholic school and was also an altar boy for their church services. Angelo became one of their most esteemed altar boys because of his religious commitment, serving as an altar boy well into adulthood. Angelo was also one of my cousins that I spent a lot of time around. Though I spent a short time becoming an altar boy, I never achieved the position of esteem that he had in our family. He often served as an altar boy at family marriages and burials. I, on the other hand, was thrown out of the altar boys after one week. That's another testimony for some other time.

After I became a Christian, Angelo and I had several conversations about the Catholic church and it's practices. I would show him verses in the bible and he would acknowledge what they said, but would not accept that they applied to him. All of these verses were contrary to what we had been taught in the catholic schools. During the course of one such conversation, Angelo stated that even though he did not believe what was written in the bible, that I would have to acknowledge his spiritualism because of the way he lived. He was talking about his regular church attendance and servitude as an altar boy. I told him that only believing the Gospel meant anything, and that still our righteousness meant nothing. He did not agree. At that time we also discussed his health. Angelo, as a child, was diagnosed with epilepsy. He was required to take medicine to control the seizures and would sometimes stop taking the medicine even though it would result in a relapse. As I was speaking to him, I told him that if he could believe the Gospel, God had healed him of this sickness and he would no longer suffer from epilepsy. He told me that God had healed him already of this. I asked when and he said it had happened a while back. I asked him how this had happened and he said that "it just had". I then pointed out that in the bible, Jesus said that the epilepsy was a spirit and in Mark 9:29 said that

"This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."

Angelo said that he did not fast or pray - he was simply healed. Shortly after that conversation, I was reading and praying and God spoke to me about Angelo. God spoke these words to me. Hosea 4:17 Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone. From that point forward I stopped calling Angelo or visiting him when we went home. His attempts to see me often would fail and when we did cross paths at family get togethers it was fleeting. I also learned that Angelo had not been healed of epilepsy and that he was deteriorating in health. He also shortly separated from and was divorced by his wife for having an affair with another woman. This was the same Angelo that had told me that he was a good Christian and that it was obvious by the way he lived.

Angelo continues to deteriorate in health to this day. He still suffers from epilepsy and in addition has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. His MS is in an advanced stage and he is barely able to move about without a wheelchair or help from people. Angelo chose to believe what he had been taught in the catholic church instead of what was in the Bible and God called that idolatry.

Recently God showed me something about Angelo and the catholic church. Angelo attended St. Vitus church growing up. St. Vitus is the patron saint of epileptics. Angelo put himself under that spirit as an altar boy and refused to believe the Gospel. His idolatry is the reason for the sickness that he has had. There is only one God, and patron saints is nothing but idolatry. Our healing comes from the power of the Gospel and with the stripes of Jesus, we were healed. Believing in and praying to St. Vitus or any other patron saint is an abomination to God.

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