www.SaintsforSinners.com
Questions & Answers
Interview with Dr. Paul Camarata,
Host of www.SaintCast.org on the
StarQuest Production Network (www.SQRN.com)
Hello, Dr. Camarata, thanks for joining us at the www.SaintsforSinners.com Blog It's nice to be able to turn the tables and interview you for a change. We really enjoyed the interviews you did with us on your SaintCast.
Are you ready for our Interview? Sure am. . . and thanks so much, Rob, for what you do. I've heard from so many of our listeners (at SaintCast ) who have ordered medals that have helped remind them of the holy men and women that have gone before us, that help them through difficult times. Here we go: Q: First, do feel any connection to a particular Saint? A: Yes, a few of them. Q: Which ones and what is the connection? A: Well, the first was perhaps St. Thomas More. When in high school, I saw a movie called "A Man for All Seasons." It is a film version of a play written by Robert Bolt. It tells the story of Sir Thomas More, a high placed lawyer and good friend of King Henry the VIIIth, who was killed because he stuck up for his convictions and refused to accede to the king's wish to divorce his wife and declare himself Supreme Head of the Church in England. He is a great role model for laity, studying and praying intently. He taught his daughters to read and write Latin and Greek at a time when women weren't usually educated, loving God while trying to be the best lawyer he could be. Next would be St. Francis. I was taught by the Capuchin Franciscan friars in my high school days. Their humble example and willingness to live in poverty in today's society has always been an inspiration to me. This, of course, comes from their desire to follow the ways of St. Francis of Assisi, called the little poor one of Assisi, but truly a giant of a man in his time. By the time of his death, thousands of friars had decided to abandon their "other" lives and live with him, serving the poor, living in abject poverty. He was truly a great reformer of the Church which had fallen into "disrepair." The third would be Padre Pio. Of course, people are first intrigued by his story . . . a friar who bore the wounds of Christ, that bled daily for 50 years. We are intrigued by the photos of him shown saying Mass with bleeding hands extended. Then, when you read his story . . . Wow! Here was a humble poor friar from the south of Italy, who prayed fervently and often that he would always do God's will. After awhile, he is graced with being allowed to offer his suffering for the salvation of souls in the form of the stigmata. I often think, "Man, if I saw Jesus and spoke with my Guardian Angel like Padre Pio did, it would be easy to repent and be a saint." However, this man spent hours a day in devout contemplation - some say he prayed over 30 rosaries a day. He helped predispose his soul to be able to communicate with God in a way that few of us ever do. In addition, he was blessed with the ability to read souls - people would go to Confession to him and he would enumerate all of their sins for the past few years, things that no one else knew! So, I hold him up as an example of how to go about deepening your relationship with God. Q: We are especially fond of Padre Pio as well and were in Rome for his Canonization in August, 2002. Paul, please talk about the time when you first began to feel connected to the Saints. A: As a child my parents taught me about saints, and I remember praying to St. Anthony, Joseph, and Mary, as well as St. Christopher. I remember choosing St. Peter as my confirmation saint because of his connection with St. Paul. Their Feast day is celebrated together in the Catholic Church. When my father was dying of cancer we said a lot of prayers to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes. I first really felt a true connection to the saints in general after Pope John Paul II died. I had a kind of 'mini-conversion' experience while watching all of the media coverage of the death of this great man, and began reading more and more about the saints. Perhaps his soul was inspiring me to change my life for the better. Q: So, they have inspired you? A: I do look to some of my favorite saints for inspiration. . . after all, that's why the Church canonizes people. The Church doesn't make them saints - it is simply saying that it is "officially" OK to now look to these holy people as examples of how to live our lives and pray for their intercession. I mean, there are saints out there who have conquered any vice that you can think of. Saints who were alcoholics, saints who were murderers, liars, even satanists. The difference is that they figured out, with the grace of God, how to straighten out their lives and get it right. Q: How many Saints do you think there are? A: Certainly there are millions and millions of people in heaven, and all of us here on earth are a part of the Communion of Saints. As far as officially recognized saints, there are, I believe, between 5 and 10,000. Q: Do you have a favorite? A: My three favorites would have to be Thomas More, Francis of Assisi, and Padre Pio. Q: Name the first 5 Saints that pop into your head: A: Thomas More, Francis of Assisi, Padre Pio, St. Lucy, Maximilian Kolbe Q: Any idea why you picked those? The first three are my favorite patrons. I just exhibited a number of relics recently at our parish church, and St. Lucy was one of those. I thought of Maximilian Kolbe because he was a very contemporary saint, and who we would like to propose as the patron saint of New Media. He was a fabulous evangelizer. Q: Yes, I remember we talked about Maximilian Kolbe when you interviewed us in New Orleans. Proposing him as the Patron of New Media sounds great. We're in! One last question: Do you recall ever saying the prayer “Saint Anthony, Anthony, come on down; something’s lost that must be found!” A: Yes, all the time. Q: OK, one more question, then: please tell us, did it work? A: More often than not, yes, indeed.
