ORDER OF PROCESSION OF SAINTS
A. THE PRECURSORS
The precursors are the important persons in the bible at the advent of the
incarnation. They are the forerunners and witnesses of the coming of the
Messiah. They help testify to the transition from the Old Testament to the
New Testament.
1. St. Zachariah
The father of John the Baptist.
Zechariah was a Jewish high priest and prophet who lived an exemplary life
dedicated to God. He was responsible for the incense in the temple where God's
people brought offerings to Him. He was also a descendant of King David, having
been born into the house of Judah.
The Gospel of Luke states that while Zechariah ministered at the altar of incense,
an angel of the Lord appeared and announced to him that his wife would give birth
to a son, whom he was to name John.
2 St Elizabeth
Elizabeth was the wife of Zechariah, cousin of Mary and mother of John Baptist.
Elizabeth was unable to have children and was well beyond child bearing years
when amazingly she conceived a son. Her husband, Zechariah, was visited by the
Angel Gabriel and given the blessed news in the temple.
3 The Shepherds
The shepherds were the first to be notified of Jesus’ birth and are an important part
of the nativity story.
The shepherds at Jesus' birth were those who were living with their flocks in the
fields outside Bethlehem. They were local Jewish men, doing the hard but
mundane job that no one else wanted!
4 The 3 Kings
Three wise men, or Magi as they were known, whose names were Gaspar,
Melchior, and Balthasar, traveled a far distance to pay homage to Christ. They
brought with them fine gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
5.St Simeon the Prophet
Simeon at the Temple is the "just and devout" man of Jerusalem who, according to
Luke 2:25–35, met Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as they entered the Temple to fulfill
the requirements of the Law of Moses on the 40th day from Jesus' birth, i. e. the
presentation of Jesus at the Temple.
According to the Biblical account, the Holy Spirit visited Simeon and revealed to
him that he would not die until he had seen the Christ of God. Upon taking Jesus
into his arms, he uttered a prayer which is still used liturgically as the Latin Nunc
dimittis in the Catholic Church and other Christian churches, and gave a prophecy
alluding to the Crucifixion of Jesus.
6.St.Anna the Prophetess
Anna the Prophetess is a woman mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. According to
that Gospel, she was an elderly woman of the Tribe of Asher who prophesied about
Jesus at the Temple of Jerusalem. She appears in Luke 2:36–38 during the
presentation of Jesus at the Temple.
7.St John the Baptist
St. John the Baptist was a ,Jewish prophet of priestly origin who preached the
imminence of God’s Final Judgment and baptized those who repented in self-
preparation for it; he is revered in the Christian church as the forerunner of Jesus
Christ. After a period of desert solitude, John the Baptist emerged as a prophet in
the region of the lower Jordan River valley. He had a circle of disciples, and Jesus
was among the recipients of his rite of baptism.
B. MEN AND WOMEN DISCIPLES OF JESUS
1.Mary of Bethany
We know little about this Mary.. This is what we know: She was the sister of
Martha and Lazarus and lived in Bethany, in the region of Judea (Luke 10:38, 39;
John 11:1, 2). She used to sit at Jesus' feet to learn from Him.
2 Martha of Bethany
Martha is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together
with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the
village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness to Jesus resurrecting her
brother, Lazarus.
3 Lazarus of Bethany , also venerated as Righteous Lazarus, the Four-Days
Dead in the Eastern Orthodox Church,[4] is the subject of a sign of Jesus in
the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death.
The Eastern Orthodox and Catholic traditions offer varying accounts of the later
events of his life.
4.St Mary Magdalene
St. Mary Magdalene, also called Mary of Magdala, , one of Jesus’ most
celebrated disciples, famous, according to Mark 16:9–10 and John 20:14–17, for
being the first person to see the resurrected Christ.
The unchallenged facts about her life establish that Jesus cleansed her of seven
demons (Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9), probably implying that he cured her of a
physical disorder rather than the popular notion that he freed her of evil spirits. She
was one of the women who accompanied and aided Jesus in Galilee .
C. THE MARTYRS
1.St Philomena
she was the daughter of a king in Greece who, with his wife, had converted to
Christianity. At the age of about 13, she took a vow of virginity for Christ's sake.
When the Emperor Diocletian threatened to make war on her father, her father
went with his family to Rome to ask for peace. The Emperor "fell in love" with the
young Philomena and, when she refused to be his wife, subjected her to a series of
torments: scourging, from whose effects two angels cured her; drowning with an
anchor attached to her (two angels cut the rope and raised her to the river bank);
and being shot with arrows (on the first occasion her wounds were healed; on the
second, the arrows turned aside; and on the third, they returned and killed six of the
archers, after which several of the others became Christians). Finally, the Emperor
had her decapitated. The story goes that the decapitation occurred on a Friday at
three in the afternoon, as with the death of Jesus. The two anchors, three arrows,
the palm, and the ivy leaf on the tiles found in the tomb were interpreted as
symbols of her martyrdom.
2. St Felecity and Perpetua
were Christian martyrs of the 3rd century. Vibia Perpetua was a recently married,
well-educated noblewoman, said to have been 22 years old at the time of her death,
and mother of an infant son she was nursing.[6] Felicity, a slave woman
imprisoned with her and pregnant at the time, was martyred with her. They were
put to death along with others at Carthage in the Roman province of Africa.
3. St. Cecilia
was a Roman virgin martyr and is venerated in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and
some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden.[2] She became the
patroness of music and musicians, it being written that, as the musicians played at
her wedding, Cecilia "sang in her heart to the Lord".[3][4] Musical compositions
are dedicated to her, and her feast, on 22 November,[5] is the occasion of concerts
and musical festivals. She is also known as Cecilia of Rome.
4. St. Barbara
. Barbara legendary virgin martyr of the early church. Venerated as one of the
14 Auxiliary Saints (Holy Helpers), she is invoked in thunderstorms and is
the patron saint of artillerymen and miners
5.St Agnes of Rome
According to tradition, Agnes was a member of the Roman nobility, born in AD
291 and raised in an early Christian family. She suffered martyrdom at the age of
twelve[5] or thirteen during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian, on 21
January 304.
A beautiful young girl from a wealthy family, Agnes had many suitors of high
rank, and the young men, slighted by her resolute devotion to religious purity,
submitted her name to the pagan authorities as a follower of Christianity.
6.St Basil the Great
was a bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor (modern-day
Turkey). He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and
opposed the heresies of the early Christian church, fighting against both Arianism
and the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea. His ability to balance his theological
convictions with his political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the
Nicene position.
D. ORDAINED MEN
1.St Jerome
was an early Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he was born at
Stridon, a village near Emona (now Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia) on the border of
Dalmatia and Pannonia.[3][4][5] He is best known for his translation of the Bible
into Latin (the translation that became known as the Vulgate) and his
commentaries on the whole Bible. Jerome attempted to create a translation of the
Old Testament based on a Hebrew version, rather than the Septuagint, as prior
Latin Bible translations used. His list of writings is extensive. In addition to his
biblical works he wrote polemical and historical essays, always from a theologian's
perspective.
2 St John Paul 2
Was a bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church (1978–2005), the
first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first from a Slavic country. His
pontificate of more than 26 years was the third longest in history. As part of his
effort to promote greater understanding between nations and between religions, he
undertook numerous trips abroad, traveling far greater distances than had all other
popes combined, and he extended his influence beyond the church by campaigning
against political oppression and criticizing the materialism of the West.
E. RELIGIOUS WOMEN
1.St Bernadette Soubirous
Frail in health, Bernadette was the eldest of nine children from a poverty-stricken
family; her father was a miller. She contracted cholera in the epidemic of 1854 and
suffered from asthma and other ailments throughout her life. Between February 11
and July 16, 1858, at the age of 14, she had a series of visions of the Virgin Mary
in the nearby Massabielle grotto. Mary revealed her identity with the words “I am
the Immaculate Conception” and, among other messages and affirmations, told
Bernadette that a chapel should be built there. Bernadette steadfastly defended the
genuineness of these visions despite strong opposition from her parents, the local
clergy, and civil authorities, and she faithfully transmitted Mary’s messages.
2.St Therese of Lisieux,
also known as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face , was a
French Catholic Discalced Carmelite nun who is widely venerated in modern
times. She is popularly known in English as the Little Flower of Jesus, or simply
the Little Flower.
3. St Claire of Assisi
Inspired by the teachings of St. Francis, she founded the Order of Poor Ladies, a
monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition. The Order of Poor
Ladies was different from any other order or convent because it followed a rule of
strict poverty.[1] Clare wrote their Rule of Life, the first set of monastic guidelines
known to have been written by a woman. Following her death, the order she
founded was renamed in her honor as the Order of Saint Clare, commonly referred
to today as the Poor Clares. Her feast day is on 11 August.
4.St Teresa of Avila
also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish
mystic and religious reformer.
Active during the Counter-Reformation, Teresa became the central figure of a
movement of spiritual and monastic renewal, reforming the Carmelite Orders of
both women and men.[2] The movement was later joined by the younger Carmelite
friar and mystic John of the Cross, with whom she established the Discalced
Carmelites.
5.St Faustina
also known as Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, was a Polish
Catholic religious sister and mystic. Faustyna, popularly spelled "Faustina", had
apparitions of Jesus Christ which inspired the Catholic devotion to the Divine
Mercy and earned her the title of "Secretary of Divine Mercy".
Throughout her life, Kowalska reported having visions of Jesus and conversations
with him, which she noted in her diary, later published as The Diary of Saint Maria
Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul. Her biography, submitted to the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints, quoted some of the conversations with
Jesus regarding the Divine Mercy devotion.
6.St Rita of Cascia
Rita of Cascia, was an Italian widow and Augustinian nun venerated as a saint in
the Roman Catholic Church.
After Rita's husband died, she joined an Augustinian community of religious
sisters, where she was known both for practicing mortification of the flesh[1] and
for the efficacy of her prayers. Various miracles are attributed to her intercession,
and she is often portrayed with a bleeding wound on her forehead, which is
understood to indicate a partial stigmata.
7.St Teresa of Calcutta
Mother Teresa founded Missionaries of Charity, a religious congregation, which
grew to have over 4,500 nuns across 133 countries as of 2012.[6] The congregation
manages homes for people who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis.
The congregation also runs soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's
and family counselling programmes, as well as orphanages and schools. Members
take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience and also profess a fourth vow: to
give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.
8.St Catherine of Siena
was an Italian mystic and a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic of the
Roman Catholic Church. Canonized in 1461, she is revered as a saint and as a
Doctor of the Church due to her extensive theological authorship. She is also
considered to have influenced Italian literature.
Catherine of Siena is one of the outstanding figures of medieval Catholicism due to
the strong influence she had in the history of the papacy and her extensive
authorship.[9] She was behind the return of the Pope from Avignon to Rome, and
then carried out many missions entrusted to her by the pope, something quite rare
for a woman in the Middle Ages.
8.St Bridget of Sweden
The most celebrated saint of Sweden was the daughter of the knight Birger
Persson[3] of the family of Finsta, governor and lawspeaker of Uppland, and one
of the richest landowners of the country, and his wife Ingeborg Bengtsdotter, a
member of the so-called Lawspeaker branch of the Folkunga family. Through her
mother, Ingeborg, Birgitta was related to the Swedish kings of her era.
F. LAY PERSONS
1. Sts .Zelie and Louis Martin
were a French Roman Catholic couple and the parents of five nuns, including
Thérèse of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun who was canonized as a saint of the Catholic
Church in 1925 and Léonie Martin declared "Servant of God" in 2015. In 2015, the
couple were also canonized as saints, becoming the first spouses in the church's
history to be canonized as a couple.
