Teachings · The Church

What Is the Communion of Saints?

A Line in the Creed

Near the end of the Apostles’ Creed comes a short phrase that is easy to pass over: “I believe in … the communion of saints.” Many Catholics assume it simply means the saints in heaven. It means a good deal more than that, and it is one of the most consoling truths of the Faith (CCC 946–962).

What the Words Mean

“Communion” means sharing or fellowship. “Saints” here does not only mean canonised saints. In the New Testament, St Paul uses the word “saints” for all the baptised, as when he writes “to the saints who are at Corinth” (2 Corinthians 1:1).

The Catechism explains that the phrase has two closely linked meanings (CCC 948):

a communion in holy things: the faith, the sacraments, and above all the Eucharist, which all members of the Church share;
a communion among holy persons: all those who belong to Christ, whether on earth, in purgatory, or in heaven.

In short, the communion of saints is the whole family of God, bound together in Christ.

Three States, One Church

The Church traditionally speaks of three groups within this one communion (CCC 954).

The Church on earth. This is us: all the faithful still living and journeying towards God. It is sometimes called the Church Militant, because we are still in the struggle against sin.

The Church being purified. These are the souls in purgatory: those who died in God’s friendship but still need purification before entering heaven. This is sometimes called the Church Suffering.

The Church in glory. These are the saints in heaven, who see God face to face. This is the Church Triumphant.

These are not three separate churches. They are one Church in three conditions. Death does not cut anyone off from the Body of Christ. As the Catechism puts it, the union of those still on earth with those who have died in Christ is not in the least interrupted, but is strengthened by the sharing of spiritual goods (CCC 955).

How the Communion Works

Because we are one family, we can help one another. This works in every direction.

We pray for one another on earth. When you ask a friend to pray for you, or pray for someone in need, you are living the communion of saints. St Paul constantly asked for prayers and promised his own.

The saints in heaven pray for us. The saints are not dead and gone. They are more alive than we are, and they still love us. Being close to God, they intercede for us (CCC 956). This is why Catholics ask the saints for their prayers, just as we ask a friend. The Book of Revelation shows the saints in heaven offering the prayers of God’s people before His throne (Revelation 5:8).

We pray for the souls in purgatory. The holy souls cannot help themselves, but we can help them by our prayers, and above all by having Mass offered for them (CCC 958, 1032). This is one of the oldest Christian practices. Inscriptions in the catacombs of Rome ask for prayers for the dead.

The holy souls may pray for us too. Many saints and theologians have held that the souls in purgatory can pray for us, even if they cannot help themselves.

The communion of saints also means that good works and sufferings are not purely private. When one member of the Body does good, the whole Body benefits. St Paul wrote, “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

This is why Catholics speak of “offering up” their sufferings. A hard day, an illness, or a disappointment, united with Christ’s sufferings, can become a prayer for others. Nothing given to God in love is wasted.

Isn’t Asking the Saints Unnecessary?

Some Christians object that we should go straight to God, not to the saints. Catholics agree that we can and should pray directly to God. But that has never stopped Christians asking each other for prayer. If it is good to ask a friend on earth to pray for you, it is even better to ask a friend in heaven, who is closer to God and whose prayer is more powerful (James 5:16).

Asking the saints for help does not take anything away from Christ. All their holiness comes from Him, and every prayer they offer is offered through Him. The saints do not compete with God. They show what His grace can do.

A Family That Death Cannot Break

The Letter to the Hebrews describes Christians as “surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). That cloud includes the great saints of history, but also our own grandparents, parents and friends who have died in Christ.

This is why the Church keeps two feasts back to back each November: All Saints on 1 November, and All Souls on 2 November. On the first we rejoice with the saints in heaven. On the second we pray for the souls being purified.

The communion of saints means that no Christian is ever truly alone. We pray, we are prayed for, and we are loved by a family that stretches across heaven and earth.

Go deeper: Why Do Catholics Pray to Saints — Isn’t Jesus Enough? and What Does It Mean to Call the Church the ‘Mystical Body of Christ’?