James Martin, SJ, on whether Protestant churches recognize saints

Sylvester: Father, I’m not a Catholic but I’m fascinated by everything Catholic. What I want to know is whether or not Protestant churches recognize saints? If so, how do Protestants get to become saints if only the Vatican approves them?

Father Martin: Protestant churches do indeed recognize saints, and we only need to think of the apostles to be reminded of that. For example, I’ll bet you’ve seen a lot of Lutheran Church’s called St. Peter’s and a lot of Episcopal churches called St. Mary’s! But, as far as I know, most of these churches don’t have an “official” canonization processes, and so many of their saints, most of whom come from the early church, are agreed upon by common consent–at least as far as I know. But I’m glad that you are enjoying the Catholic saints, because they are not just for the benefit of Catholics. A good book to read that talks about saints from many different traditions is Robert Ellsberg’s “All Saints.”  (And of course “My Life with the Saints!”)