The significance of a large majority of Catholic Churches named for saints is___________
that many hundreds, thousands of individual decisions went into those names . . .
demonstrating the
RELATIVE PRIORITIES of those individuals
CHOOSING MARY OVER GOD TWICE AS MANY TIMES
CHOOSING MARY AND OTHER GRADUATED SAINTS MORE THAN 7 TIMES AS OFTEN AS GOD WAS CHOSEN.
PRIORITIES—OUR PRIORITIES MATTER TO GOD—ALL THE MORE SO WHEN HE GETS THE BOTTOM OF THE TOTEM POLE.
Very simple. PRIORITIES, PERSONAL PRIORITIES OF THE HEART.
Not terribly surprising.
Seems to me a study of naming of facilities - and titles given to persons living in the flesh or not - distributed over time, tabbed by doctrinal statements - could be interesting.
In other words, I wonder if there is a cause/effect relationship between doctrine and naming/titling. For instance, were there more facilities named after Mary and more titles given to her after Vatican I?
Thanks again. I needed a nice little predicate to get a handle on a thesis that potentially can lead one in many directions. It would be nice to be able to stay on point.
Maybe this is it:
demonstrating the RELATIVE PRIORITIES of those individuals
or this? :
PRIORITIES—OUR PRIORITIES MATTER TO GOD—ALL THE MORE SO WHEN HE GETS THE BOTTOM OF THE TOTEM POLE.
I feel kind of silly having to explain this, but God is not getting the bottom of the totem pole when a church or parish or anything is identified by using the name of a saint. The naming is a subsidiary of already having elevated God to top priority by having built a Church to worship Him, or having gathered a family of believers to commune in His name. The having to choose a name already points to THE PRIORITY.
The logic that you employ is flawed. Boy Scout Troop 452 or IBEW Local 61 doesn't imply an obsession with numbers. Nor does the naming of a hospital, theatre, or library after a philanthropist demonstrate a priority for wealth. Guessing what a name may or may not represent can be an error-prone game.
Naming a Catholic Church/ parish after a saint is a very old, ancient practice. It reflects the Catholic belief in eternal life. Those recognized as having lived holy, exemplary lives in Christ remain alive in the Catholic heart. I think it a wonderful, loving belief, but also has a utilitarian purpose. By and large, names in general, are ignored. Their meaning and origin are completely overlooked. But sometimes, it happens that a churchgoer might, after several years, be graced with a dose of curiousity. Having attended St. Therese of Lisieux for so long, a light might turn on, who is St. Therese? and go home and google and learn that she was a doctor of the Church that died at age 23, and wonder how a veritable child could be placed among the ranks of Aquinas and Augustine, and learn that she wrote a book, " The Story of A Soul", and order it from Amazon and read about an incredibly devout and humble family that devoted their lives to serving the Savior. The Church preaches with its ornamentation, and statues, and even its names. St. Corrie Ten Boom of Haarlem would be a great name for a reformed church.
I think that is what is at the core of this issue, your disdain for the veneration of the saints. Or rather your inaccurate perception that there is too much emphasis on Mary or other saints. In the big picture, the saints are exceedingly peripheral to the centrality of Christ. Yet they are an extension of Christ's manner of spreading His great news. Christianity is ultimately a person to person movement. Christ set the precedent for having His creatures introduce Him to one another. The building named for a saint perfectly parallels Christ's commission. Open the doors to St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church and you will find Christ waiting for you there.