Dear DJ,
the Church allows for private revelation. But it must remain private if it is not sanctioned by the Church for public worship. If they pray to their relatives, it is most likely a personal thing. It can get out of hand. But the Church allows a person to have the freedom to do that. They have to accept personal responsibility if they misuse it. If misused it could actually be considered a sin. I think it is more likely to find prayer to relatives who have passed in some cultures over other cultures. In countries of latino heritage it is very common, not so much in other cultures.
As far as the 'saints' who are canonized, that is the Church's 'official' recognition of them and usually involves setting up a feast day for that person--still it is up to individuals and parishes whether they observe the feast days or not. Only a few feast days are affairs for the entire Church and obligatory to observe. The Church recognizes that we are all saints, but some have proved to be beneficial to the bringing of other souls closer to God. These are the ones who are canonized. It is a long long drawn out, complicated process, sometimes taking hundreds of years. The first step is 'beatification'. This Pope has beatified and canonized more saints than any other Pope in history.
He also recently did something that has never been done since its inception---that is he added a whole set of 'mysteries' to the rosary prayer! This is a BIG DEAL. I love the rosary. It is a way of meditation and prayer that is so soothing and calming and profound. It involves all the senses--touch(counting and holding the beads), hearing(saying the prayers out loud), seeing(alot of times I look at pictures of the 'mysteries'), smelling(I always use a rose scented oil or incense and many have reported smelling roses not coming from anything they have done themselves...) and tasting....hmmm welll maybe not ALL the senses...LOL! Unless you take it figuratively and say that you 'taste that God is good'! The rosary engages both sides of the brain too. While you are repeating the Hail Mary's and Our Fathers like a mantra you are meditating on the mystery for that particular decade(set of ten) and now there are 4 sets of 5 mysteries each depicting Jesus entire life. You can dedicate a decade to a particular concern or for someone else. For me it is a complete prayer. It does not replace informal prayer---but I have to say -informal prayer does not replace the rosary either.
ok the infomercial for the rosary being done, I will stop for now before I get accused of proselytizing! LOL But I do enjoy Catholicism which is a new experience for me in the realms of christianity.
Ravyn
