Why does the Catholic Church celebrate saints' feasts?

For the same reason we celebrate the birthdays and anniversaries of out family and friends, because we love them. The Saints are also our family and friends.

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints, you, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends living here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother living in heaven to pray for you.

Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.

Asking others to pray for you whether your loved ones on Earth or your loved ones in heaven is always optional.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 946 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3a...

With love in Christ.

For the same reason we celebrate the lives of those in our family; even the deceased.

For the same reasons we celebrate the lives of former Presidents, civil rights leaders, and the like.

That's why the Church celebrates the lives of the saints.

No, not everyone. Some people who are really religious might. In some countries where Catholic Church is dominate they might.

to celebrate that person's life. normally a saint's feast day are on a saint's birthday or the day they have gone into Heaven

They celebrate "all saints day" to take away from an earlier tradition of "all souls day" commonly known as Halloween. They couldn't have it on October 31st so they made it the day after, November 1st.

All souls day is a day of remembering all our loved ones who have died, however the Catholics deemed it All saints day to remember all the "saints" who have died.

(another effort made to convert and hide away the past)

If you would like more answers, consider asking around this site as well...

http://christianforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=26

Power.

It's the same reason they control marriages, control the ceremony without which a baby won't go to heaven, control funerals if you want to be buried in a church cemetery, etc.

These feasts originated as village celebrations - they are VILLAGE feasts, which the RCC bound to their religion so that they can control them too.

Because you have to go to mass on Holy Days. Mass=collection basket.

Because their not JW'S

Because it's a good excuse to pig out.