Saints Be Praised- 7 New Ones!

Our Holy Father canonized 7 saints this weekend for their heroic virtue and exemplary witness to the faith. All 7 were active in evangelization and it is especially fitting that the Year of Faith be kicked off by these canonizations.  Of particular interest to me is Saint Kateri Tekawitha. She is a native American and lived in New York State. We visited her shrine last year.
Check out this article on the saints here.
   We all know Saints are not praised in the sense that we praise God. We thank God for the grace he gave them to live lives of heroic virtue. Catholics don't worship saints, but we certainly ask for them to pray for us since we know they are with the Lord in heaven, the way our Protestant brothers and sisters ask for prayers from those who they believe are close to the Lord, though still hear.
   Honestly, I prefer the prayers of someone who is close enough to God to whisper in His ear on my behalf, though I still ask for prayers from those still here on earth.
  "The fervent effectual prayer of  a righteous man availeth much."  And even more so when they are in heaven!