The friendship we have with those in heaven and in purgatory is called the _____________ of saints.

• A. Fellowship
• B. Communion
• C. Union
• D. Covenant

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is the communion of saints—the shared life and friendship that unites all members of the Church, on earth, in purgatory, and in heaven. Communion means we participate together in Christ’s life, support one another through prayer, and believe that the saints in heaven and the souls in purgatory are part of our prayers and intercession. This description fits the question’s sense of friendship spanning heaven and purgatory. Other words don’t capture this exact sense of a universal, shared life in Christ. Fellowship is close in feeling but not the precise term for this bond; union suggests a merging that isn’t how we describe the living–dead relationship; covenant refers to a formal agreement rather than a living, shared life within the Church.