Pocket-sized images of religious figures, known as Holy Cards, first appeared in the 1500s.  These cards, which were created to be carried around or simply displayed in a person’s home, allowed everyday people to bring saints and other religious figures in to their day-to-day lives. 

Unlike other sacred imagery at the time, which was expensive and tended to be confined to the wealthy or religious, these cards allowed the average person to establish a personal connection with a saint.  The cards were inexpensive and disposable, and their value came more from a person’s connection to the saint and the meaning they imposed on that relationship, rather than from the price of the card itself. 

Prior to the emergence of Holy Cards, religious imagery had been out of reach of the majority of devout Catholics, but these cards brought the saints to the people in a tangible way.  The cards helped the faithful to develop devotions to particular saints, and, due to their popularity, a large industry sprang up for the printing and distribution of the cards. 

They can be used as devotional aids, and as a portable example of how to model one’s life after that of a particular saint.  Although the style of Holy Cards has changed through the years, their purpose—devotional reminder; commemorative memorial; story of a saint—has not. 

​The tradition of providing those attending a funeral with memorial cards arose from the Catholic tradition of the Holy card. These cards were provided at funerals but they did not feature information relating to a specific person. As printing became more accessible and customization more affordable, the cards were adopted for use as a memorial tribute. Holy Cards of the Catholic Church