Canonization

How you become a saint

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Saints

• People worth admiring– Venerating = admiring– Miracles: God working through them

• “Stages” of sainthood– Venerable: lived a good & holy life– Blessed: one miracle– Saint: two miracles

Canonization

• Canonize = Make a saint– Catholic– Eastern Orthodox– Recognize that they went straight to heaven

• 50 years after earthly death– Prevent emotional attachment– Scandals play out

Process

• Originally: no formal process– Local authorities declare saints– Eastern Orthodox still does this

• St. Cyprian changed that– Due process– Don’t recognize an undeserving person

Process

• Martyrs get a pass– Automatic saints– Had to be proven

• “Confessors” – witness with life instead of death– Needed the approval of local authorities

Modern Process

• Catholic Church– Rome (Holy See) only– Thorough investigation– Universal veneration declared by Rome

• Older tradition: the “Promoter of the Faith”– “Devil’s Advocate”– Case against canonization– Eliminated in 1983

Modern Process

• Servant of God– Local bishop declares this– Responding to the faithful– Wait 5 years

• Congregation for the Causes of the Saints – Investigate further– Decide future progress

Move through the stages

• Venerable– Person demonstrated all virtues– “Heroic in virtue”

• Blessed (“Worthy of belief”)– Pope declares martyrdom– Find evidence of one miracle

Full Canonization

• 2 miracles from saint’s “intercession”– Saint’s prayers on behalf of us

• “Beatific Vision” – communion with God– All eventually reach heaven (after purification)– Saints don’t need purification

• Pre-1500 saints can be re-confirmed

Totals

• No definitive count of saints– Somewhere more than 10k

• Pope Francis I has canonized: 803– Popes John Paul II & John XXIII in April, 2014