CAUSES FOR SAINTHOOD

The canonization of a saint signifies one of the highest accolades bestowed by God upon His Church. Through canonization, God attests to the sanctity of individuals who epitomized unwavering devotion as His faithful servants during their earthly lives.

 

To attain canonization, an individual must exhibit heroic virtue that surpasses the ordinary practice of Christian virtue. This encompasses steadfastness in prayer, fortitude in enduring significant trials, patience during intense suffering, a notable commitment to charitable works, particularly in aiding the impoverished and afflicted, and exceptional fervor in propagating God's love and mercy through words and actions for the salvation of souls and the glorification of God.

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The Four Steps: Servant of God, Venerable, Blessed, and Saint.

 

Making someone a saint cannot normally start until at least five years after their death.

1. It starts with an investigation into the life of the individual, to see whether they lived their lives with sufficient holiness and virtue to be considered for sainthood. Once the case is accepted for consideration, the individual can be called a "Servant of God".​

2. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints then scrutinizes the evidence of the candidate's holiness, work and signs that people have been drawn to prayer through their example. If the Congregation approves the case, it is passed to the Pope. If the Pope decides that the person lived a life of "heroic virtue", they can then be called "Venerable".​

3. For beatification, a miracle needs to be attributed to prayers made to the individual after their death. After beatification, the candidate is given the title "Blessed". There is one exception to the miracle requirement - a Martyr, someone who died for their faith, can be beatified without a verified miracle.​

4. Canonization is the final step in declaring a deceased person a Saint. To reach this stage, a second miracle normally needs to be attributed to prayers made to the candidate after they have been beatified. Martyrs, however, only need one verified miracle to become a Saint.