What is a Saint? Understanding Sainthood in the Catholic Church

Becoming a saint might sound like something from a distant era, a title reserved for biblical figures or those who lived centuries ago. But what exactly is a saint in the modern context, particularly within the Catholic Church? The concept of sainthood is deeply embedded in Christian tradition, representing individuals recognized for their exceptional holiness and closeness to God. Saints are more than just admirable figures; they are seen as inspirational role models and intercessors, individuals in heaven who lived lives of heroic virtue, offered their lives for others, or were martyred for their faith. The Catholic Church has a formal process to recognize these individuals, a journey that progresses through stages, ultimately declaring them worthy of veneration and imitation by the faithful.

Defining a Saint: More Than Just “Good People”

While the term “saint” is sometimes used broadly to describe anyone who is considered virtuous or kind, in the Catholic Church, it carries a specific and profound meaning. Saints are not simply “good people” who lived moral lives. They are individuals who, through a life dedicated to God and service to others, have been recognized by the Church as being in Heaven. These are people who lived lives of heroic virtue, meaning they practiced faith, hope, and charity to an extraordinary degree, alongside the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. Some saints are martyrs, those who sacrificed their lives for their Christian faith. Others may have offered their life, meaning they willingly risked or gave their life for the well-being of others in a way that is seen as particularly Christ-like.

Recognizing someone as a saint is not just an honorific title. It signifies that the Church believes this person is in eternal life with God and serves as a powerful example for all believers. Saints are considered intercessors, meaning Catholics believe they can pray to God on our behalf. While all Christians are called to holiness, saints are those who have reached this goal in a remarkable way, becoming beacons of faith and love.

Understanding the Journey to Sainthood: Key Terms and Stages

The path to being officially recognized as a saint is a detailed and rigorous process within the Catholic Church. It involves several key stages and terms that help define this journey:

Servant of God: This is the title given to a person whose cause for sainthood has been officially opened. It marks the beginning of the formal investigation into their life and virtues.
Venerable: Once significant evidence has been gathered and reviewed, demonstrating the individual lived a life of heroic virtue (or martyrdom/offering of life), the Pope may declare them “Venerable.” This is a formal recognition that the person lived a life of exemplary holiness.
Blessed: Beatification is the next step. For a Venerable to be beatified and declared “Blessed,” a miracle attributed to their intercession is typically required, in addition to the recognition of heroic virtue. A miracle is an event scientifically inexplicable and attributed to God’s grace through the intercession of the Venerable. Martyrs can be beatified without a miracle as their martyrdom itself is considered the ultimate witness to faith. Beatification allows for limited public veneration of the Blessed, usually within a specific region or religious community.
Saint: Canonization is the final step in the process. To be canonized as a “Saint,” another miracle, occurring after beatification and attributed to the Blessed’s intercession, is generally required for those who were beatified due to heroic virtue. For Blessed martyrs, a second miracle is required after beatification for canonization. Canonization is a declaration by the Pope that the person is definitively in heaven and is worthy of veneration by the entire Universal Church.

Other important terms in this process include:

Congregation for the Causes of Saints: This Vatican department oversees the entire process of beatification and canonization. They investigate the lives of candidates, examine evidence of virtues and miracles, and make recommendations to the Pope.
Postulator: This is the person appointed to guide and oversee the cause for sainthood at both the diocesan/eparchial level and at the Roman level (at the Vatican). They are responsible for gathering information, preparing documentation, and presenting the case.
Positio: This is a comprehensive summary of all the documentation gathered during the investigation into the candidate’s life, virtues, and alleged miracles. It is a crucial document in the evaluation process.
Miracle: In the context of sainthood, a miracle is an event that is scientifically unexplainable and is attributed to God’s action through the intercession of a Venerable or Blessed. Miracles are typically healings and are rigorously investigated for scientific and theological validity.

Alt Text: Interior view of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, showcasing its grand architecture and religious significance within the Catholic Church.

A Historical Perspective on Recognizing Saints

The way the Church recognizes saints has evolved over centuries. In the early Church, during the first five centuries, recognition was often informal and based on popular acclaim – vox populi, vox Dei (“the voice of the people, voice of God”). If a community widely recognized someone as a saint due to their virtuous life or martyrdom, they were often venerated as such. There was no formal, standardized process as we know it today.

From the sixth to twelfth centuries, the local bishop began to play a more formal role. Typically, the local community would petition the bishop to recognize someone as a saint. The bishop would investigate the person’s life, often reviewing a biography, and if satisfied, would issue a decree, legitimizing their veneration within the local area.

Starting in the tenth century, the process became more centralized. While the initial steps remained similar – reputation spreading, community requests to the bishop, and biographies being written – bishops began to collect eyewitness testimony and evidence of miracles. They would then summarize the case and send it to the Pope for his approval. The Pope’s review and subsequent decree marked a significant step towards the formal papal canonization process. The first documented papal canonization was in 993 by Pope John XV for St. Ulric.

In 1588, Pope Sixtus V established the Congregation for Sacred Rites, a precursor to today’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints. This marked a further formalization of the process, providing a Vatican body to assist the Pope in reviewing causes for sainthood. The process remained relatively consistent until the 20th century.

The 1917 Code of Canon Law introduced a more structured approach, mandating both a diocesan and an apostolic process. This involved rigorous investigations at the local level followed by a detailed review in Rome. The current process, largely defined by the 1983 Code of Canon Law and subsequent norms, is the most detailed and thorough yet, ensuring a comprehensive examination of each candidate’s life and merits before they are declared Venerable, Blessed, or Saint.

American Saints, Blesseds, and Venerables: Examples Close to Home

The United States has been home to many individuals recognized for their holiness. These American Saints, Blesseds, and Venerables demonstrate that the call to sainthood is alive and relevant in every culture. Among the American Saints are:

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
St. Marianne Cope
St. Katharine Drexel
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
St. Mother Théodore Guérin
St. Isaac Jogues and the North American Martyrs
St. John Neumann
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
St. Father Junípero Serra, O.F.M.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
St. Damien de Veuster (Damien of Molokaʻi)

Examples of American Blesseds include:

Blessed Father Solanus Casey, O.F.M. Cap.
Blessed Father Stanley Francis Rother
Blessed Father Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R.
Blessed Sister Miriam Teresa, S.C. (Teresa Demjanovich)

And some of the American Venerables are:

Venerable Father Nelson Baker
Venerable Bishop Frederic Baraga
Venerable Mother Mary Magdalen Bentivoglio, O.S.C.
Venerable Cornelia Connelly, S.H.C.J.
Venerable Henriette Delille, S.S.F.
Venerable Mother Mary Theresa Dudzik, O.S.F.
Venerable Bishop Alphonse Gallegos, O.A.R.
Venerable Mother Maria Kaupas, S.S.C.
Venerable Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory, O. Carm.
Venerable Father Michael McGivney
Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Venerable Pierre Toussaint
Venerable Father Felix Varela

These individuals, each with their unique stories and contributions, exemplify the diverse ways holiness can be lived out within the American context, inspiring Catholics in the US and beyond.

Alt Text: Portrait of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized as a saint, known for her contributions to Catholic education.

The Ongoing Journey: Stage by Stage

The process of becoming a saint is not a quick one; it is a thorough and prayerful discernment by the Church. It is generally divided into three stages, each with specific phases:

Stage I: Examining the Life of a Candidate for Sainthood

Phase 1: Diocesan or Eparchial Level: Typically, a waiting period of five years after a person’s death is required before the cause for sainthood can begin, allowing for objectivity and emotional distance. The Pope can waive this waiting period. The process starts in the diocese or eparchy where the person died. A petitioner (which could be a diocese, religious order, or lay group) requests the bishop to open an investigation. After consulting with various bodies and receiving permission from the Vatican (“nihil obstat”), the bishop establishes a diocesan tribunal. This tribunal gathers evidence about the candidate’s life, virtues (or martyrdom), and reputation for holiness. Witnesses are called, and documents written by and about the candidate are examined.
Phase II: Congregation for the Causes of Saints: Once the diocesan investigation is complete, all documentation is sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. A postulator in Rome, working with a relator from the Congregation, prepares the Positio. This detailed summary presents the case for the candidate’s heroic virtue or martyrdom. The Positio is then reviewed by a panel of theologians who vote on whether the candidate demonstrated heroic virtue or martyrdom. If the theologians’ judgment is positive, the cause moves to a review by cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation. If they also give a favorable judgment, the prefect of the Congregation presents the case to the Pope. If the Pope approves, he authorizes the declaration of the candidate as Venerable (if they lived a virtuous life) or Blessed (if they were martyred).

Stage II: Beatification

For a Venerable to be beatified (unless they are a martyr), a miracle attributed to their intercession after their death is necessary. This miracle must be investigated through a canonical process similar to the investigation of heroic virtues. Once a miracle is confirmed, and a decree is issued, the Pope can beatify the Venerable, declaring them Blessed. Beatification allows for limited public veneration, usually in the Blessed’s local area or religious community.

Stage III: Canonization

For a Blessed to be canonized as a Saint, another miracle, occurring after beatification and attributed to their intercession, is required for both Blesseds who were martyrs and those beatified for heroic virtue. The process for verifying this second miracle is similar to that for beatification. If this second miracle is approved, the Pope can proceed with canonization. Canonization is the formal declaration that the Blessed is now a Saint, worthy of veneration by the Universal Church.

Conclusion: Saints as Guides on the Path to Holiness

Understanding what a saint is reveals a profound aspect of the Catholic faith. Saints are not just historical figures; they are living examples of how to live a life deeply connected to God. They inspire us through their heroic virtue, their unwavering faith, and their love for God and neighbor. The process of recognizing saints, while detailed and sometimes lengthy, is a testament to the Church’s commitment to identifying and celebrating these exceptional individuals who serve as beacons of holiness for all. Saints remind us that the call to holiness is universal, and through their intercession and example, we are encouraged on our own journey of faith.

Contact for more information:

Msgr. Robert Sarno
Congregation for the Causes of Saints
Vatican City
011-39-6-6988-4247
011-39-6-6988-1935 fax

Sources:

Adapted from “Canonical procedure for causes of saints,” Vatican Information Service, Sept. 12, 1997; and from “Saints in the Catholic Church,” Vatican Information Service, July 29, 1997.

Other sources include:

Bunson, Matthew; Bunson, Margaret; and Bunson, Stephen, eds., Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, 1998.)

Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Instruction Sanctorum Mater, promulgated on May 17, 2007.

John Paul II. Apostolic Constitution Divinus Perfectionis Magister, promulgated on January 25, 1983.

McBrien, Richard P., ed., HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995.)

Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Normae Servandae in Inquisitionibus ab Episcopis Faciendis in Causis Sanctorum, promulgated February 7, 1983.

Vatican Information Service reports from May 18, 1999; July 30, 1999; and January 28, 2000, July 31, 2000.