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How to Become a Saint


07/01/21 • 10m

“The only thing that scares me is being forgotten. I can survive most things, but not that.”
—Mr Wednesday, American Gods


Who are these transformative figures, and how did they become as such? By most estimates, there are thousands of saints recognized by the various churches throughout the world. The Roman Catholic Church alone claims upwards of ten thousand of these once materialistic beings transformed into venerable saints, most of whom have been forgotten by the public.

New saints are being canonized all the time. Throughout their tenure, Popes bestow sainthood on any number of deceased people, and the count varies widely. For example, in 1839 Pope Gregory XVI was moved to canonize five saints. And yet, his successor, Pope Pius IX, canonized fifty two. That means fifty two people produced enough miracles—the most astounding spiritual expressions a person can manifest—to be worthy of sainthood. Which is a lot of miracles, and a lot of saints, especially considering that most people would find it difficult to name even half that many. In recent years, the rate of canonization has skyrocketed even higher. In the late twentieth century John Paul II bestowed sainthood on four hundred eighty two people, only to be surpassed by the most recent head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, who has already canonized a staggering eight hundred and ninety eight saints in just under seven years.

Such high numbers might suggest that it’s easy to become a saint—nine hundred saints in seven years is pretty good odds—giving hope to anyone put off by the idea that sainthood is a rare and unattainable feat. But, don’t be fooled. The steps toward becoming a saint, despite recent efforts to streamline the process, can be difficult and treacherous to climb.

How to Become a Saint[1]


Step 1: Death

Much to the chagrin of those devoted to their grandmothers, according to the Roman Catholic Church there is no such thing as a “living saint.” In fact, the first test a person needs to pass when wanting to become a saint is to be dead. And, the reason is simple. If you’re dead, then the Church can make a claim as to whether or not you’ve made it to heaven. If you’re not dead, this is more difficult to prove, and can lead to embarrassing situations. For example, if you were to become a saint while living, and if for some reason didn’t make it to heaven after you died, the Vatican would have a great deal of explaining to do. After all, how can a person be both a saint, and prohibited from crossing the holy threshold? So, in part as a failsafe, the first step in becoming a saint is to be dead, and, without a doubt in heaven.

Step 2: Servant of God

After you’ve died and gone to heaven, the locals in your former community will petition to have you elevated to the next level. At this stage the local church will gather information on your life, which will initiate the vetting process for your potential sainthood. If this initial vetting proves favorable, then you will be given the status of Servant of God.

A number of well-known and somewhat surprising people have made it this far. The Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi, known for his drippy colors and unconventional constructions, is a member of the Servant of God class, as well as Oglala Lakota holy man and visionary, Black Elk. Dorthy Day is also considered to be a Servant of God, and is a reminder that even anarchists can have a place at the holy table.

Step 3: Venerable

Once you’ve become a Servant of God, your petition is sent to Rome for further vetting. Many aspects of your life will be taken into consideration, as it is at this stage when your many skeletons will be exhumed. Everything about who you were as a living being will be picked apart and put on display. Expect to have your diaries read, and your emails and Facebook comments combed through.

The manner of your death will also be vetted, and a determination will be made as to whether or not you lived a heroically virtuous life. “Heroic virtue” is determined by the circumstances of your life, and plays a large role in whether or not you may proceed to the next stage. While it may be wonderful if you lived a life of service to the church, seen as helpful toward all those you came in contact with, the question is whether or not you behaved in such a way under duress. Were you beneficent while living a quiet life tucked away in a monastery, or did you struggle on the battlefield? Whether or not you did so matters.

Step three is also when the “Devil’s advocate” may formally speak against your canonization, and is where we get the term. The Devil’s advocate will be asked to present documentation that contradicts the evidence brought forth by those in favor of your sainthood. A famous case happened in 2003 when Christopher Hitchens, who was both an atheist and an outspoken critic of Mother Teresa, having called her “a fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud,” was called upon to be the Devil’s advocate, and to speak against her.

If the candidate passes this process of vetting, they are considered to be Venerable, and may be petitioned for intercession. It is at this stage where you will find a great many nuns, priests, and bishops, most of whom you’ve probably never heard of. Pope John Paul I, who was the head of the Roman Catholic Church for exactly thirty three days before he died, is considered to be Venerable. Pauline-Marie Jaricot, who in 1826 founded the Living Rosary Association, is also a member of the Venerable class.[2]

Step 4: Blessed

Becoming Venerable in the eyes of the church, and thus available for intercession on God’s behalf, is important. Intercession can lead to miracles, and miracles, described by Paul as being one of a number of gifts bestowed upon people by the Holy Spirit, lead to you being considered Blessed.[3] Miracles are necessary to become a saint, and for centuries two miracles were the standard requirement. In recent years, Popes have waived the need for a second miracle, as Pope Francis recently did when canonizing Pope John XXIII in 2013. There are even people who feel that miracles should no longer be a necessity. Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest, has called for the dropping of “the miracle requirement,” stating that “[i]t is sufficient to look at a person’s life and ask, did this person live the life of a Christian in a special or extraordinary way that can be held up for admiration and imitation by other Christians?”[4]

But, the importance placed on miracles is in many ways of a practical nature. Theologically speaking, it is God who performs the miracle, and not the person who was petitioned. If a person has interceded on your behalf, and a miracle is proven to have taken place, that proves that the person is in heaven and has a direct line to God. In other words, it is proof that God listens to this person’s requests.

So, in a way, when it comes to canonization, miracles are less about something magnificent and otherworldly having taken place, and more about proving that the person in question is regarded as blessed by God. Because of this, miracles remain at the crux of whether or not a person may become a saint, as was the case, again, regarding Mother Teresa’s controversial canonization in 2016. Much of the controversy around her canonization was not in regard to the thirty five thousand pages of documents meant to prove her heroic virtue, nor in disproving Christopher Hitchens’ condemnations of her, but had to do with whether or not Mother Teresa posthumously healed a woman suffering from a cancerous tumor through a locket containing her image, after it was placed on the woman’s chest, and after it began emitting light. Whether the locket was indeed the cause of the woman’s healing was a long and somewhat public debate. The woman’s husband, as well as a number of doctors on the scene, denied such divine intercession. However, it was the subsequent acceptance of the locket miracle that allowed Mother Teresa to be beatified, and therefore acknowledged by the Church as “Blessed,” the miracle proving that Saint Teresa did in fact exist in close proximity to God.

In the past, however, miracles were often less humanitarian in nature, and were sometimes so fantastical as to be almost impossible to believe. The third century martyr, St Denis, is said to have carried his own head to his grave. The sixth century Scottish bishop, St Blane, is said to have been able to make bolts of lightning jump between his fingers. St Brigid, who has numerous miracles attributed to her, as well as being honored in both Christian and pagan circles, is said to have hung her cloak on a fifth century sunbeam. Neither of these miracles did much in the way of healing large groups of people, and are discussed today more as a way of showing God’s ability to grant superhuman feats. Today, however, healings remain the dominant form of miracle.

Step 5: Saint

After all of the considerations have been taken—the petitions of the locals, the vetting by the Vatican, the effective rebuttal of the positions taken by the Devil’s advocate, and the proof of miracles—it is at this point that a person may be canonized and awarded the status of saint. In almost all cases the canonization will take place during a mass in Italy, at the Vatican; a feast day will be assigned to the saint; and the saint may be included in the pantheon of saints celebrated on All Saints Day. The new saint will now live out his or her days as a fully venerable intercessor, available for requests and petitions on behalf of the public.

But, the story does not end there. In fact, it is at this point where a saint’s life truly begins.

Out of ten thousand-plus saintly beings, few have gone on to live in continuous veneration by the public. Most have been forgotten. The lead-up to sainthood may be a rollercoaster of tension and release, culminating in a grand display at the Vatican, but what happens at the end of the mass, when the crowds return to their homes with only a prayer card in their pocket?

In reality, the odds are stacked against most canonized saints on the road to becoming daily “working saints.” Some years may see upwards of a hundred new canonized saints, with most people taking little to no notice. The fact is, few saints will have dozens of roadside altars set up for them. Few will find anyone willing to make pilgrimage on their knees to their hometown. Few will find themselves adorning taxi dashboards around the globe.

At the end of the day, the power dynamic inherent in institutionalized religious rituals is inverted. Rather than making an offering to God, papal authority can only make an offering of the saints to the people. Whether or not the offering is accepted depends on the will of diverse and disparate religious communities spread throughout a hundred and ninety five countries speaking roughly sixty five hundred languages. The acceptance of a saint depends on how resonant the particular saint is with people, as well as how quickly the saint gets to work on their behalf. Ultimately, it is the people who will decide whether or not the saint survives in an already oversaturated spiritual market. 🌴



Bob is the author of Sitting with Spirits: Exploring the Unseen World In the Margins of Christianity; The House of I Am Mirrors: And Other Poems; Acupressure For Beginners; and The Power of Stretching. You can stay up to date on his doings and goings by signing up for his weekly email “The High Pony: Really Good Insights for Living an Inspired Life.” bobdoto.computer for everything else.





[1] While the order of these steps is accurate, variations may occur depending on circumstances. For example, there is some debate as to when “heroic virtue” is established, as well as when the “devil’s advocate” comes into play, if at all. Ultimately, the residing pope will determine how things play out.

[2] The Living Rosary Association

[3] 1 Corinthians 12:8–10 See also Sitting with Spirits (Doto) for further discussion of the gifts of the Holy Spirit as described by Paul.

[4] https://religionnews.com/2013/07/15/are-miracles-really-needed-to-become-a-saint/