How does someone become a saint?
The short answer
Everyone in heaven is a saint. "Canonized" saints are those the Church formally declares to be in heaven and worthy of public veneration, after a careful investigation of their life and, normally, two miracles attributed to their intercession. The steps are Servant of God, Venerable, Blessed, and Saint.
All are called to be saints
"All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life" (CCC 2013). Holiness is not for a spiritual elite. Every person in heaven is a saint, and Revelation describes "a great multitude, which no one could count" (Revelation 7:9).
What canonization means
When the Church canonizes someone, she declares with certainty that the person is in heaven and may be honoured publicly throughout the Church and proposed as a model and intercessor (CCC 828). It does not make someone a saint; it recognizes what God has done.
The steps
- Servant of God — at least five years after death (the Pope can waive this), the local bishop opens a cause and investigates the person's life, writings and reputation for holiness.
- Venerable — the Pope declares that the person lived the Christian virtues to a heroic degree.
- Blessed (beatification) — normally requires one verified miracle attributed to their intercession; martyrs may be beatified without one.
- Saint (canonization) — normally requires a second miracle after beatification.
How miracles are tested
Alleged miracles, usually healings, are examined by independent medical experts who must find them instant, complete, lasting and scientifically inexplicable, followed by theological review.
Why it matters
Saints show that the Gospel can be lived in every era and circumstance — as soldiers, mothers, scientists, teenagers and kings. They are a "cloud of witnesses" cheering us on (Hebrews 12:1).