1. Unit Two Saints

2. Catholic Saints  There are over 10,000 saints  As early as 100 A.D. the Church was honoring other Christians who had died  “Hall of Fame” for Catholics

3. Process for Becoming a Saint  Canonization is the process the Church uses to name a saint  Process begins after the death of a Catholic considered holy  Local Bishop investigates the person’s life and writings  Then a panel at the Vatican reviews the candidate

4. Process for Becoming a Saint  After approval by the panel of Cardinals, the Pope proclaims the candidate “venerable”

5. Process for Beatification  To be Beatified evidence of one miracle is required (except for martyrs)  The person is then declared Blessed  Blessed Teresa of Calcutta  Blessed Kateri Tekakwith  Most recent saint is Saint Damien (he became a saint on October 11, 2009)

6. Process for Canonization  After one more miracle the Pope will canonize the saint  Title of Saint means:  Person lived a holy life  The person is in heaven  The person is to be honored by the universal Church

7. What is a Patron Saint  Patron saints are chosen as special protectors or guardians over areas of life.  These areas can be:  Occupations  Illnesses  Countries  Causes  Etc.

8. Feast Days for Saints  The Church has carefully selected a Feast Day for a Saint for every day of the year.  Order of importance:  Solemnity:  Solemnity: an event in the life of Jesus, Mary, and the saints, They are observed throughout the entire Church.   Feast: celebrates or commemorates certain concepts or events in the history of the Church   Memorial: feast day of relatively low importance. However, all priests must recall the saint commemorated in their Masses   Optional Memorial: lowest class of the feast day. The priest is permitted to celebrate the feast day or not as he chooses.

9. Vatican II Reform  During the Vatican II reform of the Church all saints on the calendar were examined for historical proof of their existence   Some Saints were removed from the calendar:   Saint Christopher   Saint Ursula