Pope Francis signed five canonization decrees this week naming two Portuguese shepherd children who said the Virgin Mary appeared to them in Fatima 100 years ago and three Mexican adolescents who were killed for their faith in the 16th century.
In the case of the Mexicans, the Holy Father declared the three Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala worthy of sainthood without having a miracle attributed to their intercession, once again sidestepping the typical saint-making process. The boys, Cristobal, Antonio and Juan, were converted to Catholicism by missionaries in the early 1500s.
Francis observed the norms of the canonization process in affirming a miracle for Francisco and Jacinta Marto, the Fatima siblings, just two months before he is to travel to the Fatima shrine to mark the centennial anniversary of their apparitions.
There is much confusion among non-Catholics about the saints the Church recognizes and promotes as worthy of honor and as a source of inspiration and hope to the faithful.
From the outset, it is important to explain that the Church does not “make” saints. Rather, the Church recognizes that there are those who exemplify heroic virtue during the course of their earthly lives. So much do these virtuous souls manifest a “likeness to God” in their holiness that the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is able to recognize and proclaim that they have attained the blessing of the Beatific Vision and live now and forever in the Eternal Presence of the Holy Trinity.
The history of the development of the Church’s cult of saints in an interesting one.
In the history of the Early Church, individual ecclesiastical communities spontaneously (with no formal process) recognized and venerated virtuous individuals within their locales.
Then, on January 3, 993, Pope John XV became the first Pope to proclaim a person a “saint”. He did so on behalf of a request of the King of Germany that Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg be recognized for his virtuous life and be held before the faithful of the Universal Church as an example and source of inspiration of personal sanctity.
Subsequent Popes contributed to the development of the veneration of saints throughout the Universal Church: Pope John XVIII formally recognized a cult of five Polish martyrs; Pope Benedict VIII declared the Armenian hermit, Symeon, a saint.
But it was not until the pontification of Pope Innocent III that the authority to proclaim or “canonize” a saint was reserved exclusively to the Office of the the Supreme Pontiff. The decree of Pope Alexander III in 1170 formally and definitively reserved the canonization process to the Pope.
In 1756, Alban Butler published Lives of the Saints which included a total of 1,486 saints. The latest edition, contains the lives of 2,565 saints.
But, as Monsignor Robert Sarno, an official of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints has stated, “it is impossible to provide an exact number of saints venerated in the Latin Church.”
Proper and appropriate veneration of the saints consists of paying honor to those whom the Holy Spirit has revealed to have lived lives of exemplary faith and virtue.
Some have erroneously accused the Church of “worshipping" the saints. And yet, according to the Church, Divine worship is in the strict sense reserved only to God and never to the Saints. The faithful may ask the saints to intercede or pray to God for persons still on Earth, just as one can ask someone on Earth to pray for him.
A saint may be designated as a Patron Saint of a particular cause, profession, or locale, or invoked as a protector against specific illnesses or disasters, sometimes by popular custom and sometimes by official declarations of the Church.
Saints are not believed to have power of their own, but only that granted by God. Relics of saints are respected, or "venerated", similar to the veneration of holy images and icons. The practice in past centuries of venerating relics of saints with the intention of obtaining healing from God through their intercession is taken from the early Church.
Once a person has been canonized, the deceased body of the saint is considered holy as a relic. The remains of saints are called holy relics and are usually preserved and venerated in churches. Saints' personal belongings may also be used as relics.
Formal canonization is a lengthy process, often of many years or even centuries.
The first stage in this process is an investigation of the candidate's life by an expert. After this, the official report on the candidate is submitted to the Bishop of the pertinent diocese and more study is undertaken.
The information is then sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints of the Holy See for evaluation at the universal level of the Church. If the application is approved the candidate may be granted the title "Venerable".
Further investigation may lead to the candidate's beatification with the title "Blessed".
Next, and at a minimum, proof of two important miracles obtained from God through the intercession of the candidate are required for formal canonization as a saint. These miracles must be posthumous. However, the Pope has the final authority to dispense with this requirement.
Finally, after all of these procedures are complete, it belongs exclusively to the discernment and decision of the Holy Father whether or not to formally proclaim and decree that the candidate is indeed a saint worthy of veneration by the universal Church.
There are some who object to or denigrate the Church’s veneration of the saints. Yet, these same people have no problem with other institutions honoring those who achieved outstanding success in their lives and careers. Just think of the various Halls of Fame where men and women who were legends in their time are remembered by fans of their careers. Even musicians, actors, radio and television personalities are recognized and honored in this way.
And while Pope Francis has certainly shown a proclivity and enthusiasm in canonizing saints, I personally believe the veneration of the saints does not mean all that much among the Catholic faithful nowadays. Rather, I believe more people are acquainted with and interested in the lives of sports heroes and media personalities than they are in the lives of the saints.
Sadly, it seems the only time I hear the names of saints today is when someone tells me how Saint Anthony helped find lost keys, or how burying the statue of Saint Joseph helped sell a house.
I still believe it is noble and fitting to remember those who lived their lives with such commitment and dedication to the Lord. I pray that, among those whom the Holy Spirit has revealed live in Christ forever, those whom I was privileged to have known in life, especially my dear relatives and friends, are in Heaven as well.
I also pray that, if God will be overly merciful, I will one day be with them to enjoy their company in the Divine Presence forever.
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