First, the person’s local bishop investigates their life by gathering information from witnesses of their life and any writings they may have written. If the bishop finds them to be worthy of being a saint, then he submits the information that he gathered to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Second, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints can choose to reject the application or accept it and begin their own investigation of the person’s life. If the application is accepted, the person may be called Servant of God.

Third, if the Congregation for the Causes of Saints approves of the candidate, they can choose to declare that the person lived a life heroically virtuous life. This isn’t a declaration that the person is in heaven, but that they pursued holiness while here on earth. If this is indeed found to be the case, the person may be called Venerable.

Fourth, to be recognized as someone in heaven requires that a miracle has taken place through the intercession of that person. The miracle is usually a healing. The healing has to be instantaneous, permanent, and complete while also being scientifically unexplainable. Miracles have to be first verified as scientifically unexplainable by a group of independent doctors, then the person is approved by a panel of theologians, and then the final approval lies with the pope. If this is the case, a person is declared a Blessed.

Note: Besides the number of miracles attributed to them, the difference between is a blessed and a saint is that the scope of devotion for a blessed is narrower – usually limited to a specific group of people or a particular region of the world while a saint is held up for devotion for the universal Church.

Fifth, a second miracle is needed in order to declare someone a Saint. The confirmation of a second miracle goes through the same scrutiny as the first.

The five-step process is a general outline for how someone becomes a saint. There are definitely exceptions to this process and situations that may change the process as well.

Reprinted in part from 

https://focusoncampus.org/content/how-does-someone-become-a-saint-a-5-step-process

by STEVE DURAN Director of Business Development, 5 Stone/St. Joseph Communications

      IF YOU ARE ANYTHING LIKE ME, THERE IS A tendency to get lost in the administrative and operational details of your business because, let’s face it, in small business we wear a ton of hats. I’m equal parts the platform director, secretary, accountant, and intern. On a regular workday, I can be found drowning in purchase orders, P&Ls, and texts from my wife who’s informed me that my two year old has been throwing a tantrum all day. However, on the days, weeks, and months I find myself the most successful is when I am deeply invested in the mission of my apostolate or the “why” behind why I go to work every morning. 

     Our why is the reason and heart behind what we do. My why is the thing that is life-giving and propels me forward. The “what” is the way to get there, but our why is the reason we’re in business in the first place and gives us the destination. As a bookstore, gift shop, or Catholic business, it is critical that we connect our customers to our why. In order to be successful in this space, we need to be constantly finding ways to draw customers into the mission of our Catholic business. As this begins to happen, these customers begin to become brand ambassadors of our business which ultimate drives more leads to us in the long run. As an incredible store, here are five easy ways to connect with our customers:

     1) Write down your “Why” for being in business - Our why must be clearly articulated and shared with our staff. Without this, we’ll never have a clear set of principles for making decisions. For me, this comes down entirely to leadership. As leaders at our companies, we have to be the ones to set the tone for our business. Keep in mind that anyone can follow a map, but it takes a captain of a ship to chart out a navigation plan.

     2) Outline your story of how your got started- Our story is something that is unique and can be used to draw people into the mission of our business. Once these customers become fans of our story, these customers ultimately become ambassadors for our businesses. In the age of social media, every new customer that walks into our store has access to about 2,000 people in their circle that we have not even met yet. Again, the key is to draw them into our story, make them fans of our mission (our why) and watch as they bring business to us. 

     3) Look to be a “destination” of sorts - It really helps to find ways to create an environment where people want to come back to our stores. Ideas that we have found successful include screening films, running book clubs, and hosting events. Once we’ve clearly articulated this why, it is a good idea to have a physical manifestation of this mission in the form of an event. 

    4) Parish partnerships - Anecdotally, I have found that bookstores are oftentimes the frontlines of evangelization. Of the people I have met who have had conversions or reversions, the first place they went to when looking into the Catholic Faith, was not the adoration chapel, but instead a place where they could be fed spiritually such as their local Catholic shop or bookstore. If this tends to be the case, then we can begin to create this relationship with our local parishes where people come into the store and then are referred to the parish. Parishes in turn would be incentivized to send people to the store when they are looking for materials on a certain topic.

      5) Build a sacred space - The key for me here is to not be afraid to put prayer at the center of all we do. My advice is to carve out a literal sacred space in your shop for prayer and meditation. I like this for three reasons, it is on brand for what we are trying to do as Catholic businesses; as a Catholic bookstore, we already have the sacramentals in the shop to adorn the space; and lastly (most importantly), it gives people an excuse to return to your store and you never know who could use a moment of prayer. When it comes to any type of business, there are those that manipulate and those that inspire. As Catholic business owners, we need to inspire people. There is a reason you got into business into the first place and I am willing to bet that it is somehow connected with the story of how you got your start. If you want to be successful in this space and you want to be one of the 10% of businesses that remain in business after the first ten years, you need to focus on your story and start with your why.

 *This is an excerpt from Steve’s Retailer Education Day presentation at the 2017 CMN Trade Show.

    Escorted by the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, Msgr Robert Siffrin, Vicar General of the Diocese of Youngstown was the main celebrant. The sanctuary was filled with eighteen priests, deacons and servers in white garments. Addressing the standing room only congregation, Msgr. Siffrin,explained that we are at the beginning of an exciting journey. Noting that it was the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, he said, “just like the beginning mysteries of the rosary we begin this process with hope and joy…We trust in God’s will that he shows us if she (Rhoda) is to be raised to the altar,” he added. “May the journey that lies ahead find us all in fervent prayer, walking with the Lord and his saints.”

    Rhoda Wise was a wife, a mother, a mystic, a stigmatist and a victim soul. In 1939, at the age of 44 she had a 39 pound tumor removed from her stomach.  After a series of complications she was sent home to die. Soon after she experienced a vision of Jesus Christ.  And was later miraculously and completely healed. 

    From 1939 to 1948, Wise experienced apparitions of Jesus and Saint Therese of Lisieux. Rhoda suffered the visible stigmata every First Friday.  She bled profusely from her hands, feet and forehead.  Many conversions and miraculous cures occurred during her lifetime and after her death. The most famous cure was the healing of a teenage girl named Rita Rizzo, the future Mother Angelica, foundress of EWTN.

    With this official opening Mass for her cause Rhoda Wise is now given the title “Servant of God.”   #

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