Saints - Key Terms

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Beatification

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The second stage in the process of proclaiming a person a saint; occurs after a diocese or eparchy and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has conducted a rigorous investigation into the person's life and writings to determine whether he or she demonstrates a heroic level of virtue, offered their life or suffered martyrdom. A miracle attributed to the person's intercession must be proved.

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Blessed

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Title bestowed on a person who has been beatified and accorded limited liturgical veneration.

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Canonization

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The formal process by which the Church declares a person to be a saint and worthy of universal veneration.

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Congregation for the Causes of Saints

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A department of the Roman Curia, established originally as the Congregation of Rites by Pope Sixtus V in 1588. Reorganized and renamed in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, and again in 1983 by Pope John Paul II. Responsibilities include making recommendations to the pope on beatifications and canonizations, and the authentication and preservation of sacred relics.

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Miracle

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Something that has occurred by the grace of God through the intercession of a Venerable, or Blessed which is scientifically inexplicable.

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Petitioner

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Party initiating an action in canon law. In the case of a sainthood cause, the petitioner is one who asks the diocesan bishop to begin the investigation which could ultimately lead to canonization. A bishop may also begin a cause on his own initiative, in which case he is the petitioner.

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Positio

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A comprehensive summary of all documentation; in this context, there are two: the one summarizing the investigation of a candidate's life and heroic virtues or offering of life, or martyrdom and a second for any alleged miracles. The Positio is prepared during the Roman phase by the postulator with the assistance of someone from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

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Postulator

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Person appointed to guide and oversee the cause. One oversees the cause at the diocesan or eparchial level (Phase I); the Roman postulator oversees all aspects of Phases II and III.

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Prefect

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The head of any of the Roman curial congregations, usually a cardinal.

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Relator

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Person appointed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to assemble the historic documentation of the candidate for canonization.