How to Become a Saint in Ten Steps

In the Catholic Church, that is

By Father James Martin

In the early church, men and women were named saints by public acclamation. The martyrs, those who died for the faith, were instantly declared "saints," that is, holy people worthy of respect and emulation. So were the apostles and members of Jesus's family--like Mary and St. Joseph. Christians started to pray to them to ask them for help from their posts in heaven. Other holy men and women—bishops and leaders among them--also began to join that distinguished group. By the 11^th century, the Vatican started to get involved in the process, mainly to ensure that no unworthy people were declared saints. That process has grown stricter over time.

So here is what you need to do to become a saint, with God's help of course. And get ready for a long haul, too. It takes the patience of a saint to become one.

Father James Martin, a Catholic priest, is author of My Life with the Saints and a new book, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything.

Be a Catholic

If you're already Catholic, congratulations: that's a big hurdle. If you're not baptized yet, get baptized as a Catholic. If you're part of another Christian denomination, join the Catholic Church. That may be the easy part on your path to official sainthood. Tha's not to say that people of other faiths can't achieve holiness; but for canonization in the Catholic Church, you have to be Catholic.

Now comes the hard part: live a holy Christian life full of "heroic virtue." In other words, be a real Christian, and not just a person who says he's a Christian but doesn't act like one. Take the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount (and the rest of the Gospels for that matter) seriously. Be charitable, love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you. Give generously to the poor. Devote your life to God even when it's hard—especially when it's hard. And if you want to increase your chances even more, invite others to join you in doing this. (Starting a religious order is usually a swift path to sainthood.)

By the way, remember that your holiness is a gift from God. You can work hard at it, but ultimately it is a "grace" or a "gift." Don't forget who is in charge. And it's not you.

A Local "Devotion" Grows Up Around Your Memory

During your life, if you were an especially holy person, you probably got noticed in your locale or perhaps even by the world at large, especially if you were a "public" religious person, like a sister (like Mother Teresa), brother (like Francis of Assisi), priest (like Padre Pio), a founder of a religious order (like Dominic) or pope (like John Paul II). In general, it's harder for laypeople to become saints not because they're less holy, but because the process takes a lot of time and persistence, which usually only religious orders (e.g., the Franciscans, Jesuits, Dominicans, etc.) or dioceses have to spare. You could be the holiest mother or father in the world, but your children may not know all the ins and outs of the canonization process. But don't give up if you're not a professionally religious person: the Vatican is trying hard to identify those holy lay people worthy of sainthood, and they've canonized quite a few lately.

Anyway, people who knew you will naturally start praying to you for help and trying to emulate you. And this "local devotion" can't be faked: the Vatican recently put into effect new rules to prevent any religious congregation or diocese from claiming that people have a real devotion to you, if they really don't.

The Vatican Investigates the Miraculous Cure

When it comes to declaring a miracle, the church's standards are extraordinarily high, higher than almost anyone might expect. The miracle—usually a physical healing—is investigated by scientists (often non-Catholics) and must satisfy the following requirements. It has to be: verified by medical records (that is, scientific proof that there was a real medical condition, as well as proof that it is now gone); instantaneous (that is, not a long-drawn out healing), not attributable to any other cause (the healed person can't say, "I've been taking these drugs and I had a miracle"); non-recurring (he can't say, "I got better but then worse"); and not attributable to any other saint (he can't say, "I was praying to lots of saints beside you). So the bar is high. If the miracle is accepted as authentic, then...

You're a Saint!

The pope declares you a saint, in a solemn ceremony known as "canonization," usually at a public Mass, perhaps in Rome but perhaps in your own diocese as a way of celebrating your heritage. You are now worthy of "public veneration" throughout the entire church, and the entire church may celebrate your feast day. Many more schools, parishes and Catholic groups will take you as their "patron," or special protector.

You've made it! You're part of the great "communion of saints." But since you're infinitely happy already in heaven, it probably won't add much to your joy. In fact, you've now got more work to do, because even more people will be praying for your intercession. So you'll be very busy from now until the end of time.