Canonization

[Church Of The True Faith 9]

Commissioned by his Holiness Paul Stephen III.

 

 

The steps to canonization:

 

 

"Servant of God" The process leading towards canonization begins at the diocesan level. A bishop with jurisdiction—usually the bishop of the place where the candidate died or is buried, although another ordinary can be given this authority—gives permission to open an investigation into the virtues of the individual, responding to a petition by members of the faithful, either actually or pro forma. This investigation usually opens no sooner than five years after the death of the person being investigated. The High Pontiff, may open a process and has the authority to waive the five-year waiting period. Normally, a guild or organization to promote the cause of the candidate's sainthood is created, an exhaustive search of the candidate's writings, speeches and sermons is undertaken, a detailed biography is written and eyewitness accounts are gathered. When sufficient information has been gathered, the investigation of the candidate, who is called "Servant of God", is presented by the local bishop to the College of Bishops. At some point, permission is then granted for the body of the Servant of God to be exhumed and examined. A certification ("non cultus") is made that no superstitious or heretical worship or improper cult has grown up around the servant or his or her tomb, and relics are taken.

 

 

"Venerable/Heroic in Virtue" When enough information has been gathered, the congregation will recommend to the High Pontiff that he make a proclamation of the Servant of God's heroic virtue (that is, that the servant exhibited the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, and the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance, to a heroic degree). From this point the one said to be "heroic in virtue" is referred to by the title "Venerable". A Venerable has as yet no feast day, no churches may be built in his or her honor, and the church has made no statement on the person's probable or certain presence in heaven, but prayer and other materials may be made to encourage the faithful to pray for a miracle wrought by his or her intercession as a sign of God's will that the person be canonized.

 

 

"Blessed" Beatification is a statement by the church that it is "worthy of belief" that the person is in heaven, having come to salvation. This step depends on whether the Venerable is a martyr or a "confessor".

• For a martyr, the High Pontiff has only to make a declaration of martyrdom, a certification that the venerable gave his or her life voluntarily as a witness for the faith and/or in an act of heroic charity for others.

• If the Venerable was not a martyr – all non-martyrs are "confessors" as they "confessed" or bore witness to their faith by how they lived their lives – it must be proven that a miracle has taken place by his or her intercession: that is, that God has shown a sign that the person is enjoying the Beatific Vision by God performing a miracle in response to the Blessed's prayers. Today, these miracles are mostly miraculous cures, as these are the easiest to establish based on the Church's requirements for a "miracle."

This allows beatification, giving the venerable the new title "Blessed" (abbreviated "Bl.") or, Beatus or Beata. A feast day will be designated, but its observance is normally restricted to the Blessed's home diocese, to certain locations associated with him or her, and/or to the churches or houses of the blessed's religious order, if they belonged to one. Parishes may not normally be named in honor of a Blessed.

 

 

"Saint" (contracted "St" or "S.") To be canonized a saint, at least two miracles must have been performed through the saint's intercession after his or her death (i.e., an additional miracle after that granting beatification). Canonization is a statement by the church that the person certainly enjoys the Beatific Vision. The saint is assigned a feast day which may be celebrated anywhere within the Church, although it may or may not appear on the general calendar or local calendars as an obligatory feast, parish churches may be built in his or her honor, and the faithful may freely and without restriction celebrate and honor the saint.

 

 

[VIROS 2915]

((Must all of our coronation posts and legal documents be copy-pastes of wikipedia?))

[Haribo 385]

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[Gunner 775]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.