What is the difference between saint and blessed

Before the Servant of God under consideration is beatified, a thorough examination of his or her life, virtues, and reputation for holiness is conducted. Beatified persons are called Blesseds. They may receive the veneration of the faithful within certain limits set by the Church, but may not be venerated in an organized public manner throughout the whole Church. From Blessed to Saint. A Blessed may be canonized after the occurrence of one more miracle attributed to his or her intercession.

To us, he is the Apostle of Prisons. Later, God willing, he will be declared a saint, but he still is the Apostle of Prisons, whether venerable, blessed, or saint. He is truly a servant of God. No comments:.

Newer Post Older Post Home. For example, St. Peter the Apostle and St. But as the papacy increased its power, it claimed the exclusive authority to name a saint. Any Catholic or group of Catholics can request that the bishop open a case. Those who knew the candidate are interviewed, and affidavits for and against the candidate are reviewed.

The Congregation for the Causes of the Saints is large, with a prefect, a secretary, undersecretary and a staff of 23 people. The final decision lies with the pope. Throughout most of Catholic history, the canonization process was rigorous. This is the origin of the often-used English phrase referring to someone who takes a position to challenge another person to prove a point more fully. His body was exhumed and examined during his case for sainthood.

There are stories that there were scratch marks on the inside of his coffin and splinters of wood under his fingernails. These discoveries suggested an escape attempt after being buried alive. Petitioner — 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. Positio — 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.

Postulator -- person appointed to guide and oversee the cause. Prefect -- the head of any of the Roman curial congregations, usually a cardinal. Relator — person appointed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to assemble the historic documentation of the candidate for canonization.

Saint — the title given to someone who has been formally canonized by the Church as sharing eternal life with God, and therefore offered for public veneration and imitation. Servant of God -- the title given to a candidate for sainthood whose cause is still under investigation, prior to being declared Venerable. Venerable — the title given to a candidate for sainthood whose cause has not yet reached the beatification stage but whose heroic virtue has been declared by the pope.

In the first five centuries of the Church, the process for recognizing a saint was based on public acclaim or the vox populi, vox Dei voice of the people, voice of God. There was no formal canonical process as understood by today's standards. Beginning in the sixth century and continuing into the twelfth century, the intervention of the local bishop was required before someone could be canonized. The intervention of the local bishop usually began with a request from the local community for the bishop to recognize someone a saint.

Upon studying the request and a written biography, if he found it favorable, the bishop would typically issue a decree, legitimatize the liturgical cult and thereby canonize the person. Starting in the tenth century, a cause proceeded with the usual steps, i.

Now however, the bishop would collect eyewitness testimony of those who knew the person and who had witnessed miracles, and he would provide a summary of the case to the Pope for his approval. The Pope then reviewed the cause, and if he approved it, he issued a decree declaring the person a canonized saint. One of its functions was to assist the Pope with reviewing causes. Except for a few canonical developments, from the process of canonization remained the same until when a universal Code of Canon Law was promulgated.

The code contained canons cc. The episcopal process consisted of the local bishop verifying the reputation of the person, ensuring that a biography existed, collecting eye witness testimony and the person's written works. All of this was then forwarded to the Congregation for Sacred Rites. The apostolic process consisted of reviewing the evidence submitted, collecting more evidence, studying the cause, investigating any alleged miracles and ultimately forwarding the cause to the Pope for his approval.

This process remained in effect until with the promulgation of the Code of Canon Law and new norms for causes of canonization: Divinus Perfectionis Magister, Normae Servandae in Inquisitionibus ab Episcopis Faciendis in Causis Sanctorum and Sanctorum Mater This revised process for causes of canonization is still in force and is detailed below. No precise count exists of those who have been proclaimed saints since the first centuries.

However, in , to mark its 4th centenary, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints published the first "Index ac Status Causarum. The American Church has been blessed with numerous Saints, Blesseds and Venerables, all of whom in their own unique way witness to Christ's love through their martyrdom or virtuous lives within our American culture.

Currently, there are eleven American Saints: St.