By Susan Northway, Diocesan Director of Religious Education and Reverend Langes J. Silva, JCD, STL, Judicial Vicar and Vice-Chancellor The recent beatification of Pope John Paul II and the opening of the cause for sainthood, on a diocesan level, of Cora Louisa Yorgason Evans, a native of Utah, are giving us the opportunity to present a summary of the process of canonization according to the current Code of Canon Law and the particular pontifical laws regulating these types of procedures. This article will be divided in five parts. After a brief introduction and a pretest, we will present in Part I, the significance of canonization; parts II and III will be dedicated to describing the steps of the process of canonization; part IV will deal with the importance of miracles in the process of canonization and part V will briefly describe the ceremony of canonization and conclude the series. Let us begin with some questions: What should Catholics know about the Church’s process of canonization of saints? Has the Church always regulated the canonization process? Are there a number of steps before the official determination of sainthood? Take this pretest and discover more about this process as you read the series of articles on The Canonization of Saints during the following weeks. (True or False) 1. Beginning in the time of the Apostles, the Church has maintained a carefully regulated process for the canonization of saints. 2. Catholics worship saints and that is the reason for the Church’s careful attention to the process of canonization. 3. Diocesan bishops are rarely involved in the investigation that must take place in order to advance a cause for sainthood. 4. There are 10 official stages associated with the canonization process. 5. Canon law requires that an investigation into the virtues of a person’s life may not be officially opened until five years after the death of the would-be saint. 6. The titles Servant of God, Blessed, and Saint are synonymous. 7. A candidate is automatically declared a saint if the following evidence is presented: healings through contact with a relic; incorruptibility of the body; liquefaction of blood on the anniversary of death; a sweet aroma associated with the saint’s remains. 8. If a person has been martyred, the requirement for two miracles after death is considered to be irrelevant to the process for canonization. 9. The Church does not consider scientific evidence or the testimony of medical experts in determining whether a miracle has occurred. 10. The declaration of beatification or canonization must be announced at a Mass that takes place in Rome. We invite you to find the answers to these questions during the next weeks in this series of articles on the process of canonization of saints.
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