That all Christians can aspire to become saints? We are all called and can aspire to become saints, that is, persons in heaven (officially canonized or not), who lived lives of great charity and heroic virtues and who are worthy of imitation. On April 27th 2014, Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II were officially canonized. So, what are the three steps to sainthood? A candidate becomes “Venerable,” then “Blessed” and then “Saint.” Venerable is the title given to a deceased person recognized formally by the pope as having lived heroic virtues. To be beatified and recognized as a Blessed, one miracle acquired through the candidate’s intercession is required in addition to recognition of heroic virtue or martyrdom. Canonization requires a second miracle after beatification, though a pope may waive these requirements. A miracle is not required prior to a martyr’s beatification, but one is required before canonization. Spend some time exploring the saints. You will find that they walked this earth just like you and I, on a journey to become closer to God, with ups and downs along the way. Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II, pray for us!

That Saints were ordinary people like you and me? The Catechism tells us that a Saint is the “holy one” who leads a life in union with God through the grace of Christ and receives the reward of eternal life. In the classrooms we talk about how the Saints act as “role models” to us, each in their own way. The Saints inspire us, in our own little way, to be the hands, feet, eyes and voice of Christ in the world. Is this easy? Not all the time. It is at these very times that we rely on the graces that we receive in the Sacraments. The Saints were
young and old, from all over the world, and have been recognized by the Church for their service to others. We too are called to serve others, and to share our gifts to continue Christ’s work. I encourage all of us to look up some of the lives of the Saints, and to be inspired by their lives and service to others!