Mother Teresa, known for her charitable acts in India, will be declared a saint on September 4, the eve of her death anniversary on September 5, 1997. Pope Francis announced the date earlier this week.
Mother Teresa’s sainthood was first first announced last December when a second miracle was attributed to her, after a Brazilian man was healed of his multiple brain tumors when his loved ones prayed to her.
For an individual to become a saint, there are five steps to be followed: The first step is to wait five years after the individual’s death (though this may be waived). The next step is for the bishop of the diocese where the person died to investigate the life of the individual to see whether they lived a life of sufficient holiness or virtue. If it passes, the bishop must “open a case” at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and if accepted, the individual will become a “servant of God.”
The Congregation studies the case, and if declared that the individual lived a life of “heroic virtue,” they will be given the title of “venerable.” The next step is for miracles to be attributed to prayers sent to the individual. Prayers are seen as proof that he or she is already in heaven, and shows that he or she can intercede with God. Those who pass this stage will be beatified and called “blessed.”
After the second miracle, they can now be canonized and be called a saint.
In Mother Teresa’s case, she lived a life of heroic virtue by caring for the poor in Kolkata, India. She was known for washing the wounded and caring for the sick and dying.
Pope John Paul II waived the five-year wait and opened her Cause of Canonization less than two years after her death. She was beatified in 2003 after a woman in Kolkata was cured of her stomach tumor after praying to Mother Teresa.
Traditionally, miracles are attributed to healings that have no scientific explanations.
Who else should be declared a saint? Share your thoughts below!
