Lauran Feist, Staff Writer

During his papacy, Bl. Pope John Paul II stressed a “universal call to holiness,” canonizing and beatifying hundreds of individuals as exemplars of the faith.  Most if not all of them were bishops, priests, religious brothers and sisters or martyrs.

The Church does recognize a small number of married saints, but the majority of those saints actually entered religious orders later in life, usually after the death of a spouse.

Either married life is not as holy a vocation and these individuals really aren’t “saint” material, or the process of canonization requires too much time and financial support.  Religious individuals have their communities, their orders or parishes to back their cause for canonization.  But when the lay community is graced with particularly holy individuals, where do they even begin the process of canonization?

The belief that marriage is a lesser vocation than religious life is quickly nullified when one looks at the dynamics within most Catholic circles today.  Sacramental marriage is a truly holy endeavor of sacrifice and charity.  Holy lay men and women often go unrecognized.  The mother who has devoted her life to serving her family and community is known only within her small circles of interaction.  The father who devotes his life to raising his children in the faith and infusing his daily profession with Christ’s love is close to invisible.  Because marriage is perceived as a normal life choice, even couples of extraordinary faith blend in with the crowd.

All are called to holiness and need examples of saintly lives.  It comes as no surprise that the lay community is yearning for more lay saints to whom they can relate.  This is a very pressing and real need within the Church.  Where are the examples of strong married couples and individuals in the secular world?  How can the Church better strengthen and serve the laity, encourage strong marriages and cultivate the domestic church, as Pope Paul VI proposed in his encyclical Humanae Vitae?

The Church needs to recognize more couples who live with devotion, charity, mercy and chastity.  The Church needs saints who go through life as husbands, wives, teachers, grocery shoppers and chauffeurs for children, individuals who consistently seek truth while still living in the secular world.  The Church needs to hear about people who are devoted to natural family planning and the culture of life.  The Church needs examples of honest businessmen who support their families by infusing their Catholic faith into their daily ventures.

In order to discuss the need for more lay saints, it is important to understand how the canonization process works in the first place.  Beatification and canonization raise up the faithful as models for discipleship and holy living.  The cause for canonization is a lengthy, in-depth process requiring tremendous support from the community seeking an individual’s canonization.  If there is still a lasting mark on the community five years after the individual’s death, the bishop of the diocese petitions the Holy See to allow for the opening of the individual’s case.  With that approval, the diocese can open up a tribunal in order to compile evidence of the individual’s life through journals, testimonies and writings.  If the compiled evidence is positive and reflects the holiness of the individual, a recommendation (called a Decree of Heroic Virtues) is sent to the Vatican.  If the pope recognizes the case, the individual is called a Venerable Servant of God.

The next step toward beatification is a miracle.  The miracles, usually involving extraordinary physical and mental healings, are seen as proof that the individual is in union with God in Heaven because the power of their intercessory prayer is apparent.  The Venerable Servant of God can be beatified once the Holy Father approves the miracle.  At this point the person is called “Blessed.”  If a second miracle is approved, the individual is canonized a saint.  Nothing in these processes is exclusive to religious priests, brothers, and sisters.

As the world waits to see who will be canonized under the leadership of Pope Francis, it should remember that, whether our current pontiff canonizes more laypersons or not, the need for lay holiness is paramount. The laity of the Church need to be holy for each other, regardless of the recognition they receive.

Lauran Feist is a sophomore Political Science major with a minor in Latin American Studies.  She is fascinated by the role of the Church in Latin America.  Email her with any comments or questions at lfeist@nd.edu.