How to become a saint

Most saints don't set out to become a saint, instead they live a devoted Catholic life and spend their time serving God and helping people in need. 

Eventually, their good deeds are recognised after their death, and the Pope canonises them. 

However, there are a few things that must happen before anyone can become a saint.

1. To become a saint you must first be a devoted Christian, ideally a Catholic.

2. You must lead a saintly life. This includes being selfless and benevolent and an exemplary role model and teacher. It also involves loving and serving God.

3. You must perform at least two miracles. These are seen by the Church as affirmations that you can in fact intervene on the part of humans, and verifiable miracles are required for canonisation.

4. Hope for the best. After death, whether or not you become a saint will be down to living bishops and Pope. They will wait at least five years before beginning an analysis to make sure that your life on earth was pure, virtuous, kind, prudent and devout.

5. Get canonised. The Catholic church has canonised around 3,000 people. According to the church, the Pope does not make someone a saint - the designation of sainthood only recognises what God has already done.

The process of becoming a Catholic saint is lengthy, often taking decades or centuries to complete.

Firstly, a local bishop investigates the candidate's life and writings for evidence of heroic virtue. 

The information uncovered by the bishop is sent to the Vatican.

Then a panel of theologians and the cardinals of the Congregation for Cause of Saints evaluate the candidate's life. 

If the panel approves, the Pope proclaims that the candidate is venerable, which means that the person is a role model of Catholic virtues.

The next step toward sainthood is beatification, which allows a person to be honoured by a particular group or region. 

In order to beatify a candidate, it must be shown that the person is responsible for a posthumous miracle.

Martyrs - those who died for their religious cause - can be beatified without evidence of a miracle. In order for the candidate to be considered a saint, there must be proof of a second posthumous miracle. 

If there is, the person is canonised.

Source