Can I be a saint?
Ava Arnold
Updated on January 21, 2026
The Catholic Church
The Catholic Church teaches that it is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles, and that the pope is the successor to Saint Peter, upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ.
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Teresa of Calcutta
Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu MC (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, Albanian: [aˈɲɛzə ˈɡɔndʒɛ bɔjaˈdʒiu]; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), honoured in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary.
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Can you become a saint?
A formal request for an individual to be considered for sainthood is submitted to a special Vatican tribunal. The request must explain how the person lived a life of holiness, pureness, kindness and devotion. If the candidate meets the requirements, the tribunal officially recognises this person to be a Servant of God.Can a living person become a saint?
For starters, the type of saint we're talking about is a heavenly being, so according to the church, you can't be canonized while you're alive (normally the process doesn't start until at least five years after death).What makes someone a saint?
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God.What are the 4 steps to becoming a saint?
The BBC looks at the steps required for an individual to become a saint in the eyes of the Vatican.
- Step one: Wait five years - or don't. ...
- Step two: Become a 'servant of God' ...
- Step three: Show proof of a life of 'heroic virtue' ...
- Step four: Verified miracles. ...
- Step five: Canonisation.