Scheduled to open in early 2026 at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, California, the United States’ first formation center dedicated to canonization is poised to transform the way sainthood enthusiasts approach the process.
The Center for Sainthood, inaugurated by the directive of San Francisco’s Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, aims to provide comprehensive training on the intricacies of canonization. The seminary’s six-day, in-person certification course, as highlighted on its official website, is designed to teach participants how to identify worthy candidates and streamline their path to sainthood in collaboration with the Vatican.
With the 50th anniversary of the canonization of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the inaugural U.S.-born saint, the founders of the center aspire to cultivate a more robust saintly culture within America. Growing interest among Catholics to canonize laypeople, including Black American saints, necessitates a deeper understanding of the lengthy process, which has often been perceived as complex.
Michael McDevitt, a spokesperson for the new center, has been linked to the cause of Servant of God Cora Evans since 2012. He noted that volunteers like himself could have greatly benefited from professional training when they initiated Evans’ candidacy. A Utah-born convert from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Evans’ cause is currently being evaluated by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
McDevitt explained that while the steps may appear complex, familiarity with the process reveals its accessibility. It is this understanding that the center seeks to foster. Many volunteers are initially discouraged by the process’s perceived complexity, making this course critical for understanding the foundational diocesan work required before drafting petitions for Rome. Participants will explore tasks such as interviewing historians and theologians, as well as compiling documentation of miracles.
McDevitt is optimistic that this initiative will mitigate divisions within the American Catholic community and inspire those who have strayed to return. “These are beautiful stories. These are wonderful people that are also ordinary,” he stated. In Rome, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints already offers a course on the subject; however, canonization remains enigmatic to most Catholics outside Italy. Emanuele Spedicato, an associate professor of canon law at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, is slated to travel to California to instruct the first cohort of 50 students.
Spedicato emphasized the importance of properly training those involved in the canonization process, particularly outside Italy where formal Vatican education is less common. The initial part of the course will immerse participants in the Catholic Church’s sainthood culture and track how the canonization process has evolved over the centuries. The coursework will delve into the theological basis for canonization and cover the three primary criteria that can initiate a cause: martyrdom, heroic virtue, or the sacrifice of life in service.
Particularly fascinating is the course’s dedicated day to the study of miracles, which Spedicato describes as a critical component of the canonization process. Miracles, defined as scientifically inexplicable events attributed to a Venerable’s intercession, are essential according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a professor of American studies and history and author of “A Saint of Our Own,” posits that the initiative marks a pivotal shift in the American Catholic Church’s handling of canonization. Historically, there was a feeling of scarcity concerning American-born saint candidates, but Sprows Cummings observes a shift towards collaboration over competition among volunteers.
This new cooperative spirit is bolstered by the involvement of part-time volunteers who can greatly benefit from tailored training. Recently, causes for lay Catholics, including six Black candidates, have gained momentum in America. Following George Floyd’s 2020 death, there was an increased awareness and interest in Black saints as the nation grapples with its racial legacy and reckons with the Catholic Church’s historical role in it.
Waldery Hilgeman, who heads the causes for three Black candidates — Servant of God Julia Greeley, Mother Mary Lange, and Venerable Henriette DeLille — will join Spedicato in teaching at the center. As Catholics globally anticipate the canonization strategy of Pope Leo XIV, Sprows Cummings speculates that the pontiff will continue the energetic approach of his predecessors, invigorated by numerous pending canonization causes. She foresees that the pope may foster a broader representation of global Catholic diversity in sainthood.