A saint is a disciple of Jesus Christ, who “lived a life of extraordinary fidelity to the Lord.” Saints are people who in this life were so united to Jesus Christ that with His help they strove to do “the will of the Father in everything,” devoting themselves “to the glory of God and to the service of their neighbour.” Saints give us shining examples of all the virtues, including: faith, hope, and love both of God and every human being; prudence (or practical wisdom), justice, fortitude (or courage), and temperance (or self-mastery); detachment, purity, and obedience; humility, simplicity and magnanimity. Each saint is noteworthy for certain particular virtues. For this reason, the Church proposes them to its members as friends and companions in the following of Christ, as models to imitate, and as intercessors with God.
Beatification is an official declaration by the Pope that a person (called a Servant of God) practiced the Christian virtues to a heroic degree during his or her sojourn on earth. Before the Servant of God under consideration is beatified, a thorough examination of his or her life, virtues, and reputation for holiness is conducted. If the Servant of God did not die a martyr’s death, there must also be one confirmed miracle attributed to his or her intercession. Beatified persons are called Blesseds. They may receive the veneration of the faithful within certain limits set by the Church, but may not be venerated in an organized public manner throughout the whole Church. Mother Teresa’s was beatified at St. Peter’s Square on 19 October 2023 by Pope John Paul II.
A Blessed may be canonized after the occurrence of one more miracle attributed to his or her intercession. Mother Teresa will always remain Mother for those who knew her, hence now, after her Canonization, many people call her “Saint Mother Teresa,” but officially she is now known as “Saint Teresa of Calcutta.”
The canonization of a saint is a solemn act by which the Pope, the supreme authority in the Catholic Church, declares that a person practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace, is with God in heaven, and is to be venerated throughout the whole Church. The Pope enrolls the person on the list of Saints. Another word for list is canon, hence the term canonization. The expression raised to the altars, often used as an equivalent ofcanonization, means that the person is assigned a feast day in the yearly schedule of the Church’s liturgical celebrations. This assigning of a feast day is done at the time of beatification. Mother Teresa was canonized on 4 September 2016 by Pope Francis. Her liturgical feast is 5 September, the anniversary of her “going home to God.”
By honouring its children who lived as heroes of faith and love, the Church recognizes the power of the Holy Spirit within her. Saints give us joy; their example sustains our hope; and their friendship increases our love and union with God and with each other. A canonization is a way of giving thanks to God as we honour the person who has been so faithful to God’s plan in his or her life.
A miracle is an extraordinary event, which is scientifically inexplicable and, in a cause for canonization, is directly attributable to the intercession of the Servant of God. An event proposed as a miracle is subjected to a thorough scientific investigation by experts. In the causes of saints, the miracles investigated are usually cures, because they are relatively easier to document.
Miracles and graces or favours, granted after prayers to the Servant of God, serve as evidence that God Himself is the origin of that person’s reputation of holiness. A miracle is a sign of divine approval. Miracles confirm that it is God who has aroused in the faithful the opinion that a particular Servant of God is worthy of canonization. The two miracles that lead to Mother Teresa’s beatification and canonization respectively are the healing of an India woman (Monica Besra) with a stomach tumor and the healing of a Brazilian man (Marcilio Haddad Andrino) with brain abscesses.
Veneration is respect, honour, and devotion paid to the saintly deceased members of the Body of Christ, distinct from the respect, honour, and adoration which is given to God alone – that which is called worship. “…Our communion with these in heaven, provided that it is understood in the full light of faith, in no way diminishes the worship of adoration given to God the Father, through Christ, in the Spirit; on the contrary, it greatly enriches it. For if we continue to love one another and to join in praising the Most Holy Trinity – all of us who are sons of God and form one family in Christ (cf. Heb. 3:6) – we will be faithful to the deepest vocation of the Church and will share in a foretaste of the liturgy of perfect glory.” (Lumen Gentium #51)
“In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honoured with great respect the memory of the dead …” (Lumen Gentium #50)
“…[The saints] contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. When they entered into the joy of their Master, they were ‘put in charge of many things.’ Their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2683)
“It is most fitting, therefore, that we love those friends and co-heirs of Jesus Christ who are also our brothers and outstanding benefactors, and that we give due thanks to God for them, humbly invoking them, and having recourse to their prayers, their aid and help in obtaining from God through his Son, Jesus Christ, … the benefits we need.” (Lumen Gentium #50)
Beatification is a step in the process of canonization. By it the Pope allows public veneration of the person in a particular local Church, within the religious congregation with which he or she was associated (if this be the case), and in other places by those who receive such permission. Note the difference: a Saint should be honoured in liturgical celebrations by the universal, that is, the whole Church, whereas a “Blessed” may be so honoured in certain places. Mother Teresa’s feast was added to the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church as an option memorial by Pope Francis.
A relic is something connected with a Saint, including a part of their body (e.g. hair or a piece of bone), their clothing, or an object that the person used or touched.
Relics are classified as 1st Class – a part of the person’s body, for example: blood, hair, or bones; 2nd Class - an article touched by the person or touched directly to part of his or her body; and 3rd Class - something touched indirectly to the person, that is, to a 1st or 2nd Class relic, to the tomb, etc.
It is not the kind of relic or how big it is that is important, but rather the faith and prayer that the relic occasions. By the communion of saints, it is that person who is close to us, blessing and praying for us.
The veneration of relics is an ancient custom dating from the reverence shown at the graves of the martyrs even in the time of the apostles. Miracles have been worked by God in association with relics – “…not that some magical power existed in them, but just as God’s work was done through the lives of [holy people], so did His work continue after their deaths. Likewise, just as [others] were drawn closer to God through the lives of [holy people], so did they (even if through their remains) inspire others to draw closer even after their deaths. This perspective provides the Church’s understanding of relics.” (Fr. W. Saunders, “Keeping Relics in Perspective”, © 2003 Arlington Catholic Herald)
“In all, relics remind us of the holiness of a saint and his cooperation in God’s work; at the same time, relics inspire us to ask for the prayers of that saint and to beg the grace of God to live the same kind a faith-filled life.” (Saunders)
“To venerate the relics of the saints is a profession of belief in several doctrines of the Catholic faith: (1) the belief in everlasting life for those who have obediently witnessed to Christ and His Holy Gospel here on earth; (2) the truth of the resurrection of the body for all persons on the last day; (3) the doctrine of the splendour of the human body and the respect which all should show toward the bodies of both the living and the deceased; (4) the belief in the special intercessory power which the saints enjoy in heaven because of their intimate relationship with Christ the King; and (5) the truth of our closeness to the saints because of our connection in the communion of saints — we as members of the Church militant or pilgrim Church, they as members of the Church triumphant.” (Fr. W. Saunders, “Church Teaching on Relics”, © 2003 Arlington Catholic Herald)
Venerating relics is included among other “expressions of piety [that] extend the liturgical life of the Church, but do not replace it.” (CCC #1675)
“In his Letter to Riparius, St. Jerome (d. 420) wrote in defence of relics: ‘We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore Him whose martyrs they are.’” (Saunders, “Keeping…”)
Abuses and misconceptions of relics in the history of the Church, such as selling relics (simony) or their forgeries and using relics as kinds of good-luck charms led the Church to establish guidelines defining the proper use of relics: “Pastoral discernment is needed to sustain and support popular piety and, if necessary, to purify and correct the religious sense which underlies these devotions so that the faithful may advance in knowledge of the mystery of Christ. Their exercise is subject to the care and judgment of the bishops and to the general norms of the Church.” (CCC #1676)
According to the tradition and norms of the Church, first class relics must be treated with proper reverence, sealed in a proper container and authenticated with a certificate from the Postulator. The second and third class relics of Saint Teresa are also authenticated by the Postulator.
According to the laws of the Church, relics should never be sold. It is understood, however, that an offering can be made out of courtesy to cover production, shipping, and handling.
The Church distinguishes between the cult (i.e. formal veneration) of a Saint and that of a Saint. The act of beatification provides the faithful the opportunity to offer public veneration to a Saint within set limits; a canonized Saint, however, can receive public veneration throughout the universal Church.
Since Saint Teresa of Calcutta is now inscribed in the General Liturgical Calendar of the Roman Rite,
If you would like to receive a relic of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, you can contact the Postulation Office by email at relic@motherteresa.org (providing us with your physical mailing address so that we can send you one.)
or write to:
There are numerous commercial sites on the web selling “relics” of Saint Teresa, some claiming these are “from the Vatican”. Without the authentication of the Postulator, no relic has the guarantee of authenticity and should be regarded as doubtful and with suspicion. Moreover, selling sacred relics is absolutely forbidden by the Church!
