Sunday, June 26, 2011

Steps to Sainthood

Inspired by the process to becoming a Catholic Saint, these are the steps and rules to becoming one of my saints. (to Catholics that this may somehow offend, know that I'm not doing this as a joke, but that I am basing this on your system because I want to treat these people with a sort of reverence and respect).

First I have to actually pick someone that I believe may be eligible for sainthood. I can't really explain this step, it just happens. I usually already know a great deal about them, their life, and their work. Mostly this consists of artists...
This step is most like the first step to catholic sainthood (often glossed over when explaining the actual steps) where a Bishop investigates the persons life and gets the go-ahead from the Vatican.

Second the person must be proven to have lived a virtuous life, or at least that's how it is in Catholicism. For me, if they have a good body of work or have lived an awesome life, this qualifies. Honestly, since I'm the only person judging this and it's not going to two different committees, this is very similar to step one. After completing this step, the person is "Venerable".

Third is the process of Beatification. The person must have performed a miracle. For my purposes, this can be a work of art (or a body of work) that especially moves me. Once a person has completed this step, they are considered "Blessed".

Fourth is the process of Canonization. The person must perform a second miracle. However, like the pope, I can choose to waive this requirement. For instance, with J.K. Rowling, her miracle was writing the Harry Potter series. Why would I need her to perform another miracle when her first was so awesome? I don't. After completing this process, one becomes a "Saint"

I also have decided to add one more rule to my list. I can't canonize more than one saint every month. I can add as many as I want to the road to sainthood, and they can move up the track, but if more than one is ready at once, they must wait a month after the last canonized saint.
Also, just to be clear, the miracle process does not necessarily mean I'm waiting for them to perform another miracle, I'm just determining whether they have already performed one.
Oh, also, they don't have to have been dead for 5 years like Catholic Saints. They can still be alive...

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