Holy Heroes · Stage of the cause
Blesseds
Men and women the Church has beatified: they may be venerated publicly, with a feast day, in a particular place or religious family.
Beatification is the step by which the Church declares that a person lived a holy life and is in heaven, and allows them to be honoured with public veneration, normally within a particular diocese, country or religious family. The person is then called “Blessed”, and a feast day can be kept in the calendars where the cult is permitted.
For a Venerable who was not a martyr, beatification normally requires one miracle obtained through their intercession and approved by the Pope after medical and theological examination. Martyrs, those killed out of hatred for the faith, can be beatified without a miracle once their martyrdom is recognised. In some historical causes the Church instead confirmed a cult that had existed for centuries. Since 2005, beatification ceremonies are usually celebrated in the local Church by a cardinal on behalf of the Pope.
Canonization is the next and final step. It extends the cult to the whole Church and normally requires a further miracle, attributed to the Blessed's intercession after beatification; the Pope can dispense from this requirement. The faithful who pray to a Blessed, and report favours received to the postulation, help the cause towards canonization.
Blesseds on MyHolyHero
Blessed John Sullivan, S.J.
Dublin-born Jesuit, son of a Church of Ireland Lord Chancellor, convert to Catholicism and teacher at Clongowes Wood College, beatified in Ireland in 2017.
Blessed Marie of the Incarnation (Barbe Acarie), O.C.D.
French Carmelite who, as the laywoman Madame Acarie, brought the Discalced Carmelite reform of Teresa of Ávila to France; entered Carmel as a widow and was beatified by Pius VI in 1791.
Blessed Maria Pierina De Micheli
Italian religious sister of the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception who promoted devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and originated the Holy Face Medal; beatified by Benedict XVI in 2010.
Blessed Pope John Paul I (Albino Luciani)
The 'Smiling Pope' whose 33-day pontificate in 1978 left a lasting impression of humility and warmth; beatified by Pope Francis in 2022.
Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice
Irish merchant turned religious founder who, after widowhood, opened free schools for the poor and established the Christian Brothers and Presentation Brothers.
Blessed Dominic Barberi (Domenico Barberi, C.P.)
Italian Passionist missionary to England known as the 'Apostle of England's Conversion'; received Saint John Henry Newman into the Catholic Church at Littlemore in 1845.
Blessed Solanus Casey (Bernard Francis Casey, O.F.M. Cap.)
American Capuchin friar and 'simplex' priest renowned in Detroit and New York for his counsel, miraculous healings and tireless service to the poor through the Great Depression.
Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy (Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh)
Fifteenth-century Irish bishop who, prevented by politics from ever ruling his sees of Ross and Cork, died on pilgrimage at Ivrea; the 'White Martyr of Munster'.
Frequently asked questions
What does “Blessed” mean?
A Blessed is someone the Church has beatified: it declares that the person lived a holy life and is in heaven, and allows public veneration, usually limited to a diocese, a country or a religious family.
What is the difference between a Blessed and a Saint?
The cult of a Blessed is permitted in particular places or communities; a Saint has been canonized and may be venerated by the whole Church. Canonization normally requires a second miracle, after beatification.
Do Blesseds have a feast day?
Yes. A Blessed has a feast day kept in the calendars where the cult is authorised. Each Blessed's page on this site shows the feast day recorded in our data, and our calendar lists them month by month.
Does every beatification require a miracle?
No. Martyrs can be beatified without a miracle, and in some historical causes the Church confirmed an ancient cult instead. For others, one approved miracle is normally required.
How do I pray for a Blessed's canonization?
Ask for their intercession in your intentions, use the cause's prayer where there is one, and report any grace received to the postulation, which gathers testimonies that could be examined as a possible miracle.