Q: How does a person become recognized as a Saint in the Catholic Church?

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A: There are a number of steps involved in the canonization process. An initial local inquiry makes a determination about the holiness of the life of the individual. At the successful conclusion of that process, the individual is considers a Servant of God which allows for private devotions to be offered to the individual. The materials used to make the Servant of God determination are then sent to Rome where further investigation takes place.

 

If the Roman officials concur with the conclusions of the local process, the individual is then named Venerable and can be invoked in some public devotions and liturgies in Catholic churches. During this time, this devotion (also known as a "cult," which is a good thing in this context!) becomes the source for the next step in the process. When an individual invokes the name of the Venerable and receives an extraordinary answer to that prayer, a process begins to verify that a miracle has occurred through the intercession of the Venerable.

 

After the successful completion of that process, the individual is considered a Blessed and ranked among those who have attained heaven.

 

Finally, another miracle is normally required in order for an individual to be raised to the title of Saint. At this final stage, the individual is put forward by the Church as a universal role model for imitation.

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Q: How did you select your current list of Saints to feature?

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A: Ben selected the images using these three criteria: they lived at or after the time of European colonial expansion (at or after the 15th/16th century); they experienced cultural, racial, and/or religious conflict or misunderstanding in their lives; and they demonstrated a devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the patroness of the parish where the project originated (Nativity of Mary Catholic Church in Bloomington, MN).

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Q: How can I find out about more saints and minority Christian experiences?

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A: We have assembled various resources on this website. You can find further reading on the saints in the art collection by clicking on the image or page for each individual saint. There are also a number of reading lists for children on this page and for adults on this page.

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Q: How can I get copies of your artwork?

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A: We are eager to spread the message of these saints by encouraging devotion to and study of their lives. Erin's medium is digital art and we have prints available on our Shop page.

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Q: How can I help your mission?

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A: We take donations on our donation page; all donations will go toward our mission of lifting up the voices of local minority communities. Proceeds from the sale of prints will support these same goals.

 

We are always looking to build relationships and explore new avenues. Please get in touch via our contact page and let us know how you think you could help.

 

Finally, please pray for us!