New York has produced three saints, others whose causes are under way

Published: 2008-03-10

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Saintliness isn't what people might normally associate with gritty New York City. Regardless, the Big Apple has produced three saints and a number of others whose causes are at various stages in the canonization process. And there are still other New Yorkers for whom a sainthood cause might one day be promoted. "A saint is anyone who is in heaven," according to Paulist Father Paul G. Robichaud, postulator for the cause of Father Isaac Thomas Hecker, founder of the Paulist Fathers. "A canonized saint is someone who the church determines to actually be in God's presence." He should know: Father Robichaud graduated from what he called the Vatican's "saint school," a four-month crash course on "how to make a saint." "To become a saint, a candidate's life must be thoroughly investigated," he explained in an interview. "Once the cause has been introduced and approved by the Congregation for Saints' Causes, the candidate may be referred to as 'servant of God.'"

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