(RNS) — The first formation center for canonization in the United States is scheduled to open at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, California, in early 2026.
The Center for Sainthood, commissioned by San Francisco’s Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone in an April 14 decree, aims to train sainthood enthusiasts on the inner workings of canonization. Announced earlier this month, the seminary’s six-day, in-person certification course promises to teach “how to honor deserving candidates and expedite their path to sainthood in the Vatican,” according to the center’s website.
Fifty years after the canonization of the first U.S.-born saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, the founders of the center said they hope to ignite a stronger saintly American culture. As causes to canonize laypeople and Black American saints have sparked interest among Catholics, what’s been missing is a better understanding of the yearslong process, the center’s founders said…