List of American saints and beatified people
Encyclopedia
- For more information on the process of sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church, see CanonizationCanonizationCanonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
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This page is a list of American saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s, blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
s, venerables, and Servants of God, as recognized by the Roman
Roman Catholic (term)
The term Roman Catholic appeared in the English language at the beginning of the 17th century, to differentiate specific groups of Christians in communion with the Pope from others; comparable terms in other languages already existed...
Catholic Church. These people were born or lived their religious life in the present territory of the United States.
The Catholic Church has existed in the United States
Roman Catholicism in the United States
The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church in full communion with the Pope. With more than 68.5 registered million members, it is the largest single religious denomination in the United States, comprising about 22 percent of the population...
since the country's earliest history. Indeed, Columbus' expedition of 1492 included Catholic priests among the crew. Catholic missionaries were some of the first explorers in British and French colonial lands in the east, and Spanish lands in the southwest. Maryland was founded as a Catholic colony.
Catholics continue to contribute to American religious life up to the present day. Consequently, several American Catholics have been considered for sainthood over the past 500 years. Most of these Americans were born after 1850.
The first three American saints were canonized in 1930, and since then, only seven other Catholics in the U.S. have been recognized as saints. Roughly 40 Americans are being investigated for sainthood today, as shown below.
List of American saints
- Three of the eight North American Martyrs (1930), missionaries to the Hurons:
- St. Isaac JoguesIsaac JoguesIsaac Jogues was a Jesuit priest, missionary, and martyr who traveled and worked among the native populations in North America. He gave the original European name to Lake George, calling it Lac du Saint Sacrement, Lake of the Blessed Sacrament. In 1646, Jogues was martyred by the Mohawks near ...
- St. René GoupilRené GoupilRené Goupil was a French missionary and one of the first North American martyrs of the Roman Catholic Church....
- St. Jean de LalandeJean de LalandeSaint Jean de Lalande was a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons and one of the eight North American Martyrs....
- St. Isaac Jogues
- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1946), missionary and founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
- St. Elizabeth Ann SetonElizabeth Ann SetonSaint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church . She established Catholic communities in Emmitsburg, Maryland....
(1975), founder of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph. - St. John NeumannJohn NeumannSaint John Nepomucene Neumann, C.Ss.R., was a Redemptorist missionary to the United States who became the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia and the first American bishop to be canonized...
(1977), missionary and bishop of Philadelphia. - St. Rose Philippine DuchesneRose Philippine DuchesneSaint Rose Philippine Duchesne, R.S.C.J., was a Catholic Religious Sister and French-American saint. She spent the last half of her life teaching and serving the people of the Midwestern United States....
(1988), missionary to Native Americans. - St. Katharine DrexelKatharine DrexelSaint Katharine Drexel, S.B.S., was an American Religious Sister, heiress, philanthropist and educator, later canonized as a Roman Catholic saint.-Life and religious work:...
(2000), school builder and founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People - St. Mother Théodore GuérinTheodore GuerinSaint Mother Théodore Guérin , designated by the Vatican as Saint Theodora, is the foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, a congregation of Catholic nuns...
(2006), missionary and founder of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. - St. Damien de Veuster of MolokaiFather DamienFather Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai, SS.CC. , born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a missionary religious order...
(2009), leper priest of Molokai.
Seton and Drexel are the only American saints who were born in the United States. Jogues, Goupil, de Lalande, Duchesne, and Guerin were all born in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; Neumann in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
; Father Damien in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
; and Mother Cabrini in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
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List of American blesseds
Additionally, there are four beatified people from mainland America, one from Puerto Rico, and two from Guam.- Blessed Pedro CalungsodPedro CalungsodBlessed Pedro Calungsod is a Filipino Roman Catholic martyr who was killed while doing missionary work in Guam in 1672. He was beatified on March 5, 2000, by Pope John Paul II. As a skilled sacristan and teacher of cathecism, he was a companion of Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores to the Marianas...
, missionary martyred in Guam. - Blessed Marianne Cope, worked among the lepers of Hawaii.
- Blessed Carlos Manuel RodriguezCarlos Manuel RodríguezBlessed Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Rodríguez was a layperson of the Roman Catholic Church, who was beatified on April 29, 2001...
, lay minister in Puerto Rico. - Blessed Diego Luis de San VitoresDiego Luis de San VitoresBlessed Diego Luis de San Vitores was a Spanish Jesuit missionary who founded the first Catholic church on the island of Guam. He is responsible for establishing the Spanish presence in the Mariana Islands.-Early life:...
, Jesuit missionary martyred in Guam. - Blessed Francis Xavier SeelosFrancis Xavier SeelosBlessed Francis Xavier Seelos was a German-American Roman Catholic priest and Redemptorist missionary....
, missionary preacher. - Blessed Junípero SerraJunípero SerraBlessed Junípero Serra, O.F.M., , known as Fra Juníper Serra in Catalan, his mother tongue was a Majorcan Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California of the Las Californias Province in New Spain—present day California, United States. Fr...
, founder of the Spanish missions in California. - Blessed Kateri TekakwithaKateri TekakwithaKateri Tekakwitha or Catherine Tekakwitha was a Mohawk-Algonquian woman from New York and an early convert to Catholicism, who has been beatified in the Roman Catholic Church.-Her life:...
, Lily of the Mohawks.
List of American venerables
- Venerable Antonio of JesusAntonio MargilAntonio Margil was a Spanish Franciscan missionary in North and Central America.-Life:He entered the Franciscan Order in his native city of Valencia, Spain on 22 April 1673. After his ordination to the priesthood he volunteered for the Native American missions, and arrived at Vera Cruz on 6 June...
, born Antonio Margil, missionary in Texas and Louisiana - Venerable Nelson Baker, Catholic prelate, social worker, founder of Our Lady of Victory Basilica and Institutions.
- Venerable Solanus Casey, O.F.M. Cap.Solanus CaseyVenerable Bernard Francis Casey was born in Oak Grove, Wisconsin. A Capuchin priest, Casey was known for his great faith, humility, and role as spiritual counselor and intercessor...
, Detroit mystic. - Venerable Cornelia ConnellyCornelia ConnellyCornelia Connelly , born Cornelia Peacock, was the born founder of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order...
, founder of the Society of the Holy Child JesusSociety of the Holy Child JesusThe Society of the Holy Child Jesus is an international community of nuns that was founded in England in 1846 by Philadelphia-born Cornelia Connelly. Cornelia converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1835. The Society was approved in 1887 by Pope Leo XIII, and the rules and constitutions were...
. - Venerable Henriette DeLilleHenriette DeLilleVenerable Henriette DeLille founded the Catholic order of the Sisters of the Holy Family, made up of free women of color, in New Orleans. The order provided nursing care and a home for orphans, later establishing schools as well. In 1989 the order formally opened its cause with the Vatican in...
, founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family. - Venerable Mother Mary Theresa Dudzik, foundress of the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago
- Venerable Mother Maria Kaupas, foundress of the Sisters of Saint CasimirSisters of Saint CasimirThe Sisters of Saint Casimir are a Roman Catholic religious community of women founded in 1907 in Scranton, Pennsylvania by Mother Maria Kaupas...
- Venerable Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, O.P.Samuel Charles MazzuchelliFather Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, O.P. was a pioneer Italian Catholic missionary who helped bring the church to the Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin tri-state area. He founded a number of parishes in the area, and was the architect for a number of parish buildings.-Background:Father Mazzuchelli was born...
, missionary to Iowa and Wisconsin. - Venerable Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus.
- Venerable Pierre ToussaintPierre ToussaintThe Venerable Pierre Toussaint was an immigrant to the United States and a successful hairdresser in New York City during the Federal Period. Due to his devout and exemplary life, the Roman Catholic Church has been investigating his life for possible canonization.-Life:Pierre Toussaint was born as...
, Catholic convert and benefactor in New York.
List of American Servants of God
- Servant of God Felix de AndreisFelix de AndreisFelix de Andreis was the first superior of the Congregation of the Mission in the United States and Vicar-General of upper Louisiana.-References:...
- Servant of God Frederic BaragaFrederic BaragaFrederic Baraga, Servant of God was a Slovene American Roman Catholic missionary, bishop, and grammarian.-Early life:Frederic Baraga was born as Friderik Irenej Baraga in the manor house at Mala Vas no...
- Servant of God Angel Baraibar, one of the Martyrs of Toledo
- Servant of God Mary Magdalen BentivoglioMary Magdalen BentivoglioMary Magdalen Bentivoglio was born in Italy in the 19th century and died in 1905 at the age of 71. She was a member of the Poor Clare Sisters of the Primitive Observance of San Damiano. She worked as a missionary in the United States, founding a convent in Omaha, Nebraska, and a convent in...
- Servant of God Celestina Bottego
- Servant of God Simon BrutéSimon BrutéSimon William Gabriel Bruté de Rémur, the first bishop of the Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana, was born on March 20, 1779, at Rennes, France. His father was Simon-Guillaume-Gabriel Bruté de Remur, Superintendent of the Royal Domains in Brittany; and his mother, Jeanne-Renee Le Saulnier de Vauhelle...
- Servant of God Vincent Robert Capodanno
- Servant of God Magin CataláMagin CataláMagin Catalá ) was a Catholic missionary....
- Servant of God Jan CieplakJan CieplakServant of God Archbishop Jan Cieplak was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and bishop.-Early life:...
- Servant of God Walter CiszekWalter CiszekRev. Walter Ciszek, S.J. was a Polish-American Jesuit priest known for his clandestine missionary work in the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1963....
- Servant of God Gwen Coniker
- Servant of God Terence Cooke
- Servant of God Rafael CorderoRafael Cordero (educator)Rafael Cordero , known as "The Father of Public Education in Puerto Rico", was a self-educated Puerto Rican who provided free schooling to children regardless of their race or social standing.-Early years:...
- Servants of God Pedro de Corpa, Blas de Rodriguez, Miguel de Anon, Antonio de Badajoz and Francisco de Berascola (Martyrs of Georgia)
- Servant of God Dorothy DayDorothy DayDorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and devout Catholic convert; she advocated the Catholic economic theory of Distributism. She was also considered to be an anarchist, and did not hesitate to use the term...
- Servant of God Stephen Eckert
- Servant of God Maria Esperanza de BianchiniMaria Esperanza de BianchiniMaria Esperanza de Bianchini , also known as Servant of God Maria Esperanza, was a Venezuelan mystic, born on the feast of Saint Cecilia in Barrancas in the State of Monagas near the Orinoco River...
- Servant of God Lukas Etlin, O.S.B.
- Servant of God Cora Louise Evans
- Servant of God William Evans
- Servant of God Jean Martin Eyraud
- Servant of God Teresa Fardella di Blasi
- Servant of God Dominga Guzman Florit
- Servant of God Theodore FoleyTheodore FoleyFr. Theodore Foley, C.P. was a Roman Catholic priest and the superior general of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ from 1964–1974...
- Servant of God Francis Xavier FordFrancis Xavier FordFrancis Xavier Ford, M.M. was an American Roman Catholic bishop and Maryknoll missionary in China. Because of his torture by the Communist Chinese and death in prison in 1952, he is considered a martyr, and his cause for canonization is pending.-Early life and priesthood:Francis Xavier Ford was...
- Servant of God William Gagnon
- Servant of God Alphonse GallegosAlphonse GallegosAlphonse Gallegos , OAR, was a Roman Catholic bishop who was declared a Servant of God in July 2008.-Early life:...
- Servant of God Demetrius Augustine GallitzinDemetrius Augustine GallitzinPrince Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin was an emigre Russian aristocrat and Catholic priest known as The Apostle of the Alleghenies. Since 2005, he has been under investigation for possible canonization by the Catholic Church...
- Servant of God Antonietta Giugliano
- Servant of God John HardonJohn HardonJohn A. S. A. Hardon, S.J., Servant of God was a Jesuit priest, writer, and theologian. He is the founder of The Holy Trinity Apostolate.-Early life:...
- Servant of God Isaac HeckerIsaac HeckerIsaac Thomas Hecker was an American Roman Catholic Priest and founder of the Paulist Fathers, the North American religious society of men; he is named a Servant of God by the Catholic Church....
- Servant of God Leo HeinrichsLeo HeinrichsFather Leo Heinrichs, O.F.M. was a German-born Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order. While assigned at St...
- Servant of God Mario Hiriart
- Servant of God Emil KapaunEmil KapaunEmil Joseph Kapaun was a Roman Catholic priest and United States Army chaplain who died in the Korean War. The Roman Catholic Church has declared him a Servant of God and he is a candidate for sainthood.-Early life:...
- Servant of God Mary Elizabeth Lange
- Servant of God Rose Hawthorne LathropRose Hawthorne LathropRose Hawthorne Lathrop was an American Roman Catholic religious sister and social worker.-Biography:Born in Lenox, Massachusetts, to Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife Sophia Peabody, she was educated in London, Paris, Rome and Florence. She married author George Parsons Lathrop in 1871; both...
- Servant of God James Maginn, one of the Martyrs of Chunchon, Korea
- Servant of God Maria Adelaida of Saint Teresa (Joan Adelaide O'Sullivan)
- Servant of God Maria Soledad (Maria Consuelo Sanjurjo Santos)
- Servant of God Vincent McCauley
- Servant of God Mary Angeline Teresa McCroryMary Angeline Teresa McCroryMother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory 21 January 1893-21 January 1984 was born in Mountjoy, County Tyrone, Ireland...
- Servant of God John McKniff, O.S.A
- Servant of God Miriam Teresa (Teresa DemjanovichTeresa DemjanovichSister Miriam Teresa, born Teresa Demjanovich was a United States Roman Catholic Sister of Charity.Teresa Demjanovich was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, on March 26, 1901, the youngest of seven children...
) - Servant of God Paul Michael Murphy
- Servant of God Mary Virginia Merrick
- Servant of God Rev. Joseph Muzquiz who established Opus Dei in the United States
- Servant of God Ninfas Victorino (Augustin Arnaud Pages)
- Servant of God Norbert (John McAuliffe)
- Servant of God Francis J. ParaterFrancis J. ParaterFrancis J. Parater was an Eagle Scout, and a Catholic seminarian from Virginia who died of rheumatic fever at the age of 23 and was nominated for canonization in 2001....
- Servant of God Rossella Petrellese
- Servant of God Patrick PeytonPatrick PeytonReverend Father Patrick Peyton, CSC was an Irish-born Roman Catholic priest, devout promoter of the works & inspirations of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is the founder of the post-World War II prayer movement called, "Family Rosary Crusade"...
- Servant of God Thomas Frederick PriceThomas Frederick PriceThomas Frederick Price was the co-founder of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, better known as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.-Youth and Education:...
- Servant of God Bernard J. Quinn
- Servant of God Federico Salvador Ramon
- Servant of God Giancarlo RastelliGiancarlo RastelliGiancarlo Rastelli was a cardiac surgeon. He was the creator of the Rastelli procedure. He died of cancer at just 36 years of age. At the time of his death he was the head of cardiovascular surgical research at the Mayo Clinic. He has been suggested for sainthood by the Catholic Church, and his...
- Servant of God Fernando RieloFernando RieloFernando Rielo was a mystical poet, philosopher, author, metaphysician, and Founder of a Catholic Religious Institute. Rielo also founded a school of thought and a foundation based on a new metaphyics. His metaphysics is called the Genetic metaphysics of Fernando Rielo and the foundation is called...
- Servant of God Stanley RotherStanley RotherStanley Francis Rother was a Catholic priest and missionary to Guatemala. He was murdered by a death squad, believed to be made up of right-wing extremists and elements of the Guatemalan Army, on July 28, 1981....
- Servant of God Aloysius SchwartzAloysius SchwartzAloysius Schwartz was born on September 18, 1930, in Washington, DC, USA. He grew up with the idea of becoming a secular priest. He heard his calling to serve the Lord at a very young age and at 13, he entered the seminary. In 1944, at age 14, he entered St. Charles Seminary in Maryland, finished...
- Servants of God Luis de Quiros, Gabriel de Solis, Juan Bautista Mendez, Juan Bautista de Segura, Gabriel Gomez, Sancho Zeballos, Pedro Mingot Linares, and Cristobal Redondo (The Martyrs of VirginiaAjacàn MissionThe Ajacán Mission was a failed attempt in 1570 to establish a Jesuit mission on the Virginia Peninsula. They intended to bring Christianity to the Virginia Indians. The effort to found what was to be called St...
) - Servant of God Fulton J. SheenFulton J. SheenServant of God Fulton John Sheen, born Peter John Sheen was an American archbishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio...
- Servant of God Hermano Santiago (James Alfred MillerJames Miller (De La Salle Christian Brother)Brother James Miller F.S.C. was a De La Salle Christian Brother born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin who grew up in Custer, Wisconsin...
) - Servant of God Theresia of the Holy Trinity (Theresia IJsseldijk)
- Servant of God Erno Tindira, one of the Martyrs of Mukachevo, Ukraine
- Servant of God Augustine ToltonAugustine ToltonAugustine John Tolton , or Augustus Tolton, was the first Roman Catholic priest in the United States publicly known to be black when he was ordained in 1886. A former slave who was baptized and reared Catholic, Tolton studied formally in Rome...
- Servant of God Félix VarelaFélix VarelaFélix Varela y Morales was a notable figure in the Roman Catholic Church in both Cuba and the United States.-Life:Varela was born in Havana, Cuba and died in St. Augustine, Florida, United States...
, activist for human rights in Cuba - Servant of God James Anthony WalshJames Anthony WalshJames Anthony Walsh was the co-founder of Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.- Background :The son of James Walsh and Hanna Shea, James Anthony was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
Other open causes
Other Americans have been proposed for beatification, and may have active groups supporting their causes. These include:- Aloysius EllacuriaAloysius EllacuriaFr. Aloysius Ellacuria was a Claretians mystic, with a reputation as a miracle worker in California.A petition to open the cause for beatification and canonization of Father Ellacuria has been submitted to Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez .-References:...
- Mychal F. JudgeMychal F. JudgeMychal F. Judge, OFM was a Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, Chaplain of the Fire Department of New York and the first certified fatality of the September 11, 2001 attacks.-Early years:Robert Emmet Judge was the son of Irish Catholic immigrants from County Leitrim and...
- Jacques MarquetteJacques MarquetteFather Jacques Marquette S.J. , sometimes known as Père Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. Marie, and later founded St. Ignace, Michigan...
- John F. NollJohn F. NollMost Rev. John Francis Noll was bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne, Indiana from 1925 until his death in 1956. He was a native of Fort Wayne, and one of nineteen children. John Noll attended St. Lawrence Seminary in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin from 1888 to 1893. He was ordained a priest...
- Joseph T. O'CallahanJoseph T. O'CallahanJoseph Timothy O'Callahan was a Jesuit priest and, during World War II, a United States Navy chaplain. He was awarded the U.S...
- Audrey SantoAudrey SantoAudrey Marie Santo , often referred to as Little Audrey by pilgrims to her home, was an American young woman from Worcester, Massachusetts through whom miracles were said to have happened during her lifetime....
- Rhoda WiseRhoda WiseRhoda Wise was an alleged U.S. stigmatist from Canton, Ohio . Her biography, Her Name Means Rose, was published by EWTN. Rhoda Wise has been associated with many miraculous healings, including the healing of Mother Angelica...
- Ruth PakalukRuth PakalukRuth Pakaluk was a Catholic convert, mother, housewife and pro-life activist who lived in Worcester, Massachusetts with her husband, Michael Pakaluk, and their children.-Personal life:...
See also
- Roman Catholicism in the United States#American Catholic Servants of God, Venerables, Beatified, and Saints
- Servant of GodServant of GodServant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
- VenerableVenerableThe Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
- BlessedBeatificationBeatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
- SaintSaintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
- Congregation for the Causes of SaintsCongregation for the Causes of SaintsThe Congregation for the Causes of Saints is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passing through the steps of a declaration of "heroic virtues" and beatification...