Canonization of Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa is one of the best known Catholic women of the 20th century, and on Sunday, Sept. 4 she will be canonized as a saint. Canonization recognizes holiness, not perfection. In elevating Mother Teresa to the honors of the altar, the Roman Catholic Church certifies, through an exacting and meticulous process, that, despite her faults, she lived a life of extraordinary holiness and is worthy of veneration and imitation.Canonization changes absolutely nothing about the person being honored; it merely confirms that the saint has been in heaven from the moment of her death. What canonization does do is change the relationship between the faithful and the saint; once canonized, the faithful are permitted to venerate the saint publicly. A new saint is a gift to the faithful in that the process surrounding a canonization invites reflection on how holiness manifests itself in particular times and places.