Beatification (from Latin beatus, blessed, via Greek μακάριος, makarios and Latin facere, make) is a recognition

accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's accession to Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of
individuals who pray in his or her name (intercession of saints). Beatification is the third of the four steps in the
canonization process. A person who is beatified is given the title "Blessed".Since the Canon law reform of 1983, one
miracle must be proven to have taken place through the intercession of the person to be beatified, though this
requirement is not necessary for those who died a martyr, as their sanctity is already evident because of the fact that
they were killed distinctly out of hatred for the faith ("odium fidei"). More about the process can be found in the
article on canonization.

The feast day for the Blessed person is not universal, but is celebrated only in regions where the person receives
particular veneration. For instance, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha is honored in the United States of America and
Canada. The person may also be honored in a particular religious order. For instance, veneration of John Duns
Scotus is found in the Archdiocese of Cologne, Germany, and among the Franciscans, among other places.

Pope John Paul II (16 October 1978 – 2 April 2005) markedly changed previous Catholic practice of beatification. By
October 2004 he had beatified 1,340 people, more than the sum of all of his predecessors since Pope Sixtus V (d.
1590), who established a beatification procedure similar to that used today. His successor, Pope Benedict XVI,
removed the custom of holding beatification rites in the Vatican with the Pope presiding; they can now be held in
the location where the subject lived with a Cardinal designated to preside over the ceremony.

In Christianity, martyrs are considered to follow the example of Jesus in offering up their lives as a sacrifice to bring
about the Kingdom of Heaven. The first Christian martyr was Saint Stephen (whose name means "crown"), and
those who suffer martyrdom are said to have been "crowned".

In the context of church history, from the time of the persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire, being a
martyr indicates a person who is killed for maintaining a religious belief, knowing that this will almost certainly
result in imminent death (though without intentionally seeking death). Martyrs sometimes declined to defend
themselves at all, in what they see as a reflection of Jesus' willing sacrifice. However, the definition of martyrdom is
not specifically restricted to the Christian faith.

Some Christians view death in sectarian persecution as martyrdom. This view is typified by the accounts in Foxe's
Book of Martyrs.

Usage of "martyr" is also common among Arab Christians (i.e. anyone killed in relation to Christianity or a
Christian community), indicating the persecution Arab Christians continue to experience to this day.

Saints are individuals of exceptional holiness who are important in many religions, particularly Christianity. In
some usages, the word "saint" is used more generally to refer to anyone who is a Christian.

saint is always someone through whom we catch a glimpse of what God is like -- and of what we are called to be.
Only God 'makes' saints, of course. The church merely identifies from time to time a few of these for emulation.
The church then tells the story. But the author is the Source of the grace by which saints live. And there we have it:
A saint is someone whose story God tells