Mother Teresa of Calcutta

The modern process of beatification and canonization in the Roman Catholic Church involves many steps and much research about the life of the person for whom a cause has started to initiate the process. 

1997 - Mother Teresa dies in Calcutta

1999 - The Servant of God Mother Teresa

Once a person has been nominated by the bishop in the diocese in which she died and the petition is approved by the Vatican, she receives the title "Servant of God". Normally, there is a minimum 5 year waiting period after the person's death before the bishop is allowed to submit a petition to begin the process. However, Pope John Paul II waived 3 of the 5 years in the case of Mother Teresa, which was the first time since the modern canonization process has been in effect that the full 5 year waiting period had been waived. Information about the life and writings of the Servant of God are then gathered in order to move the cause to the next stage. 

2001 - Venerable Mother Teresa (or Venerable Servant of God Mother Teresa)

Once the list of the person's Heroic Virtues are approved by the Pope upon the recommendation of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, she is now known as "Venerable." In order to be beatified (the next stage), there needs to be a documented miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant that cannot be explained scientifically by natural causes after a thorough investigation initiated by the diocese in which the miracle allegedly occurred. 

2002 - First miracle attributed to the intercession of Mother Teresa approved by Pope John Paul II

Monika Besra of India was miraculously cured of cancer on the first anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death in 1998. 

2003 - Blessed Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was beatified on October 19 in St. Peter's Square. In order to move to the final stage of canonization, a second attributed miracle has to be verified and approved. 

2015 - Second miracle attributed to the intercession of Mother Teresa approved by Pope Francis 

A man in Brazil was cured of several brain tumors after having been in a coma. His wife prayed for the intercession of Blessed Mother Teresa to heal her husband. 

2016 - Saint Mother Teresa

As of September 4, 2016, Blessed Mother Teresa becomes known as Saint Mother Teresa.