By Catholic San Francisco
The nation’s first-of-its-kind Center for Sainthood Studies is being established at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University in Menlo Park, California. This groundbreaking initiative aims to provide a roadmap for advancing candidates for canonization and increasing the chances of American candidates achieving sainthood.
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone officially approved the initiative in an April 14 decree, emphasizing the key goal as “fostering a deeper understanding of the processes involved in recognizing the holiness of individuals and their potential for sainthood.”
The Center will offer a range of resources, including relics and archival materials, networking opportunities, and a critical six-day course. The inaugural course, designed by esteemed postulators and canon law experts Dr. Emanuele Spedicato and Dr. Waldery Hilgeman from Rome, will be held from February 16-21, 2026, at the Vallombrosa Retreat Center in Menlo Park.
Participants in the course will earn an official certificate upon completion. The program is open to clergy, religious, and laity interested in understanding the theological and historical context behind the sainthood process, as well as gaining practical skills in navigating the diocesan canonical procedures.
Michael McDevitt, who has spent decades promoting the cause of Cora Evans, an American housewife and convert from Mormonism whose case is now with the Vatican, believes this initiative will open the door to more sainthood causes nationwide.
“This is something new in the Catholic Church in America, and I believe it will help open the door to more sainthood causes nationwide,” said McDevitt.
For more information, visit SainthoodCenter.com.
