St. Patrick’s Seminary & University / LinkedIn
St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, is preparing to open a new Center for Sainthood Studies — the first institution in the US dedicated to supporting and advancing canonization efforts.
The center will offer training, research resources, and guidance for those working to promote causes for sainthood, according to a press release from the organization.
The initiative was formally approved by San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, who issued a decree in April outlining the center’s goal of “fostering a deeper understanding of the processes involved in recognizing the holiness of individuals and their potential for sainthood,” according to the release.
Michael McDevitt — who works with the new center and has long championed the cause of Cora Evans, a Catholic convert from Mormonism whose sainthood is under review in Rome — sees the resource as an essential tool for advancing similar efforts.
“We know firsthand the challenges faced with starting a cause and faced with the daunting complexities of the process,” he said, according to the release.
In addition to housing relics and archival materials, McDevitt said that the center will help participants understand how to prepare a cause effectively at the diocesan level and meet the procedural and spiritual demands of promoting candidates for canonization.
“This is a resource designed to guide participants through the rigorous sainthood application and navigate the diocesan canonical procedures efficiently and effectively,” he said.
The center is scheduled to begin its programming early next year, launching with a six-day intensive course in February 2026 at Vallombrosa Retreat Center in Menlo Park. The program will provide instruction in theology, canon law, and procedural strategy and is open to clergy, religious, and lay people.
The course was developed by Emanuele Spedicato and Waldery Hilgeman. Both are based in Rome and experienced in advancing sainthood causes within the Vatican.
“This is something new in the Catholic Church in America,” McDevitt said, “and I believe it will help open the door to more sainthood causes nationwide.”
