A person whose heroic Christian virtues the Church has recognized is called a venerable person. This is the second step towards the recognition of holiness by the Catholic Church. The Church recognizes a person successively as servant of God, venerable, blessed, and finally, following canonization by the Pope, saint.
One becomes venerable in a process of beatification. A group of the faithful represented by the Postulator of the Cause makes a request to the Bishop to open a cause of beatification. The bishop opens a canonical trial in which all the available evidence of holiness are examined. Experts (theologians) will study the writings, the testimonies, the possible miracles or martyrdom, etc. All this forms a Cause that will pass from the diocesan level to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome following the beatification. When the bishop is able to affirm the heroic Christian virtues, he declares the person a servant of God. This first step is followed by the proclamation, during a celebration, of the person as venerable. Next comes beatification, which requires the recognition of a miracle attributed to the intercession of the future saint.