Beatification
/biˌætɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/noun
The formal declaration by the Catholic Church that a deceased person is blessed and may receive limited public veneration.
Did you know?Beatification does not grant the universal veneration of canonization; it traditionally permits a blessed person’s cult or public honor in a particular place or religious community.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
beatus
“Blessed, happy, or richly favored”
Late Latin
Latin
beatificare
“To make blessed or to grant heavenly happiness”
Late Latin
Latin
beatificatio
“The act of making blessed”
Medieval Latin
Latin
beatificatio
“A declaration or recognition of blessedness, especially in Christian theology”
17th Century
French
béatification
“The ecclesiastical act of declaring someone blessed”
Modern English
English
beatification
“The Catholic declaration that a deceased person is blessed and eligible for limited public veneration”