Cause for Canonization

Many of those who knew Brother James throughout his life have said James would become a saint since his death in 1982. His piety and dedication to the Lasallian charism were noticeable to all he met.

Canonization is a long process and can only begin, with rare exceptions, five years after the holy person dies. Because Brother James was declared a martyr, his canonization process is unique in that it only requires one proven miracle attributed to his intercession. In 1994, the Guatemalan bishops began investigating Brother James’ life and death in the hopes of the Vatican continuing the investigatory phase. In 1996, the Vatican began conducting its own investigation. The Diocese in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, collected all documents on Brother James’ life in 2009 to supplement the Vatican’s investigation.

Brother James’ family was asked to gather for a deposition and recollection process. This led to the Vatican asserting its Decree of Validity in Rome in 2010, declaring Brother James a Servant of God. Brother Rodolfo Cosimo Meoli, FSC, was then assigned as the Postulator General for the Cause for Canonization.

In 2018, Pope Francis declared Brother James a martyr for the faith. As the investigation continued under Brother Rodolfo, Brother James’ body was exhumed in June 2019 to determine if his body was incorruptible and to gather relics. The process yielded many first-class relics of Brother James’ hair. On December 7, 2019, a beatification Mass was held at Huehuetenango, with many of Brother James’ fellow Brothers, family and other Lasallians present.

The Church now awaits one miracle — typically a miraculous and instantaneous medical healing — to be attributed to Brother James to officially declare him a saint. We can all join in the canonization process by praying for Blessed James’ intercession in our lives and in the lives of those around us.