Why Father Lafleur?

First Lieutenant Rev. J. Verbis Lafleur was a heroic U.S. Army chaplain during World War II who sacrificed his life while saving 83 fellow prisoners-of-war from the attacked and sinking Shinyo Maru ship.

During his time in WWII, Father Lafleur was known for his great faith and heroism, especially during Japanese imprisonment for nearly 2.5 years. Father Lafleur received the Distinguished Service Cross (twice), the Purple Heart Award, and the Bronze Award for his valor.

During Father’s time at war, nearly 200 service members converted to Catholicism.

  • Phase 1: Bishop Opens Cause | Completed in 2020

    The first step in the Canonization process involves a petition by the local bishop to the Holy See to open the Cause for Beatification. If approved, the person is declared a Servant of God.

    On September 5, 2020, Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of the Diocese of Lafayette, LA opened up the Cause for Beatification of Father Lafleur, declaring him a Servant of God.

  • Phase 2: U.S. Bishops Advance Cause | Completed in 2021

    The second phase involves the U.S. bishops voting to ratify and advance the Cause for Beatification.

    On June 17, 2021, 99% of 300-plus U.S. bishops voted to advance the Cause of Father Lafleur.

  • Phase 3: Documentation — We Are Here

    The next phase— to thoroughly document the life of Father Lafleur, demonstrating his virtue— is underway.

    The diocesan committee is gathering testimony about the life and virtues of Servant of God, Father Lafleur. Public and private writing, interviews, testimonials, historical accounts, and supernatural evidence supporting the Cause are being collected and examined.

    This documentary phase can take many years to complete. It will conclude with the judgment of the Diocesan Tribunal and the Bishop that the heroic virtue of Servant of God, Father Lafleur, has been demonstrated.

    The results, along with the bound volumes of documentation (called Acts), will then be presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican to petition for Venerable (Step 2) status.

After the local Diocesan Tribunal and Bishop conclude that the heroic virtue of the Servant of God has been demonstrated, the Cause is presented to the Vatican.

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican reviews the life of the Servant of God according to the path mentioned above and votes on whether the Cause lives or dies. If the vote is affirmative, the recommendation (the Decree of Heroic Virtues) will be sent to the Holy Father, whose judgment will be final.

If the Pope approves the Cause, the candidate is given the title of Venerable.

Once named Venerable, a first miracle — evidence of the intercessory power of the Venerable Servant of God and thus of his or her union after death with God— must be confirmed to be declared Blessed.

  • Phase 1: Declared Venerable

    The Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican reviews the life of the Servant of God according to the path mentioned above and votes on whether the Cause lives or dies. If the vote is affirmative, the recommendation (the Decree of Heroic Virtues) is sent to the Holy Father, whose judgment will be final.

    Once the Servant of God’s heroic virtue has been recognized by the Pope, they are called Venerable.

  • Phase 2: Diocese Confirms 1st Miracle

    For the Venerable to advance to beatification, a first miracle must be approved.

    Miracles are required as evidence of the intercessory power of the Venerable Servant of God and thus of his or her union after death with God.

    The diocese conducts its own tribunals— scientific and theological— to confirm the miracle.

  • Phase 3: Vatican Confirms 1st Miracle

    Once the diocese ratifies the first miracle, the Congregation for the Causes of the the Saints at the Vatican conducts its own scientific and theological commissions followed by a vote to advance the Cause to the Supreme Pontiff.

  • Phase 4: Pope Declares Decree of a First Miracle

    With the Holy Father's approval of a Decree of a Miracle, the Venerable can advance to Beatification.

With the Holy Father's approval of a Decree of a Miracle, the Servant of God can be beatified and declared Blessed.

Blesseds may receive public veneration at the local or regional level, usually restricted to those dioceses or religious institutes closely associated with the person's life. The reason for this distinction and its disciplinary norm is that beatification is not considered an infallible papal act, and so it is not yet appropriate that the entire Church give liturgical veneration to the Blessed.

After beatification, the Church looks for a second miracle before proceeding to canonization.

The process is the same as it was for the miracle which made beatification possible.

  • Phase 1: Declared Blessed

    With the Holy Father's approval of a Decree of a Miracle, the Venerable can be beatified and declared Blessed.

    After beatification, the Church looks for a second miracle before proceeding to canonization.

  • Phase 2: Diocese Confirms 2nd Miracle

    Similar to the first miracle which made beatification possible, the alleged second miracle is studied by scientific and theological commissions and confirmed at the diocesan-level.

  • Phase 3: Vatican Confirms 2nd Miracle

    Once the diocese ratifies the second miracle, the Congregation for the Causes of the the Saints at the Vatican conducts its own scientific and theological commissions followed by a vote to advance the Cause to the Supreme Pontiff.

  • Phase 4: Pope Declares Decree of a Second Miracle

    With the Holy Father's approval of a Decree of a Miracle, the Blessed can advance to Canonization.

With the Holy Father's approval of a second Decree of a Miracle, the Blessed is declared a Saint by the Rite of Canonization.

By the Rite of Canonization the Supreme Pontiff, by an act which is protected from error by the Holy Spirit, elevates a person to the universal veneration of the Church.

An important distinction should be made— By canonization, the Pope does not make the person a saint. Rather, he declares that the person is with God and is an example of following Christ worthy of imitation by the faithful. A Mass, Divine Office, and other acts of veneration may now be offered throughout the universal Church.

If the saint has universal appeal, he may be added to the general calendar of the Church. If the appeal is localized to a specific region, the saint may be added to the calendars of those regions.