If you walked into St. Peter’s Square on a crisp morning in late 2024, you’d have seen a sea of flags, tears, and thousands of people craning their necks toward the balcony. It’s a scene that feels medieval, yet it’s happening right now in our digital age. People often ask, when was the last saint canonized, thinking it’s something that only happened centuries ago to people who lived in caves or fought dragons.
Honestly? It happened just a few months ago.
On October 20, 2024, Pope Francis stood before a massive crowd and officially raised 14 people to the "glory of the altars." This wasn't just some dusty administrative ritual. It was a massive global event. Among them were the "Martyrs of Damascus"—a group of eight Franciscan friars and three Maronite laymen who were killed in Syria back in 1860. But they weren't the only ones. The list included Giuseppe Allamano, Elena Guerra, and Marie-Léonie Paradis.
It’s a weirdly complex process.
You might think someone becomes a saint because they were "nice." Not even close. The Vatican’s "Saint Factory"—the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints—is probably more rigorous than a Harvard admissions board. They dig through diaries, interview skeptical witnesses, and require actual, scientifically inexplicable miracles.
The October 2024 Canonization: Who are these people?
When we look at when was the last saint canonized, we have to look at the "class of 2024." This group was heavy on martyrs. The Damascus group is a wild story of courage. Back in July 1860, during a period of intense persecution in Ottoman-controlled Syria, these men were offered a choice: convert or die. They chose the latter. Manuel Ruiz and his companions were killed inside a Franciscan convent.
It took over 160 years for the Church to finalize their status.
📖 Related: Is there actually a legal age to stay home alone? What parents need to know
Why so long? Because the Church is obsessed with "heroic virtue." It’s not enough to just be a victim; you have to have lived a life that someone in 2026 can actually look at and find inspiring.
Then you have Elena Guerra. She’s often called the "Apostle of the Holy Spirit." She lived in the late 19th century and spent her life screaming—mostly via letters to the Pope—that the Church had forgotten the Holy Spirit. She founded the Oblates of the Holy Spirit in Lucca, Italy. For her, it wasn't about the grand gestures, but about a persistent, nagging faith that changed the inner workings of the Vatican’s liturgy.
Marie-Léonie Paradis represents the Canadian contingent. She founded the Little Sisters of the Holy Family. Her whole vibe was service—specifically supporting priests and seminarians. It sounds humble, maybe even "under the radar," but that’s exactly what Pope Francis likes to highlight: the "saints next door."
How the "Saint-Making" Process Actually Works in 2026
The road to canonization is long. Boringly long. It starts at the local level. A Bishop basically says, "Hey, people here think this person was a saint." That’s when they become a "Servant of God."
Then comes the deep dive.
Investigators look for any "skeletons in the closet." If they pass, they become "Venerable." But to get to "Blessed" (Beatification), you usually need a miracle. And we aren't talking about "I found my car keys" miracles. We are talking about medically documented, "the doctors have no idea how this person is alive" kind of stuff.
👉 See also: The Long Haired Russian Cat Explained: Why the Siberian is Basically a Living Legend
For the final step—Canonization—you need a second miracle that happened after they were beatified.
The Carlo Acutis Factor: A Saint for the Internet Age
While October 2024 was the most recent ceremony, everyone is currently talking about Carlo Acutis. If you haven't heard of him, he’s basically the "millennial saint." He was a gamer, he liked PlayStation, and he used his coding skills to catalog Eucharistic miracles online. He died of leukemia at 15 in 2006.
Pope Francis has already cleared the way for his canonization. While the official ceremony date is expected to be during the 2025 Jubilee, specifically during the Jubilee of Youth, his presence in the news has made many people confuse his upcoming date with the answer to when was the last saint canonized.
Acutis is a game-changer. He wore Nike sneakers and tracksuits. Seeing his body displayed in Assisi in jeans and a fleece jacket is a massive departure from the gold-embroidered robes of the Damascus martyrs. It shows that the "last saint" isn't always someone from a history book; sometimes it's someone who could have been your classmate.
Why Does Canonization Still Happen?
In a world of TikTok and AI, why does a guy in Rome still declare people "holy"?
It’s about "North Stars." The Church uses these people as prototypes for how to live. Each Pope tends to canonize people who reflect their own priorities. Pope John Paul II canonized a record number of people because he wanted to show that holiness is universal. Pope Francis tends to focus on those who served the poor, the marginalized, or those who lived "ordinary" lives in extraordinary ways.
✨ Don't miss: Why Every Mom and Daughter Photo You Take Actually Matters
When you ask when was the last saint canonized, you’re really asking about the current values of one of the oldest institutions on earth.
The October 2024 group tells us the Church is currently valuing:
- Interfaith dialogue and sacrifice (The Damascus martyrs).
- Education and the role of women (Elena Guerra).
- Quiet, behind-the-scenes service (Marie-Léonie Paradis).
Common Misconceptions About Recent Saints
People get a lot of this wrong. For one, the Pope doesn't "make" someone a saint. According to Catholic theology, the person is already in heaven; the Pope is just "confirming" it for the people back on Earth.
Another big one: you don't have to be Catholic to be recognized in certain ways anymore. While canonization is a Catholic process, Pope Francis recently added 21 Coptic Orthodox martyrs to the Roman Martyrology. That was a huge deal. It was a nod to the "ecumenism of blood," recognizing that people of other Christian denominations are dying for their faith too.
Actionable Steps for Exploring This Further
If this peak into the Vatican's inner workings has sparked your curiosity, don't just stop at a Google search. The world of hagiography (the study of saints) is actually pretty wild when you get into the primary sources.
- Visit the "Official" Records: If you want the real, unfiltered data, go to the website of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. It’s not the flashiest site, but it’s the only place to get the factual decrees straight from the source.
- Check out the "Digital Saint": Look up the official website for Carlo Acutis. It’s the actual site he built before he died. It’s a bit 2000s-retro, but it’s a fascinating look at how a teenager used the early internet for his faith.
- Read the "Positio": If you can find a translated summary of a saint’s Positio (the massive document arguing their case), read it. It’s like a legal thriller and a biography mashed together. You’ll see the "Devil’s Advocate" (the Promoter of the Faith) trying to poke holes in the person's life.
- Follow the 2025 Jubilee: Keep an eye on the Vatican news outlets for the upcoming 2025 dates. There are several high-profile canonizations expected that will once again change the answer to when the last saint was recognized.
The "last" saint is never really the last. There are thousands of "causes" currently open. Some will take five years; some will take five hundred. But as of right now, the names from October 2024 are the latest to join that exclusive, ancient list.
Whether you're religious or just a history buff, there's something fascinating about a system that takes decades—sometimes centuries—to fact-check a single life. In an era of "instant" everything, the canonization process is a weird, slow, and meticulously documented outlier.
Resources and References:
- Vatican News Service (Official reports on the October 20, 2024 ceremony).
- L'Osservatore Romano (The Holy See's newspaper for historical context on the Damascus Martyrs).
- The Association of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family (Biographical data for Marie-Léonie Paradis).
- Decree of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints (Official miracle validations).