I have heard of Saints in different contexts.

I am curious to know how is one defined as a saint in Christianity?
What acts or non-acts does it take a person to be named a saint?


Is the title used during the lifetime of a particular person or is the title given after the person passes away?
Does the person himself know that he is a saint?

Thank you in advance.

My religious learnings are more than a little rusty, but this is what I remember...
A saint cannot be cannonised until after death. What's more, they need to have at least three miracles performed in their name (and recognised as genuine miracles by the church).

So, if a good person dies, friends, family, followers or similar might ask them for help from Heaven, and if they succeed in performing miracles from on High, they can eventually get the title.

That's my brief, uneducated take on it anyway. Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

:)

Kal

The term "saint" is used in various ways in Christianity. Catholics and non-Catholics alike may refer to any Christian as a saint.

Catholics, though, also use the term for those, as Kal points out, have been "canonized".

Here is more about Canonization:
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Beatification and Canonization (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02364b.htm)

Catholic saint is as Kalfour said
Christian saint is typically anybody that is a Christian and trying to live a godly life.

In the bible the term saint refers to all beleivers.

Thank you for your answers.

For example-
Saint Bernadette(in Lourdes, I think),was she made a saint only after her death,was her body preserved because she was a saint?

Yes the Catholics make people saints AFTER they die. I would guess her body was preserved because of her Catholic sainthood.

Saint Bernadette (http://www.catholicpilgrims.com/lourdes/ba_bernadette_intro.htm)

The Body of Saint Bernadette (http://www.catholicpilgrims.com/lourdes/bb_bernadette_body.htm)

She died 30 years before they started making her a saint, there is no known reason her body remained in a "perfect" state.
And this added to her movement to sainthood.