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
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