Venerable
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Venerable (Greek: "Όσιος" for men and "Οσία" for women) is a title attributed to saints that had lived a monastic or eremitic life, and it is considered equal or sometimes superior to plain "Saint".
In the Church of England, Venerable is the title given to an Archdeacon.
In the Roman Catholic Church, Venerable is the title of a person who has attained one of the lowest of the recognized degrees of sanctity. Before one is considered Venerable, he or she must be declared a Servant of God by proclamation. Consecrating a person with the title of Venerable leads through the process of naming an individual a saint. The next step is beatification, at which point the person is referred to as Blessed, and then finally canonization, at which point the person is referred to as Saint.
| Stages of Canonization in the Roman Catholic Church |
|---|
| Servant of God ==> Venerable ==> Blessed ==> Saint |