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Nominating is the easy part -- getting canonized is more difficult. According to the Catholic Laws for the Causes of Saints, any "member of the People of God" can nominate a person for sainthood. That means any Catholic can suggest a saint, and you would start by talking to the local bishop. The would-be saint should have been deceased for at least five years, although the pope can waive this requirement (as has happened for John Paul II). The nominee's case goes through a lengthy series of investigations in Rome. All of the potential saint's
writings are reviewed for theological content. The person's life is evaluated for heroic virtue. And at least one proven miracle must have occurred through the nominee's intervention. These days, most of the suggested miracles are spontaneous healings. In the past, everything from the saint's body not decaying after death to the saint levitating during prayer was used as proof of a miracle. However, if the potential saint died a martyr for the faith, no miracle is necessary. After the first process is
approved, the nominee may be beatified and receive the title "Blessed." This earns the person local reverence. If another miracle can be attributed to this proto-saint after beatification, the Blessed may go on to be canonized. That recognizes the person as a saint who is due veneration from the entire Catholic Church.
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