Click here for a list of American saints, blesseds, venerables, and Servants of God, as recognized by the Roman Catholic Church.
These people were born or lived their religious life in the present territory of the United States.
The Catholic Church has existed in the United States since the country’s earliest history. Indeed, Columbus’ expedition of 1492 included Catholic priests among the crew. Catholic missionaries were some of the first explorers in British and French colonial lands in the east, and Spanish lands in the southwest. Maryland was founded as a Catholic colony.
Catholics continue to contribute to American religious life up to the present day. Consequently, several American Catholics have been considered for sainthood over the past 500 years. Most of these Americans were born after 1850.
The first three American saints were canonized in 1930, and since then, only seven other Catholics in the U.S. have been recognized as saints. Roughly 40 Americans are being investigated for sainthood today, as shown below.