The US Bishops voted in favor of advancing the cause of John Rick Miller, an American businessman who has ties to St. Margaret D'Youville and St. André Bessette.
While many officially recognized saints are priests or religious, there have been an increasing number of causes that focus on ordinary men and women from the laity.
Such is the case of John Rick Miller, a layman who was a top CEO in the United States, but was also a missionary before he died in 2015.
The US Bishops recently reviewed his cause and according to a June 10 press release, "By a voice vote, the bishops expressed their support for advancing the cause of beatification and canonization on the diocesan level."
This is one of the first steps in initiating a cause for canonization. The next step will be for the local bishop to officially begin the cause and to examine his life, to determine if he lived a life of "heroic virtue." At that point he would be called "Servant of God."
Businessman and missionary
Born in New York in 1948, Miller was raised by his French-Canadian family, which has ties to St. Margaret D'Youville and St. André Bessette.
According to the USCCB, he "entered Paul Smith College in Hudson Falls, New York, to study restaurant and hotel management, and worked in business and quickly rose through the ranks at several prominent corporations."
Newsweek reported that "Miller's biography on his missionary group's website refers to him as a former CEO of drugmaker AstraZeneca."
In addition to his life in the business world, Miller was also a missionary and founded numerous apostolates around the world. He founded the association "For the Love of God Worldwide," an organization that promotes consecration to God through the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
He also founded an international “Apostolate of St. Joseph,” and traveled to Colombia to promote consecration to the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in that country.
Miller died on May 30, 2015, from esophageal cancer, and was widely known for his personal holiness and desire to spread the faith around the world.
He is buried in the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Doral, Florida, and Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami is the bishop who is promoting his cause.
