All that’s left to do is to set the date. And a thousand other things.

Blessed Damien will become Saint Damien, probably next year. Pope Benedict XVI approved his canonization on July 3 with the validation of a miraculous healing attributed to the 19th century Belgian priest’s intercession, 119 years after his death.

Also closer to sainthood: St. Therese’s parents and Italian teen born in 1971 Blessed Damien’s decree was, in fact, one of 13 Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, presented to Pope Benedict Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints XVI on July 3. Three other miracles were approved, two for canonization, and one for beatification. The miracle for beatification was notable because it was attributed to the intercession of a married couple, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux — Louis and Marie Zelie Guerin Martin. Pope John Paul II, who was anxious to beatify or canonize married couples of the new millennium, had declared Mr. and Mrs. Martin “venerable,” one of the first steps in the sainthood process, in 1994. The last of the decrees recognized the heroic virtues of Italian teenager Chiara Badano, who was born in 1971 and who died of bone cancer in 1990 at age 18.

The date for the canonization ceremony will most likely be set in February at a consistory, a meeting of the pope and his cardinal advisors. The actual ceremony, which will probably take place at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, is probably a year away.

Meanwhile, Bishop Larry Silva says, there will be a lot of preparation to do. Hundreds of people from Hawaii will attend the event. Back home, the canonization will be commemorated, observed and celebrated in a wide variety of ways and places.

Father Damien’s elevation to sainthood may be the biggest single event ever to happen to the Catholic Church in Hawaii.

Bishop Silva said last week that he was going to call Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the Archbishop of Brussels, “in the next few days to see what he might have in mind” regarding the overall commemoration of this event. Brussels is the sponsoring diocese of Damien’s canonization cause and the site of his beatification in 1995.

The bishop expects the canonization will be in Rome because of Blessed Damien’s universal appeal and because “this current Holy Father does travel, but not as much as his predecessor.”

However, Bishop Silva wants Hawaii canonization pilgrimages to include a stop in Belgium where Damien was born and is buried. He scheduled meetings this week with a couple of travel experts to look into the logistics of a European trip, he said.

What part Hawaii would play in the actual ceremony is unclear at this point, the bishop said.

Hawaii participants played significant roles in the beatification in Brussels 13 years ago. But that was an event dedicated solely to Damien, on his birth soil, at which special island touches were permitted, including the multi-lingual John Paul II adding Hawaiian to his repertoire. It is possible that Damien will be canonized with others.

“At least I would want to concelebrate,” Bishop Silva said.

In Hawaii, simultaneous Masses of thanksgiving at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace and in Kalaupapa are “more than likely,” he said, coupled with live broadcasts from Rome.

Bishop Silva does not want Blessed Damien’s canonization simply to be the recognition of a great man, but rather a “great opportunity” to follow his example.

“I really had been hoping and praying for Father Damien’s canonization, not just as an honor to him, but as an opportunity for all of us to reflect on how the Lord calls each one of us to reach out to those in need and to express our faith in very concrete ways,” he said.

The bishop took this news as an occasion to endorse his diocesan strategic planning “road map,” particularly as it addresses homelessness in Hawaii.

“This should be a very great opportunity to turn faith into real action, to bring more light into the darkness,” he said. “The spirit will guide us in that process.”