Heroic virtue, in Catholic teaching, describes a life lived to an exceptional degree of Christian morality. It's a crucial element in the canonization process, the Church's recognition of a person's holiness. Before a candidate reaches the recognized stage of sainthood, a thorough Church investigation takes place. This investigation examines their life, searching for evidence of holiness exceeding the ordinary. The process involves gathering extensive testimony and scrutinizing their actions, words, and writings. Only when heroic virtue is definitively established can the process move forward. This established heroic virtue, along with evidence of miracles attributed to the candidate's intercession, leads to beatification, a step before the final declaration by the Pope declaring them a saint.