Because of the many challenges associated with hagiography, a Catholic group called the Bollandists formed in Belgium in the eighteenth century. This group is charged with the weighty task of separating fact from fiction, of puzzling over the ancient manuscripts and determining historical accuracy and authenticity.

They have been commissioned with the work of revising the Roman Martyrology, checking for accuracy and correcting chronological problems. They have also sought to identify the saints who may not actually have existed. The work of the Bollandists is incredibly challenging, because it is far easier to prove that a person existed than it is to show that she never lived.

In many instances, details of demoted saints' lives, beyond name and perhaps date and place of death, are legend rather than fact. They have not been declared fictional characters; it is still thought that there is a kernel of truth to their existence. Nor is the Church tossing them out, but just relegating them to what you might call another list — sort of a B-list. The Church wants to be fair to the public in presenting saints who have a well-documented life.

The men and women who follow still show up on some calendars of saints' feast days (the difference between those calendars and a liturgical calendar is explained in Appendix C) and are patron saints of specific causes.