Saint Tom of Northern Virginia? Father who died saving son's life considered for canonization

 Story by David Fawcett

Saint Tom of Northern Virginia? Father who died saving son's life considered for canonization

One afternoon in the spring of 2022, Keith Henderson met his former priest for lunch when a timely topic arose during their conversation.

Father Jerome Fasano, the retired pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Front Royal, mentioned to Henderson that their diocese could have its first saint.

Desiring additional details, Henderson listened as Fasano recounted the story of Tom Vander Woude and his selfless act. On Sept. 8, 2008, Vander Woude died at the age of 66 while rescuing his son Joseph after he fell into a septic tank on the family farm in Nokesville.

Vander Woude pushed 19-year-old Joseph, who has Down Syndrome, out of the sewage, but he then slipped back beneath the surface as toxic gas filled up his lungs. Attempts were made to revive him after he was pulled out, but Vander Woude died later that day at the hospital.

Up until this point, Henderson, who lives in Warren County, knew nothing about Vander Woude. But so moved by what he learned, Henderson met with Fasano again and agreed Vander Woude should be a saint.

Then, he took it one step further. Retired with extra time on his hands, Henderson felt called to do something else: Help lay the groundwork that could ultimately lead to Vander Woude's canonization.

There was no guarantee, of course, Vander Woude would become a saint, but Henderson wanted to give it a try. It was the least he could do for someone he believed worthy of consideration.

"Tom was a wonderful model of a devout and faithful Catholic man," Henderson told InsideNoVa, "a man that our diocese needed to honor as a servant of God and hopefully much more if it is God's will."

The process

Becoming a saint in the Catholic church is no easy task. It requires extensive background work and meeting specific criteria and protocols.

Sometimes, the canonization process moves quickly, like it did for Mother Teresa. She became a saint in just under 19 years after she died in 1997. Mostly, though, the process takes a while, with no definitive end date as it moves through four stages once a cause for sainthood has been opened.

Currently, there are 11 canonized U.S. saints, the most recent being in 2015. All of them lived from the 17th century through the mid-20th century.

Traditionally, people became saints through two categories: martyrdom and heroic virtue. But in July 2017, Pope Francis opened a third option: the offer of one's life. Vander Woude's life and action fit this category best.

The path toward sainthood starts at the diocesan level before moving to the Vatican for final approval.

To get Vander Woude's case off the ground, Henderson formed a nonprofit in July 2022 called the Tom Vander Woude Guild. The guild began with a four-person board of directors based in Front Royal: himself, Fasano, Rick Von Her and John Lundberg. Henderson is the guild's chairman, Fasano is the treasurer, Lundberg is the secretary and Von Her is the guild's vice chairman. All Catholic converts, Henderson, Von Her and Lundberg are friends who attend St. John the Baptist.

The next step came when the guild asked the Diocese of Arlington to consider opening a cause for sainthood for Vander Woude. The diocese oversees 21 Virginia counties and had 431,000 registered parishioners in 2025.

After obtaining enough information from the guild regarding Vander Woude, Michael F. Burbidge, the diocesan bishop, made an important decision.

In April 2024, Burbidge agreed to name the diocese as the petitioner for Vander Woude's case by signing two documents to further explore why Vander Woude should be a saint. As the petitioner, the diocese becomes the promoter of the cause and assumes the financial obligations and expenses.

More: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/saint-tom-of-northern-virginia-father-who-died-saving-son-s-life-considered-for-canonization/ar-AA24i0ZN?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=6a19b596ebf340d485911119c638e4c4&ei=13