An interesting article from John Lyons in The Wall Street Journal of the possibility of a new saint, Guido Schäffer.
Here is an excerpt:
The would-be patron saint of good vibes is Guido Schäffer, a Brazilian priest-in-training who was 34 and about to be ordained when he drowned while surfing near here in 2009.
After he died, locals started calling him the “Surfer Angel” and made pilgrimages to his tomb. Some left engraved stone plaques thanking him for answered prayers. Others left molds of feet and heads indicating body parts healed through his intercession.
The cult of the Surfer Angel grew so much that priests began holding a monthly Mass at Mr. Schäffer’s grave. A Portuguese journalist wrote a book on the phenomenon. Devotees sprang up as far away as Poland.
In January, the Vatican gave permission to Rio priests to gather evidence of Mr. Schäffer’s holiness and present it to the pope, a crucial early step in the sainthood process.
Read the rest of it here.
(Subscription to The Wall Street Journal may be required)