Also, this month, another Board Member was added to the Guild. John Paul Vander Woude is now the sixth member of the Guild’s Board. John Paul, one of Tom’s grandsons, along with Tom’s son Christopher Vander Woude will enhance the continuity and remembrance of Tom’s heroic virtues, faith in God, and self-sacrificing service to those in need.

Guild members have begun speaking engagements to “spread the word” regarding Tom and his Cause; what the next steps are; and what is needed to succeed in the “making of a Saint”.
We are also beginning to receive your generous and sustaining donations. The donations will be needed, not only to continue our efforts in promoting Tom’s Cause, but also to help support the Cause during both the Diocesan Phase, as well as the Roman Phases, which can become costly. Especially regarding the investigation of miracles.

The diocese began the formal process with the approval of the Postulator and his fees. He will now prepare the official Petition. It is important that the laity do their job too.
Forward or share this newsletter with your family and friends. It’s easy – PLEASE DO IT. One or more of them might know a story or two about Tom that could be used in his petition.
Let your friends and family know they can sign up for the Newsletter at: www.tvwguild.org

Please send us any stories of:
Tom’s “Prayer Favors” that were answered for you or a friend.
Christian service to his church, community, yourself, or a loved one.
Stories of his faith and/or reputation of his holiness.

Tell your pastor about the Cause and ask to host a group presentation at your church, women’s group, KofC Council, veteran’s group, etc. We are happy to support – contact us today.

Make a tax-deductible donation via our website or directly to our address. We promise that we will protect your donation and use it wisely for the encouragement and support of Tom’s Cause.

Our Sincere blessings to you all, Keith Henderson, Board Chairman

1. ACTION TO BE TAKEN TO “OPEN THE CAUSE” (PRELIMINARY PHASE)

a. The Postulator prepares the official Petition (“Libellus”) to be presented to the Bishop, requesting the beginning of the Cause.

b. The Bishop discloses receipt of the official Petition to his Diocese and asks for comments.

c. The Bishop writes to the Bishops’ Conference to ask for and receive their opinion.

d. The Bishop writes to the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints to ask for and receives a Nihil Obstat (“Nothing Obstructs”).

2. WHEN THE CAUSE OPENS (DIOCISEAN INVESTIGATIVE PHASE)

a. The Bishop Constitutes the Tribunal and appoints the following:

1. Episcopal Delegate, who questions the witnesses.
2. Promoter of Justice, who collaborates actively with the Delegate and who is vigilant to see that the law is observed.
3. Notary, who transcribes testimonies of witnesses and draws up the acts.

b. Theological Censors. If the Servant of God has any published writings, the Bishop nominates at least two theological censors to examine those writings.

c. Historical Commission. N/A for Thomas Vander Woude (Only necessary for historical and/or archival matters.)

d. The interviewing of witnesses begins.

We are currently on step 1a of the Preliminary Phase. The diocese began the process by approval of the Postulator and his fees. He will now prepare the official Petition. It is important that the laity do their job too.

1) Forward or share this newsletter with your family and friends. It’s easy – PLEASE DO IT. One or more of them might know a story or two about Tom that could be used in his petition.

2) Let your friends and family know they can sign up for the Newsletter at: www.tvwguild.org

3) Send us any stories of:

a) Tom’s “Prayer Favors” that were answered for you or a friend.

b) Christian service to his church, community, yourself, or a loved one.

c) Stories of his faith and/or reputation of his holiness.

4) Tell your pastor about the Cause and ask to host a group presentation at your church, women’s group, KofC Council, veteran’s group, etc. We are happy to support – contact us now.

5) Make a tax-deductible donation via our website or directly to our following address. We promise that we will protect your donation and use it wisely for the encouragement and support of Tom’s Cause.

Our Sincere blessings to you all,

Keith Henderson, Board Chairman

On May 16, 2024 Christopher (Chris) Vander Woude became our newest Board Member. Chris is currently the K-12 Dean of Students and Athletic Director at Chelsea Academy, Front Royal, VA. Being Tom’s fifth son, he was raised on the family farm in Nokesville, VA. After graduating from Christendom College, Chris soon became their Athletic Director and then the Dean of Students. Just prior to joining Chelsea Academy, Chris was the Athletic Director at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Dumfries, VA.

Another key change for the Guild was that Rev. Monsignor Paul F. deLadurantaye has been identified as the Guild’s new contact at the Catholic Diocese of Arlington regarding Tom’s Cause. Msgr. deLadurantaye has recently returned to the diocese after almost 6 years living in Rome while serving as an English interpreter for Pope Francis.

In early August of 2024, Msgr. deLadurantaye became the diocese’s Chancellor. The chancellor’s main role is to manage diocesan records and documents. Specifically, he is responsible for:

• Gathering, arranging, and safeguarding the acts and archives of the diocesan curia.
• Maintaining sacramental registers that detail the sacramental history of each parish in the diocese.
• Serving as the official notary on documents issued by the diocesan bishop.
• Preserving the recorded history and historical artifacts of the diocese.
• Other duties that the bishop might require of him.

A Board Member of the Guild met with the Monsignor, and we are looking forward to working with him and, hopefully, utilizing his experience of working with many of the Roman curia staff.

As many of you are aware, we have been asking for: 1) Stories of Tom’s Christian service to his church, community, yourself, or a loved one; and 2) Stories of his faith and/or the reputation of his holiness. In July, Kevin Kelly and his wife invited us to attend a small dinner party at their home. They also invited two other couples that knew Tom well. We recorded the stories that they told us about Tom and the added details of stories that we had heard or read about in various news reports prior, but there was a need for additional personal details. The conversation was wonderful, and they were of great help in adding to Tom’s reputation for holiness and Christian service to so many with whom he came into contact.

In previous newsletters, we also mentioned that we would support any gathering at a church or organization to “spread the word” about Tom and his Cause. Gratefully, we have been asked to speak to a group of parents in a “Family Faith Formation Program” at St. Michael’s Catholic Church just outside Boston, MA in early November. They wanted to know more about Tom Vander Woude, his family life, and his Cause. Many people are interested in “what it takes for someone to be made a saint”. Luckily, Fr. Oetjen has been very helpful in delineating the “early diocesan stages” of the process. Both the Board Chairman and our newest board member, Chris Vander Woude, will be speaking to the group.

Finally, we will also be promoting Tom’s Cause at the 15th annual Thomas S. Vander Woude Memorial Golf Tournament on Monday, October 14, 2024, at the Shenandoah Valley Golf Club, Front Royal, VA. The club is rated as one of the 10 best places to play golf in the state of Virginia by Golf Digest. Please stop by our table and say “hello”.

All proceeds from the Golf Tournament will go to support the Thomas S. Vander Woude Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is for two $5,000 four-year renewable scholar-athlete scholarships awarded each fall semester to two incoming students. Students must meet certain criteria and apply for the scholarship.

Our Sincere blessings to you all,
Keith Henderson,
Board Chairman

Our Sincere blessings to you all,

Keith Henderson

Board Chairman

• Established the Catholic Diocese of Arlington as the Petitioner for the Thomas S. Vander Woude Cause for Canonization.
• Appointed Dr. Waldery Hilgeman as the Postulator of the Thomas S. Vander Woude Cause for Canonization. 

   Bishop Burbidge is very supportive of Mr. Vander Woude’s Cause. Both he and our Vicar General, Fr. Workman, understand the importance of ensuring the process goes well and that the “Norms” established by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (see the “About” menu of the tvwguild.org website) are explicitly followed. This will save both time and money in the long run so that various aspects of the process and/or documentation will not have to be redone or “cured”.

   Currently Bishop Burbidge has asked the diocesan financial staff to establish the appropriate budgets for his approval and set up the proper accounting so that contract arrangements with Dr. Hilgeman can be finalized.

   Our diocese has the opportunity to have a saint declared from within our midst. Many people in the diocese knew Tom well, respected him, and were good friends with him and his family. Many of those have wonderful stories of his Christian faith; his virtue; his humility; his mentorship; and his service to county, church, community, and family. Whether it be a sentence, a paragraph, or several pages, please send these stories to our email.

Our Sincere blessings to you all,

Keith Henderson,

Board Chairman

The Guild has reached out to two very experienced and successful Rome-based Postulators. Both have had the opportunity to look over the various stories, pictures, and video relating to Tom’s life on the Guild’s website. Both have provided us with very kind responses and have shown their interest in potentially working on Tom’s Cause.

This coming Wednesday, February 28, Fathers Workman, Walsh, and Oetjen (see Newsletter #4) will be meeting with the Guild’s Board members. Our discussions will concern all the various roles, activities, and processes that are necessary regarding the current canonical process for carrying out the Diocesan Inquiry stage. We will also be meeting with the Vice Postulator of SOG Fr. Capodanno’s Cause, Mary Preece.  She has kindly offered to bring along some resources and help us with our understanding and successful accomplishment of the various tasks needed to award a Servant Of God title to Mr. Thomas S. Vander Woude.

Mrs. Preece will also help us to understand the day-to-day working relationships between ourselves, the Roman Postulator, and the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. She has been very involved with Fr. Capodanno’s Cause for a long time. We are so very glad and thankful for her offer to help and support our efforts. It was Mrs. Preece who recommended both Postulators to whom we are in contact.

Sincere blessings to you all,
Keith Henderson, Board Chairman

We all reviewed the various “prayer favors” that had been submitted so far and decided to select at least two or three to pursue in detail. The documentation and appropriate witness testimonies would be collected and transcribed by the tribunal should it become necessary at this preliminary stage.

Two critical steps will be to: 1) ensure that the Tom Vander Woude Guild can act as a “Juridic Person” to become the Petitioner of the Cause; and 2) select and formally designate a Postulator of the Cause who is currently living in Rome, and with experience on other Causes for Canonization. We have been provided with three names of potential Postulators so far and will contact each of them beginning in early January 2024.

Fr. Oetjen will be reviewing the Articles of Incorporation and Corporate By-Laws of the Guild. He will help us with gaining “Juridic Person” status within the diocese. He has also provided the Guild with a briefing presented to the Canon Law Society of America regarding the current canonical process for carrying out the Diocesan Inquiry stage regarding a Servant Of God.