We have put the words “Prayer Favors” in quotes because only the Church can officially determine and approve of Tom’s Intercessory Powers.
Many people have prayed to Tom for his intercession. If you are one of those people, please go to the CONTACT menu option and let us know about any favors you might have received through your prayers to Tom. Or just email them to: in**@******ld.org
Below are a few of the stories we have received so far.
1. A priest, on his way to a sick call for a dying man at the hospital, received a phone call telling him about Tom’s death that day. The priest had attempted to give the last rights and sacraments to the dying man at the hospital several times prior, but he stubbornly refused them. The man’s wife, knowing he was on his deathbed with a brain tumor, asked the priest to attempt giving the last rights one more time. Again, the man refused.
The priest left the room and prayed to Tom. The priest said: “Tom, prove to me you’re in heaven. Open this man’s mind and heart. Don’t let him die without the last rights. Then the priest walked back into the room and miraculously the man said: “Father… You bring the oils today?” The priest said that he did, and the man said: “I think I’m ready.” The man received the last rights and lived for another 2 ½ years as a weekly communicant, eventually dying of something other than a brain tumor.
2. On the day of Tom’s funeral, a seminarian had just come back from Mexico because he contracted a rare parasite and was very sick. After waiting almost 2 hours while winding around the lines at the church, the seminarian knelt beside Tom’s coffin. As he stood up, he felt “something’, and his intestinal pains were gone. He never had any more issues with them again.
3. The day Tom died, one of his sons cut off a lock of his hair and gave it to his mother. Mary Ellen kept that lock of hair in a locket around her neck. One day near Christmas time, while making bows at the church, Mary Ellen looked over at one of her friends who was looking just terrible. Mary Ellen asked the friend if she was having another miscarriage. The friend said that she thought she was. Mary Ellen took her locket, with some of Tom’s hair inside, and blessed her friend with it. The next day Mary Ellen’s friend came back from the doctor’s office to show her a sonogram picture of her baby that was still intact and doing fine.
4. Early one October morning in 2009, Eileen received a call from her dear friend Jean. She asked Eileen to pray for her nephew Michael who was dying of cancer. Jean was on her way to her sister-in-law’s house to say her last goodbye to Michael and ask him one more time to be baptized before he passed away. At 24 years old, Michael had been fighting his cancer and it had gone into remission. However, it now returned much more aggressively. His aunt Jean was both a devout Catholic and a nurse who was increasingly concerned about his aggressive cancer. Michael’s condition was now terminal. Jean was also concerned about him and his mother being adamant about not wanting Michael to be baptized.
Eileen suggested that they should both pray to their recently deceased friend, Tom Vander Woude, asking him to intercede for Michael’s baptism. Jean stopped by Eileen’s house on the way to Michael’s home to pick up a small relic of Tom’s clothing. Eileen had taped some threads from a pair of Tom’s jeans onto one of Tom’s Funeral Mass cards and they both prayed to Tom. They knew they had Tom praying with them and interceding for their intentions of Michael’s change of heart regarding his baptism. They even prayed together as Jean drove up to Michael’s house. Jean put the cell phone on speaker, and they prayed together, with Eileen praying from her home. They prayed the Rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet, interspersed with spontaneous prayers. All the while, begging Tom to intercede for Michael’s conversion and ultimately his baptism.
As God would have it, Jean arrived at Michael’s home that Friday afternoon at the Hour of Mercy. Apparently, from his room, Michael had heard Jean’s arrival and that she was consoling his mother. Jean was handed a note. A piece of paper with only one very shakily written word on the note – BAPTIZE.
Michael desired baptism, his death was imminent, and there was no priest available. Jean, being distressed, called Eileen and had her read the exact words from the catechism to her so that she wouldn’t make any mistakes. Jean said that after Michael’s baptism, a profound peace surrounded him and could be felt throughout his room. Michael surprised everyone by living one more day before passing into Eternal Life as a Baptized Person of God.
Both Jean and Eileen strongly believe that Michael’s sins were washed away in baptism that Friday, during the Hour of Mercy, due to Tom Vander Woude’s intercession.
5. Pete’s sister called to tell him that Tom Vander Woude had died. Pete didn’t initially think of the heroism and holiness of Tom’s act. His only thought was “what a terrible way to die”.
Pete’s farmhouse has a picture window that looks out toward a small tree that had dead branches at the top. That day he was praying, looking out the window, and asked for a sign that Tom was in heaven. The sign he asked for was for a blue jay – Tom had graduated from Creighton and their mascot was the blue
jay.
Pete had never seen a blue jay on the farm, and he wasn’t even specifically praying to see a living blue jay – just some sort of blue jay sign – maybe a picture of a blue jay or something, and not even immediately.
Very shortly after Pete finished the prayer, there was a big wind that blew, and a whole flock of blue jays appeared and landed in the tree. The blue jays stayed only a few seconds and flew off in that wild wind.
Pete could hardly believe what he had just seen. So strange – even without the prayer – but so amazing after having made the prayer.
6. From Kathleen:
On the day of Thomas Vander Woude’s funeral, I left my car keys on the seat of my pew. I went back to get them, and they were gone. I began to search pew by pew and afterwards the entire church, even the Infant / Children Rooms.
I searched the Chapel where Mrs. Vander Woude was receiving prayers and condolences from the parishioners. I asked about my keys at the office several times during the course of my two-hour search.
I had no way home. My husband was at home in a wheelchair and my daughter, my only child, no longer lived with us.
I began to cry. It was my only key to the car. I searched and searched again. I searched in the bathrooms, hallways, and vestibule. The music director saw me in distress and offered to help search.
I prayerfully asked Mr. Thomas Vander Woude, whom I knew had been a living Saint, if he would help me. I was in great distress. Almost immediately afterward, while I was walking by the line waiting to enter the Chapel, a large (and very tall) man took a step out of line and asked me if I was looking for my keys. I said: “Yes”, and he proceeded to tell me where I could find them. He said to look in the first row of pews in the second section on the right side of church. I had been sitting in the back. The church was packed and overflowing everywhere for Mr. Vander Woude’s funeral mass, so it was the only seating available. The tall, large man said: “Look inside the compartment used for mass books.”
I did as the man directed and I found my keys there. It was all very strange. “How did this man know I was looking for my keys?” “Why were they left in a concealed spot knowing someone had left them?” “Why weren’t they taken to church office.”
I was very grateful to God and to Mr. Vander Woude, whom I knew had interceded for me.
I told Mary Ellen Vander Woude this story shortly after it happened. I’m sure she remembers me saying: “I knew he was a Saint. That is why I asked him for help.” Personally, I will never forget that day.
7. Cathy and David were advised to get a genetic test for their unborn baby following two ultrasounds that revealed several concerning abnormalities. The fetal specialists highly suspected Trisomy 18 or 13. On December 28, 2024, on the feast of the Holy Innocents, Cathy and David received the results of the genetic test showing that their baby boy would very likely be born with Trisomy 13. Together with the abnormalities and the positive blood test, after his birth, the consulting genetics team indicated that they would have provided a probability of 100% chance that the baby had Trisomy 13. A Trisomy 13 diagnosis is associated with a 90% fatality rate within the first year. Most Trisomy 13 babies die shortly after birth due to complications with their vital organs such as: heart, brain, lungs and digestive system. Babies who do survive have severe cognitive impairment and a life of medical interventions.
The following Sunday Mass, December 29, was celebrated by a priest with the first name of Tom who preached about Saint Thomas Becket and Saint Thomas the Apostle. Also, that Sunday, friends of friends heard that a priest mentioned the story of Thomas Vander Woude in the homily at his Texas parish. That day David and Cathy decided to earnestly pray to God, through the intercession of Thomas Vander Woude, for a cure to their son’s genetic condition. They decided to name their unborn son, Thomas.
David and Cathy began praying harder for Tom Vander Woude’s intercession. A family friend wrote an intercessory prayer and had it approved for private use. Prayer cards were printed, and they were handed out to friends, family and strangers. Soon hundreds of people joined in praying for baby Thomas through the intercession of Tom Vander Woude.
On April 9, 2025, baby Thomas was born with over a dozen medical staff present, expecting to stabilize a fragile baby with Trisomy 13 As a precaution, his father baptized him within minutes of being born. The medical staff was happily surprised by how strong he was. He breathed on his own and responded well. Two days later he underwent surgery to close his abdomen which did not completely close during development. He spent three weeks in the NICU recovering from surgery. His parents and medical staff slowly realized that even though he was born without a right eye, a coloboma in his left eye, a malformed right ear, an abdominal omphalocele, two inguinal hernias, and brain abnormalities, he seemed to be a very healthy baby. The genetics team conducted three tests, and they all came back normal – no Trisomy 13 and no other syndromes.
Thomas is now 3 months old, and he is thriving. He has good vision and hearing, and he acts just like the rest of his older siblings did at his age. Just last week the neurosurgeon gave his parents the wonderful news that the abnormalities that were detected on his brain MRI are inconsequential and they can confidently expect Thomas to have normal cognitive development.
David and Cathy strongly believe that Tom Vander Woude’s intercession to God was instrumental in Thomas’ miraculous cure and continuing life without any major issues.
8. Francis Roy Lilly was born on April 1, 2025 to John and Kara Lilly following severe complications during delivery, which resulted in him being unable to breathe when he was born. He was without oxygen for the first 25 minutes of life and required extensive resuscitation by nurses and doctors. He was intubated almost immediately and flown to the Inova Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Fairfax, VA.
As a result of his severe brain injury sustained during birth (hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy or HIE), Francis was placed on cooling pads and heavily medicated due to subclinical seizures. These were unable to be controlled without several different types of medication due to his brain injury and the cause of which could not be determined. As devout Catholics, his parents had been praying for his complete and total healing. However, they felt very discouraged since the doctors were not very hopeful because of his prognosis.
On the morning of Palm Sunday, April 13, John and Kara met the godparents of another baby recently born at the hospital named Thomas. They discussed baby Thomas and shared stories about their own son, Francis. The godparents mentioned the story of Tom Vander Woude to John and Kara and explained how he had interceded for baby Thomas. They also gave them a prayer they used for baby Thomas, asking for God’s help through the intercession of Tom Vander Woude.
Two days later, the Tuesday of Holy Week, John and Kara had an emotional and difficult meeting with their care team. The doctors told them that there was nothing more they could do for Francis at this point. The subclinical seizures continued occurring despite the heavy doses of medication. They said the medication would have negative long-term effects and recommended taking him off them. The doctors suggested they contact their families and have them come say their goodbyes.
The next day, on Wednesday night, Kara remembers being at the dining room table and saying a prayer: “Thomas Vander Woude, you know the love of a parent, I beg of you to go before the Lord to save our son.”
John and Kara, along with their two girls Bella and Maxine, had planned to say their final goodbyes. They were accompanied by their extended family and several close friends on Holy Saturday. On Wednesday, the doctors started to wean Francis off the medication. Each attempt prior had resulted in him spiraling down and worsening. John spent the night with Francis on Holy Thursday, and by the morning he had started to open both eyes and had a startled reflex. In the morning of Good Friday, Kara visited with some family and close friends. Francis was starting to move. In addition to moving his eyes, he even managed a cough! From then on, he continued to show signs of gradual improvement. John and Kara asked the doctors for more time to see how he would progress, and they enthusiastically agreed. By Easter Sunday morning, one of the doctors called them with the good news that she thought Francis was ready to be extubated and breathe on his own. The family calls it their Easter Miracle.
From that point on, Francis continued to amaze his team of doctors and nurses and surprised them at every step. He went from not sucking a pacifier at all to becoming a pro at it, and from having trouble with bottle feeding to taking 25 milliliters in just a few minutes. Weeks later, Francis was discharged from the hospital. Although the extent of his brain development and overall prognosis is still unknown currently, John and Kara describe him as a normal, happy newborn. They believe very strongly that Tom Vander Woude had a role to play in their son’s miraculous recovery.