The story of a father's love for his son doesn't get much more beautiful or heart-wrenching than that of Tom Vander Woude, who died in 2008 while saving his son with Down Syndrome from dying in a septic tank. And, now, his story is being brought directly to the Vatican as the Catholic Diocese of Arlington (VA) makes the case for Vander Woude becoming the next American saint.
The story of Tom Vander Woude's sacrifice has reverberated through the diocese for years, both for the grim details of that September day and for the almost superhuman determination of a father to save his son. It may not be the prettiest path to canonization, but it's a story you won't soon forget.
Joseph Vander Woude, who was 21 at the time, was helping his father drain the pool on the family farm in Nokesville, Virginia, when he fell through the lid covering the septic tank. His father jumped into the sewage and kept him aloft in the fresher air while others ran for help. Joseph survived, but Tom was suffocated by the methane gas.
It’s been 18 years since Thomas Vander Woude gave his life to save his son Joseph from drowning in a septic tank. Now, the Arlington diocese is investigating his cause for canonization.https://t.co/Ybx4RTudfG
— Catholic Herald (@acatholicherald) September 10, 2026
According to one of the seven Vander Woude sons, this wasn't the first time the father had made sacrifices for his youngest son. Chris Vander Woude recalls his father working tirelessly to help Joseph conquer some of the physical challenges of Down Syndrome.
As a baby, Joseph struggled to learn how to crawl. So, Tom spent hours with his son, crawling on all fours and showing him how to move his arms and legs in sync. “There’s two images burned into the minds of me and my brothers: him on his knees, and him on all fours crawling with Joseph,” Chris said.
Last week, Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Arlington Diocese put out an edict directing the faithful to submit "information from which elements favorable or contrary to the reputation for holiness, the offering of life or the reputation for signs of Thomas Stephen Vander Woude may be inferred."
This comes after a formal petition by the postulator, Dr. Waldery Hilgeman, was submitted to the bishop for the initiation of Vander Woude's Cause of Beatification and Canonization. The edict is the first public notification that a cause for canonization is being considered, and the diocese will be the official petitioner to the Vatican.
For context, there are three paths leading to canonization: martyrdom, living a life of heroic virtue, and the offering of one’s life for another. Rev. Msgr. Paul deLadurantaye, Chancellor of the Diocese of Arlington, commented, "What Tom Vander Woude did in sacrificing his own life to save his son Joseph, that would certainly fit under the conditions of the offering of one’s life."
The United States claims 11 saints as its own, although only three were born here, with several more currently moving through the canonization process (including Fulton Sheen). Next steps for the Vander Woude case involve the investigation into his life and the presentation of the findings to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome.
In other words, the road from Nokesville to sainthood is likely to be a long one.
On a personal note, my parents got to know the Vander Woudes when they were all helping to build Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gainesville, Virginia, back in the early 2000s, and my mother remembers Joseph serving as a proud altar boy for many years. Another son, Father Thomas Vander Woude, later became pastor of the parish and would administer the anointing of the sick to my father in 2012.
So this story feels a little closer to home than most.
If the Catholic Church ultimately declares Tom Vander Woude a saint, my family will have one small thread connecting us to his remarkable story. But long before Rome ever renders its judgment, the people who knew him already know what made his life extraordinary.
