'He knew what he was called to do': The heroic story of Tom Vander Woude, Virginia Catholic man who died saving his son

'He knew what he was called to do': The heroic story of Tom Vander Woude, Virginia Catholic man who died saving his son

This year marks the 17th anniversary of the death of Tom Vander Woude, a Catholic father who died on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary while saving his son, Joseph, from drowning in a septic tank. The Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, is investigating whether to open Vander Woude’s cause for canonization.