On November 17, 2015, the Cause for Sainthood of Father Bill Atkinson, O.S.A., was presented by Archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, OFM Cap., to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at their General Assembly in Baltimore. In his presentation, the Archbishop stated the Father Bill’s “cause would be a beautiful one because it would be a source of encouragement for people with this kind of accident in their lives, this kind of disability, but also it reminds us of the great generosity of his family, his religious community – they were all called to holiness by their special care for this man.” Father Bill, a quadriplegic, was injured in a tobogganing accident while he was in the Augustinian novitiate, in New Hamburg, New York. After his rehabilitation, he continued his studies and with a dispensation from Pope Paul VI, he was ordained a priest. You can read the stories that appeared in the Delaware County Times and Catholic Philly at the links below:
To read the article in the Delaware County Times, please click on the link below:
Journey to Sainthood Begins with Simple Step for Bonner Priest
To read the article on CatholicPhilly.com, please click on the link below:
Sainthood Cause for Local Priest Approved by U.S. Bishops
To read Father Bill’s biography and about the Father Bill Atkinson Guild, please click on the link below:
