Below is a selection from the article by Elena Perri. Read the full article at CatholicPhilly.com

Throughout his time on earth, Augustinian Father Bill Atkinson demonstrated an extraordinary amount of hope, perseverance, and patience. These virtues were a mainstay of his life following a tobogganing accident during his novice year at Good Counsel Novitiate, New Hamburg, New York, in 1965 which left him paralyzed from the neck down with limited movement of his head, neck, shoulders, and arms.

Despite being a quadriplegic, Father Bill continued his studies and was ordained to the priesthood at  Saint Alice Church in Upper Darby on February 2, 1974. Father Bill, the first quadriplegic to seek ordination as a Roman Catholic priest, received a special dispensation from Pope Paul VI on August 1, 1973. Father Bill’s life of heroic virtue has put him on the path toward sainthood. He was named a Servant of God on October 19, 2021.

To continue sharing the extraordinary story of Father Bill’s life and his cause for canonization, the Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova and Villanova University are sponsoring a symposium tomorrow, Tuesday, October 3 at Villanova University. The theme is “Overcoming Hardship with Faith, Hope, and Perseverance.”

“It’s the first event of this nature that we’ve done to promote awareness around the cause for canonization for Father Bill,” said Fr. Robert P. Hagan, O.S.A., Prior Provincial of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. “This is not just remembering Father Bill. It’s also hopefully a catalyst for people to exercise their own faith in overcoming whatever is weighing them down and help others do the same.”

“We want people to understand that they have the tools within them, as Father Bill did, things like grace and the sacraments and relying on the good people that God puts in our life to help us carry the crosses that we carry today.”