Guido Schaffer
Venerable Guido Vidal França Schäffer | |
---|---|
Seminarian, Doctor | |
Born | (1974-05-22)22 May 1974 Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Died | 1 May 2009(2009-05-01) (aged 34) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Guido Vidal França Schäffer (22 May 1974 – 1 May 2009)[1] was a Brazilian doctor, surfer, and seminarian. He died in a surfing accident in 2009.
The Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro has begun his beatification process and he was proclaimed Venerable in 2023.[2][3][1]
Biography
Guido Vidal França Schäffer was the son of Guido Manoel Vidal Schäffer and Maria Nazareth França Schäffer. His father is a doctor, and his mother is a member of the Good Shepherd Community (Catholic Charismatic Renewal). Schäffer grew up in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, where he learned to enjoy the beach and surfing.[4] He studied medicine at the Technical Educational Foundation Souza Marques (1993-1998).[5] After his residency, he joined the medical staff of the 4th and 20th Wards of the Holy House of Mercy in Rio.[6] He decided to become a general practitioner, a specialty that allowed him to assess the patient as a whole. During his academic education he was also dedicated to care for HIV patients at the Evandro Chagas Hospital (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation).
Known for his knowledge of the Bible and for the importance he gave to the sacraments and the use of the charisms of the Holy Spirit, Schäffer founded several prayer groups and held many lectures. In 1999, during a retreat at the Canção Nova (New Song) Community, Schäffer heard a priest preaching the following passage: "Never turn your face from the poor, and God will never turn his from you" (Tobit 4:7). At that moment, he reflected how many times he had looked away from the poor. He asked God for forgiveness and said, "Jesus, help me take care of the poor."[7] A week later he met the sisters of the congregation founded by Mother Teresa (the Missionaries of Charity), whose mission is the care for the "poorest of the poor." He realized that God had heard his request and was giving him the direction he wanted for his medicine. He volunteered his medical services to the Missionaries of Charity and started to meet the homeless on the streets. He organized the volunteers, inviting other doctors from the Holy House of Mercy and the youth of the prayer group.
When reading the book The Brother of Assisi by Ignacio Larrañaga, he felt called to the priesthood.[4] Schäffer began the first years of preparation at the Institute of Philosophy and Theology, located at the Monastery of Saint Benedict in Rio de Janeiro. As an external student, he combined seminary classes along with his volunteer medical work and his lay preaching ministry. In 2008, he officially joined the Saint Joseph Seminary (Rio de Janeiro) in order to finish his studies.[1]
Death
On May 1, 2009, at thirty-four years old, Schäffer died while surfing at the Barra da Tijuca beach, Rio de Janeiro.[8] The incident was the result of a neck injury which led to unconsciousness and drowning.
His body was recovered, and a funeral Mass was held the next day in the parish of Our Lady of Copacabana, presided over by the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro - now Cardinal - Orani João Tempesta. The church was full with an estimated 1,700 people in attendance, from all locations and social classes, along with approximately seventy priests and three bishops. Before the coffin was closed at the end of the Mass, Tempesta said: "This church so full shows me how this young man was a good shepherd, and as I know of his desire to become a priest, I will put the stole in his hands." The bishop then approached Schäffer’s body and placed the stole in hands for burial.
Beatification process
After his death, reports of cures soon began to appear, attributed to the intercession of the young doctor, seminarian and surfer.[9] On January 17, 2015, with permission from the Vatican, the process of beatification and canonization was initiated by Archbishop Tempesta. At this stage, Schäffer received the title “Servant of God”.[10][1] He was later declared Venerable by the pope on May 20th, 2023.[11]
Patronage
Among his fellow surfers, a devotion to him grew along with the pseudonym "Surfer Angel".[10] Tempesta also has commented on his life as an inspiration many young Christians, saying: "You can be young, like the beach, surfing, singing, and at the same time have your heart set on God, being a witness to Him in front of people, being an example of Christian life."[12]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Vatican will beatify "Surfing Angel" Guido Schaffer". SurferToday.com.
- ^ Lyons, John (24 February 2015). "In Brazil, 'Surfer Angel' Is Considered for Sainthood". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "A man known as the 'Surfer Angel' could be Brazil's next saint".
- ^ a b ReL, Álex Rosal / (2014-11-12). "El "Ángel surfista", un seminarista brasileño que evangelizaba a los pobres, futuro santo". religionenlibertad.com. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- ^ "Servant of God Guido Vidal França Schäffer". CatholicSaints.Info. 2018-11-04. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- ^ "Guido Schaffer: o surfista e "São Francisco carioca" que pode se tornar beato". Jovens Conectados - Comissão Episcopal Pastoral para a Juventude - CNBB (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- ^ Mares, Courtney. "A surfing saint? Pope Francis recognizes the heroic virtue of Guido Schäffer", CNA, May 22, 2023
- ^ Nassif, Lourdes (2014-11-11). "Guido Schäffer, médico, seminarista e surfista, em processo de beatificação". GGN (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- ^ "Brasil: Impulsan la beatificación de un joven surfista muy milagroso". valoresreligiosos.com.ar. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- ^ a b "Abren proceso de beatificación del "Ángel surfista"". aciprensa.com. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- ^ "Doctor, surfer, seminarian, and on his way to sainthood!". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
- ^ Cardenal de Río de Janeiro: Se puede ser santo bailando samba o haciendo surf, 2015-03-20
External links
- Guido Schaffer official website in english
- Guido Schaffer Facebook page (portuguese)
- v
- t
- e
Stages of canonization: Servant of God → Venerable → Blessed → Saint
- Gabriel
- Michael in the Catholic Church
- Raphael
- Anatolius
- Anthony of Kiev
- Athanasius the Confessor
- Chariton the Confessor
- Dominic
- Edward the Confessor
- Francis of Assisi
- Francis Borgia
- Homobonus
- Lazarus Zographos
- Louis Bertrand
- Maximus the Confessor
- Michael of Synnada
- Paphnutius the Confessor
- Paul I of Constantinople
- Peter Claver
- Salonius
- Sergius of Radonezh
- Theophanes the Confessor
- Pio of Pietrelcina
- Gregory the Great
- Ambrose
- Augustine of Hippo
- Jerome
- John Chrysostom
- Basil of Caesarea
- Gregory of Nazianzus
- Athanasius of Alexandria
- Cyril of Alexandria
- Cyril of Jerusalem
- John of Damascus
- Bede the Venerable
- Ephrem the Syrian
- Thomas Aquinas
- Bonaventure
- Anselm of Canterbury
- Isidore of Seville
- Peter Chrysologus
- Leo the Great
- Peter Damian
- Bernard of Clairvaux
- Hilary of Poitiers
- Alphonsus Liguori
- Francis de Sales
- Peter Canisius
- John of the Cross
- Robert Bellarmine
- Albertus Magnus
- Anthony of Padua
- Lawrence of Brindisi
- Teresa of Ávila
- Catherine of Siena
- Thérèse of Lisieux
- John of Ávila
- Hildegard of Bingen
- Gregory of Narek
- Irenaeus
Fathers
- Alexander of Alexandria
- Alexander of Jerusalem
- Ambrose of Milan
- Anatolius
- Athanasius of Alexandria
- Augustine of Hippo
- Caesarius of Arles
- Caius
- Cappadocian Fathers
- Clement of Alexandria
- Clement of Rome
- Cyprian of Carthage
- Cyril of Alexandria
- Cyril of Jerusalem
- Damasus I
- Desert Fathers
- Desert Mothers
- Dionysius of Alexandria
- Dionysius of Corinth
- Dionysius
- Ephrem the Syrian
- Epiphanius of Salamis
- Fulgentius of Ruspe
- Gregory the Great
- Gregory of Nazianzus
- Gregory of Nyssa
- Hilary of Poitiers
- Hippolytus of Rome
- Ignatius of Antioch
- Irenaeus of Lyons
- Isidore of Seville
- Jerome of Stridonium
- John Chrysostom
- John of Damascus
- Maximus the Confessor
- Melito of Sardis
- Quadratus of Athens
- Papias of Hierapolis
- Peter Chrysologus
- Polycarp of Smyrna
- Theophilus of Antioch
- Victorinus of Pettau
- Vincent of Lérins
- Zephyrinus
- Abda and Abdisho
- Boris and Gleb
- Charles de Foucauld
- Canadian Martyrs
- Carthusian Martyrs
- Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala
- Christina of Persia
- Devasahayam Pillai
- Dismas the Good Thief
- Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
- Four Crowned Martyrs
- Gerard of Csanád
- Great Martyr
- The Holy Innocents
- Irish Martyrs
- John Fisher
- Korean Martyrs
- Lorenzo Ruiz
- Martyrs of Lübeck
- Luigi Versiglia
- Martyrology
- Martyrs of Albania
- Martyrs of Algeria
- Martyrs of Cajonos
- Martyrs of Drina
- Martyrs of China
- Martyrs of Gorkum
- Martyrs of Japan
- 21 Martyrs of Libya
- Martyrs of La Rioja
- Martyrs of Laos
- Martyrs of Natal
- Martyrs of Otranto
- Martyrs of Prague
- Martyrs of Sandomierz
- Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War
- Martyrs of Zenta
- Maximilian Kolbe
- Óscar Romero
- Pedro Calungsod
- Perpetua and Felicity
- Peter Chanel
- Pietro Parenzo
- Philomena
- Saints of the Cristero War
- Stephen
- Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
- Titus Brandsma
- 17 Thomasian Martyrs
- Thomas Becket
- Thomas More
- Three Martyrs of Chimbote
- Ulma Family
- Uganda Martyrs
- Vietnamese Martyrs
- Valentine of Rome
- Victor and Corona
- Zanitas and Lazarus of Persia
- Adeodatus I
- Adeodatus II
- Adrian III
- Agapetus I
- Agatho
- Alexander I
- Anacletus
- Anastasius I
- Anicetus
- Anterus
- Benedict II
- Boniface I
- Boniface IV
- Caius
- Callixtus I
- Celestine I
- Celestine V
- Clement I
- Cornelius
- Damasus I
- Dionysius
- Eleuterus
- Eugene I
- Eusebius
- Eutychian
- Evaristus
- Fabian
- Felix I
- Felix III
- Felix IV
- Gelasius I
- Gregory I
- Gregory II
- Gregory III
- Gregory VII
- Hilarius
- Hormisdas
- Hyginus
- Innocent I
- John I
- John XXIII
- John Paul II
- Julius I
- Leo I
- Leo II
- Leo III
- Leo IV
- Leo IX
- Linus
- Lucius I
- Marcellinus
- Marcellus I
- Mark
- Martin I
- Miltiades
- Nicholas I
- Paschal I
- Paul I
- Paul VI
- Peter
- Pius I
- Pius V
- Pius X
- Pontian
- Sergius I
- Silverius
- Simplicius
- Siricius
- Sixtus I
- Sixtus II
- Sixtus III
- Soter
- Stephen I
- Stephen IV
- Sylvester I
- Symmachus
- Telesphorus
- Urban I
- Victor I
- Vitalian
- Zachary
- Zephyrinus
- Zosimus
- Agabus
- Amos
- Anna
- Baruch ben Neriah
- David
- Elijah
- Ezekiel
- Habakkuk
- Haggai
- Hosea
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Job
- Joel
- John the Baptist
- Jonah
- Judas Barsabbas
- Malachi
- Melchizedek
- Micah
- Moses
- Nahum
- Obadiah
- Samuel
- Seven Maccabees and their mother
- Simeon
- Zechariah (prophet)
- Zechariah (NT)
- Zephaniah
- Agatha of Sicily
- Agnes of Rome
- Angela of the Cross
- Æthelthryth
- Bernadette Soubirous
- Catherine of Bologna
- Brigid of Kildare
- Catherine Labouré
- Catherine of Siena
- Cecilia
- Clare of Assisi
- Eulalia of Mérida
- Euphemia
- Faustina Kowalska
- Faustina and Liberata of Como
- Genevieve
- Hiltrude of Liessies
- Joan of Arc
- Kateri Tekakwitha
- Lucy of Syracuse
- Maria Goretti
- María de las Maravillas de Jesús
- Narcisa de Jesús
- Patricia of Naples
- Rosalia
- Rose of Lima
- Teresa of the Andes
- Teresa of Calcutta
- Trasilla and Emiliana
- Ubaldesca Taccini
- Josephine Bakhita
- Catholic Church portal
- Saints portal