(LifeSiteNews) — The Diocese of Arlington is investigating the cause of canonization for a father who heroically gave his life while saving his son in a tragic accident.

Tom Vander Woude, a father of seven boys and former athletic director at Christendom College, plunged into a septic tank on his family farm in September 2008 to rescue his youngest son, Joseph (Josie), 20, who has Down syndrome and had fallen in.

Vander Woude held his son above the sewage in the near seven-foot-deep tank until rescuers could pull Josie out, even while his own lungs filled with toxic gases, causing him to succumb to the conditions himself at age 66.

Joseph recovered quickly from the incident and still lives with his mother Mary Ellen in their farmhouse and, according to the Arlington Catholic Herald, still serves Holy Mass at their local parish.

Seventeen years later, the witness of Vander Woude still resonates within the Christendom College gymnasium and community at large, which has shared the conviction that this humble, generous man exhibited saintly virtue in both his life and his death.

“He was a tremendous leader and guardian of our family,” described Chris Vander Woude, the fifth of Tom’s seven sons.

“He did this first and foremost by leading the family towards Christ through frequent reception of the sacraments, generously giving of himself for his family, and exercising tremendous virtue day in and day out, especially in the quiet, hidden areas like temperance and courage,” Chris told Christendom College’s Instaurare magazine.

“In many ways, he was a tremendous example of what true Catholic manhood should be, dedicated to always giving of himself, especially when it came to leading his family towards Christ and protecting and helping those that needed help,” he said.

‘Just do the right thing’

A Vietnam veteran, Vander Woude moved his family from Georgia to Virginia to ensure his sons could receive a solid Catholic education and spiritual formation attending Seton School in Manassas and, for five of his sons, Christendom College.

The loving father began his coaching career accepting the challenge to lead his son’s soccer team at Seton, though he knew little about the sport.

Beyond soccer, he also served as Seton’s volunteer basketball coach, all while balancing a challenging career as a commercial airline pilot and tending to a small farm. Additionally, he and his wife raised a large, active family.

Tom’s retirement from U.S. Airways in 2002 gave him the freedom to dedicate himself full time to his love of helping form exceptional young people by taking on the role of Christendom’s athletic director.

Vander Woude impacted so many lives during his time serving as a coach and mentor at Christendom, particularly the young athletes he worked with on a daily basis. He is remembered for his often-repeated phrase that has remained echoing in the memories of these student-athletes: “just do the right thing.”

“As a coach, he showed to all that interacted with him how ‘sports properly directed’ can and should be developed and fostered with character based on the virtues. I think Dad was, for many young men especially, the most influential man in their life besides their own fathers,” Chris said.

‘An offer of one’s life’ as a path to sainthood

It was both his quiet, consistent, dedicated virtuous life along with his heroic death that inspired a group of Catholics to seek out the Diocese of Arlington and petition the opening of his cause for sainthood.

Now the Tom Vander Woude Guild has been established and is hard at work advancing the cause of this great man across the United States. His son Chris has taken a two-year break from work to go on the road and share the story of his father and to assist in other ways to establish a foundation for Vander Woude’s cause.

For its part, the Diocese of Arlington has taken several preliminary steps into opening the cause, including naming a postulator and vice postulator who are investigating and promoting the case for canonization.

According to the practice of the Catholic Church, there are three means by which an individual may be put on the path for sainthood: martyrdom, heroic virtue, and, following a determination by Pope Francis in 2017, an offer of one’s life. According to the Guild, Vander Woude’s cause is being advanced primarily due to this this third path, though complimented by the second as well.

Seeing these steps being taken by the Diocese of Arlington is both humbling and exciting for Chris, who hopes more people will be inspired by his father’s example and memory as a result of their efforts.

“To me, this investigation into opening his cause for canonization means that there is hope in living a life of virtue even if it is hidden or simple,” Chris said. “Dad’s story is so powerful, inspirational and full of hope. I hope that many people who learn about his life and his death will be inspired to live holy and virtuous lives in their vocation. Dad was such a wonderful man to anyone that got to meet him. Through learning about his life, I hope people are inspired to be the best versions of themselves, which in many ways is what my dad sought for everyone he interacted with.”