RICHIE FERNANDO, SJ: the Jesuit Who Jumped on a Grenade
Brother Richard Fernando, a 26 year-old seminarian from the Philippines, arrived in Cambodia in 1995 to serve at a Jesuit mission which served people crippled by polio, landmines, or other accidents. The young Jesuit quickly earned the trust of his students by learning the language and taking the time to listen to their stories.
On October 17, 1996, one of his students, an ornery former child soldier named Sarom, threatened to toss a live grenade into a packed classroom. Held back by Fernando, the student accidentally released his grip on the grenade. The Jesuit thereupon threw himself on it, dying as he absorbed the blast with his person to protect everyone in the vicinity, including a regretful Sarom.
Fernando is now on the road to sainthood, thanks to a norm issued by Pope Francis that opens the door to canonization for those who have "voluntarily and freely offered their lives for others and have persevered until death in this regard."
Brother Richard Fernando, a 26 year-old seminarian from the Philippines, arrived in Cambodia in 1995 to serve at a Jesuit mission which served people crippled by polio, landmines, or other accidents. The young Jesuit quickly earned the trust of his students by learning the language and taking the time to listen to their stories.
On October 17, 1996, one of his students, an ornery former child soldier named Sarom, threatened to toss a live grenade into a packed classroom. Held back by Fernando, the student accidentally released his grip on the grenade. The Jesuit thereupon threw himself on it, dying as he absorbed the blast with his person to protect everyone in the vicinity, including a regretful Sarom.
Fernando is now on the road to sainthood, thanks to a norm issued by Pope Francis that opens the door to canonization for those who have "voluntarily and freely offered their lives for others and have persevered until death in this regard."
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