Will our
troubled youth of today have another patron, along side Bl. Carlos Acutis and Bl. Georgio Frassati?
VENERABLE GUIDO VITAL FRANCA SCHAFFER, born in 1974 was a Brazilian
doctor, surfer,
and seminarian. His father
is a doctor, and his mother is a member of the Good Shepherd Community (Catholic Charismatic Renewal). Guido grew
up in Copacabana, Rio de
Janeiro, where he learned to enjoy the beach and surfing. He
studied medicine at
the Technical Educational Foundation Souza Marques (1993-1998) and after his
residency, he joined the medical staff of the 4th and 20th Wards of the Holy House of Mercy in Rio.He
decided to become a general practitioner, a specialty that allowed him to
assess the patient as a whole and during his academic education he was also
dedicated to care for HIV patients.
Known for
his knowledge of the Bible and for the importance he gave to
the sacraments and the
use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Guido founded several
prayer groups and held many lectures.
In 1999,
during a retreat at the Canção Nova (New
Song) Community, Guido 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."
A week later he met the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta 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 sisters 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.
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When
reading the book "The Brother of Assisi" by Ignacio Larrañaga, he felt
called to the priesthood. He
then began the first years of
preparation at the Institute of Philosophy and Theology, located at the Monastery of Saint Benedict (founded by Benedictine monks who came from the
state of Bahia in
1590) 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.
On May 1,
2009, Guido died while surfing at the Barra da
Tijuca beach, Rio de
Janeiro. The incident was the result of a neck injury
which led to unconsciousness and drowning. He was thirty-four years old,
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, the Archbishop 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 Guido’s body and placed the stole in hands for burial.
After his
death, reports of cures soon began to appear, attributed to the intercession of the young doctor,
seminarian and surfer. On
January 17, 2015, with permission from the Vatican,
the process of beatification and canonization was initiated by Archbishop
Tempesta."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." Archbishop Tempesta.
