Joe Wilson, born in 1994 and from Carfin in North Lanarkshire, is on the path to become Scotland’s first millennial saint.
The young Catholic, who died at the age of 17 in 2011 from a rare heart condition, was known for his deep devotion. He grew up in a Catholic family, with Lithuanian, Irish and Scottish ancestry, living within walking distance of Carfin Grotto, Scotland’s National Marian Shrine, where he would often go to pray.
Joe was known to be quite different from his peers. John Patrick Mallon, co-founder of Sancta Familia Media and head of outreach for Joe’s cause of canonisation, explains that “he wore his faith on his shoulder, with a great sense of joy and always looking out for the marginalised”. He was greatly admired and respected by all those around him. One episode often recalled to illustrate this was after Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Scotland in 2010. In a religious education class, the students were asked what a 21st-century saint might look like, as the Holy Father had called on the Church in Scotland to “be saints in the 21st century”. The entire class pointed at Joe as such an example.
When Joe suddenly collapsed in 2011, the students of the school organised an all-night prayer vigil at Carfin Grotto.
After Joe’s death, when his father was planning to speak at a memorial Mass, he found a diary Joe had begun to keep from the age of 15, reflecting on his faith and his experiences of growing up in the Church. In the diary, Joe wrote that he was planning to study medicine, but was also drawn to the priesthood, and showed a remarkably deep personal spirituality, as well as a care for those around him.
In 2012 the headteacher suggested putting together a booklet with some quotes from the diary. Devotion grew as people read his words, and people began to ask for his intercession. The message of Joe’s life spread, and in 2019 a group, some of whom knew Joe, went to ask the local bishop whether it might be time to present Joe’s life for canonisation.
The bishop suggested that the group set up a formal devotional meeting, and over two hundred people gathered at Carfin Grotto to pray the rosary. Favours and miracle claims also began to be reported, with people travelling long distances to visit the grave.
The group then submitted a dossier to the diocesan association. The case was put to the Scottish bishops in November, who approved the opening of the cause. Two miracles have also been put forward for investigation. Whilst the specifics cannot be mentioned until they have been verified, Mallon notes that they are “very sound cases” and that the people involved are still “alive and healed”. Mallon also explained that there have been many favours attributed to Joe’s intercession, particularly around mental health.
Mallon explains that the group are now waiting for the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to grant the nihil obstat (“nothing hinders”), the official clearance from the Vatican allowing a cause for sainthood to proceed. Whilst the timeframe can vary, Mallon expects it to be given towards the end of this year.
Once the Dicastery has done this, the bishop can formally open the cause and from this point Joe will be given the title Servant of God. From here a full diocesan investigation is carried out, with evidence collected. The documentation is then sent to the Vatican, where, if it is judged that Joe lived a heroic life, the Pope will declare him Venerable. From there, if a miracle is attributed to his intercession, he will be beatified and venerated at a local level. If a second miracle is verified, Joe may be canonised and become a saint of the universal Church.
Readers wishing to know more about Joe’s life or to read some extracts from his diary can visit: https://joesfaith.com/
“After going to Mass on Sunday I feel I have ‘returned home’. I’ve gone back to where I belong.”
Joe Wilson, 31 August 2009
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