How a Father Who Gave His Life for His Disabled Son Inspired a Focus on the Family Film
"He [got] down into the muck and saved my brother" -Fr. Thomas Vander Woude
(Gainesville, VA)—Fr. Thomas Vander Woude, pastor at Holy Trinity Church is known to have a special place in his heart for Down syndrome children—so much so, that he made international headlines a year ago when he intercepted a couple he heard was going to abort their child because of a test revealing Down's, and began to search for someone to adopt their baby. (Photo via Citizen Link)
In itself, such an action may not seem newsworthy, but according to a LifeSiteNews report from the time, Vander Woude received over 900 responses from potential adoptive parents, some from as far away as England and the Netherlands.
Noted the report: Vander Woude wasn't "the first person in his family to snatch a victim of Down syndrome from certain death. His father, Thomas Sr., died in 2008 after leaping into a septic tank to save his youngest son, Joseph, who had fallen in... Thomas, 66, allowed himself to sink beneath the sewage while holding 20-year-old Joseph above his head until rescuers arrived. Joseph has Down syndrome. His father died so that his special needs son would live."
Now comes a wonderful addendum to the story. A Focus on the Family effort, "The Family Project," is featuring a video of Vander Woude in a premier of "Irreplaceable"—a one-night theatrical event on May 6.
In a recent interview with Citizen Link, Vander Woude responded to the fact that his own father, in saving the life of his brother, mirrored Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
"Our Lord comes into a world of sin and redeems us," he said, "based on His love for us. And that's what they drew the parallel with [my dad]. He gets down into the muck and saves my brother."
