Father Bill Atkinson, a former teacher at Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School, has been recognized by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for the early stages of sainthood.
Father Atkinson was an Upper Darby native who graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School in 1963. After high school, he attended the Augustinian Academy to become an Augustinian Friar.
In 1965, he suffered a toboggan accident, leaving him completely paralyzed from the neck down.
After years of study and a special dispensation from Pope Paul VI, Atkinson was ordained an Augustinian Friar. He became the first quadriplegic priest in the world.
Father Atkinson taught at Bonner and Prendergast High School for thirty years and was very involved in the school community.
Marge Roccio, the principle’s secretary at Bonner and Pendergast Catholic High School, was a very close friend of Atkinson.
“He taught [seniors] theology. He was in charge of JUG, Justice Under God, which was the detention program. He never missed a football game; never missed a basketball game. He was so good,” Roccio said. “He was a saint already in my book.”
Father Atkinson’s journey to sainthood began in 2015. After an endorsement by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, his cause was recognized and nominated for sainthood.
On May 23, 2017, a meeting was held at Bonner and Prendergast Catholic High School. The meeting, run by Atkinson’s family and former colleagues, informed the Bonner and Prendie community about his status.
Roccio attended the meeting, saying “the first step is a servant of God, which he has already reached. Then it’s venerable, then beatification, the final step is canonization.” Each part of the process requires different criteria to be achieved.
Currently, Father Atkinson is in the preliminary stage, as a servant of God, with one confirmed miracle to his name. During this time, the leaders of the cause must gather testimony about the life and virtues of the servant of God. This includes examining public and private writings of the person.
Next beings the first step to becoming a saint, which is to be recognized as venerable. When a person has lived a heroically virtuous life and has a confirmed miracle through their intersession, that person in declared venerable. This miracle must be confirmed scientifically and theologically. When the miracle is confirmed, the Pope can declare the servant of God venerable.
Beatification is the second step in the process of sainthood. During this stage, a second confirmed miracle is required. As with the previous steps, after the miracle is confirmed scientifically and theologically, the process continues to the final stage.
Canonization is the final part of becoming a saint. The Pope declares that the person who is to be canonized is with God and is an example of following Christ. This makes him worthy of recognition by the Catholic Church.
Today, the Bonner and Prendie community remembers Father Atkinson’s legacy.
“We hear his name every day,” Skylar Lynch, a rising junior at Bonner and Preside, said, “We pray through his intersession each day during our morning prayer.”
Alec Lynch, a 2015 graduate of Bonner and Prendie recalls learning about Atkinson’s story in his theology class.
“It’s an amazing story and an inspiration to all of us [in the Bonner and Preside community],” Lynch said. “We can all learn from his determination to achieve our own goals.”
There is no date set for the next meeting, but the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is working tirelessly to bring his case to fruition.
