The cause of Servant of God William Gagnon received a green light from Pope Francis yesterday when he authorized the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints to promulgate decrees regarding the holy religious along with 16 other people who are now on their way to sainthood.

The Vatican Information Service is reporting on the decree pertaining to Brother Gagnon, who was a member of the Hospitaller Order of St. John.

Born on May 16, 1905 in Dover, New Hampshire, to Canadian parents, William was the third of twelve children. A deeply religious man, he entered the Hospitaller Order in Canada at the age of 25 and made his religious vows in November, 1932.

His deepest desire was to serve as a missionary and the Lord granted his wish in 1952 when he was sent to Indochina (now known as Vietnam). He arrived along two other brothers at the Bui-Chu Mission in northern Vietnam on January 18, 1952.

The first few years of his stay were spent tending the war-wounded and refugees in a country besieged by the bloody Anti-French Resistance War, fought in part by Ho Chi Minh, which lasted from 1946-1954.

He then devoted himself to serving the sick, children and the poor, as well as implementing the Hospitaller order in Vietnam.

Brother Gagnon was known for his deep reverence for life, his great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his dedication to a life of prayer.

He is said to have died of a heart attack brought on by exhaustion in Ho Chi Minh City (commonly known as Saigon) on February 28, 1972 and is buried in the garden of the Order’s house at Bien-Hoa. His grave is regarded with great veneration in that country to this day.

Once a person’s Heroic Virtues have been recognized by the Pope, they are called Venerable. The next step will be to secure evidence of a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God which, if approved, opens the door to beatification. A second miracle is then required for canonization.

There is currently a long list of American-born men and women in various stages of the process toward canonization, including Father John Hardon, Bishop Fulton Sheen, Dorothy Day, Teresa Damjanovich, Father Solanus Casey and Father Walter Ciszek.

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