A Catholic church in Douglas County is petitioning to make Kendrick Castillo, the student killed in the 2019 STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting, a saint.
The Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs confirmed that it is reviewing a petition from St. Mark Parish in Highlands Ranch to open a cause for Castillo’s canonization, according to an announcement this week.
“Although I have just begun to review the information submitted, it seems clear that Kendrick was an exceptional young man,” Colorado Springs Bishop James Golka said in a statement. “As we study and discern how to approach the massive undertaking of promoting a canonization cause, I ask all the faithful to keep Kendrick’s family in their prayers.”
Father Gregory Bierbaum and Father Patrick DiLoreto of St. Mark Parish collected testimony and interviews about Castillo to determine whether his life was “one of heroic virtue” — an initial step in the canonization process, according to The Denver Catholic, published by the Archdiocese of Denver.
Representatives of the Archdiocese of Denver and the Diocese of Colorado Springs both declined interviews for this story.
If Golka approves the petition, he will then send it to the Vatican, where the Pope will decide whether the candidate lived a life of “heroic virtue.” If they did, then the Pope would give them the title of “venerable.” Next, a miracle must be granted via prayers made to the person after their death, which the church sees as proof they are in heaven, according to the BBC.
A second confirmed miracle is often needed for a person to achieve sainthood.
It can take several years for a person to be sainted, according to The Denver Catholic.
In 2016, the Denver Archdiocese began seeking sainthood for Julia Greeley, a formerly enslaved person. Her remains were exhumed from a grave in suburban Denver cemetery and placed at an altar at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception — one of the steps in the sainthood process.
The petition for Greeley was accepted by the Vatican, but is still being considered, according to The Denver Catholic.
Castillo, 18, was shot when he rushed one of the shooters in his classroom. Students have said his actions that day allowed his peers to take cover under their desks and escape.
Castillo was hailed a hero after the shooting and during his memorial service, Douglas County sheriff’s deputies led the procession to the church — an honor typically reserved for fallen officers.
“…Kendrick Castillo gave his life to stop a school shooting at STEM Highlands Ranch, thereby saving the lives of his classmates,” DiLoreto of St. Mark Parish said on Facebook regarding the church’s petition. “He was a devote (sic) Catholic and wanted to introduce others around him to the Catholic faith and into (a) relationship with Jesus Christ.”
Castillo’s parents, John and Maria, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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