HomeNewsForumStoriesImagesColumns

Spirituality

Sainthood bid for priest aboard the Titanic

By T.K. Randall
April 13, 2015 · Comment icon

40 comments

The Titanic had nowhere near enough lifeboats to save everyone. Image Credit: Willy Stower - 1912

Father Thomas Byles went down with the doomed vessel after twice refusing to leave on a lifeboat.

When the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg during its fateful maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City in 1912 there was panic among the passengers and crew as people scrambled for access to the small number of lifeboats that were available.

Amidst the chaos however there was one man who was anything but in a hurry to escape the stricken ship. Father Thomas Byles of St Helen's Church in Essex refused to board the lifeboats so that he could stay on the ship and pray with the other passengers.

Sadly Father Byles died that night alongside 1,500 other passengers and crewmen.

Now more than a century after the Titanic's demise efforts are underway to grant the late priest a sainthood for giving his own life to help those who were left behind by the lifeboats.

"We need, in very old parlance, to raise him to the altar which means that the Vatican will recognize him as a martyr of the church," said Father Graham Smith, the current priest at St Helen's Church.

"We are hoping and praying that he will be recognized as one of the saints within our canon."

Source: BBC News | Comments (40)

Tags: Titanic, Saint

<< Previous story
Mystery surrounds island ruins in Siberia

Next story >>
Liquid water may still exist on Mars

Recent comments on this story

#31 Posted by Stubbly_Dooright 8 years ago

yeah but he didnt "kill himself" I think that's a good point. He went down bravely being there for others. A situation like that would certainly be traumatic, I actually find it quite disrespectful that because of one mans religious standing, that he would be credited for giving comfort, when in that kind of situation, you do not need to be religious to be given comfort when it is obvious you are going to die. I imagine many were comforting each other at the time. Yes, those who were religious would have prayed, but the Father would not have had the time to "comfort" them all, others would hav... [More]

#32 Posted by freetoroam 8 years ago

So because he was a good person and died helping people, he deserves to be a saint? Helping people is not a miracle. If everyone who died helping people became Saints, we'd have a whole lotta saints out there! I think its a catholic thing, which is fine, each to his own, but here we are not talking about one mans "sacrifice" or heroism, we are talking about many, hence why I think they should not be singling out just one, he surely was not the only catholic on board.

#33 Posted by White Crane Feather 8 years ago

Hmm, sorry to say this, but is this not a prime example that praying to god is useless. i am sure there were a few heroic men on board that ship, but out of respect for all those who died = NO ONE should be singled out as a "saint". ALL were equal! He was probably not praying for deliverance catholic priests focus on the soul.... Usually. There is nothing wrong with his peers singling out his sacrifice for his spiritual faith. I'm sure there were other heros on board the titanic aswell.

#34 Posted by Calibeliever 8 years ago

He sounds like a remarkable man. Whether or not he's canonized, it's good that his story is remembered and is being told. Sometimes we are at our best when things are at their worst. This man risked his own safety to comfort others and whether you're religious or not, that deserves a nod. Good on him.

#35 Posted by Stubbly_Dooright 8 years ago

I think its a catholic thing, which is fine, each to his own, but here we are not talking about one mans "sacrifice" or heroism, we are talking about many, hence why I think they should not be singling out just one, he surely was not the only catholic on board. I don't think he is being singled out, but I do feel he was one of the many that survivors remember, because of what he did and what he did not take when given the chance. Like the same thing with the band, and the others who died trying to save others. There were probably more too, but because of the chaos, there was only what was goin... [More]

#36 Posted by freetoroam 8 years ago

I don't think he is being singled out, but I do feel he was one of the many that survivors remember, because of what he did and what he did not take when given the chance. Like the same thing with the band, and the others who died trying to save others. There were probably more too, but because of the chaos, there was only what was going on at the moment and probably not on so many minds to record other's actions. Because of the chaos i doubt one man stood out above others who did the same thing....really i do not mean to sound disrespectful to the Father, i give him as much credit for his bra... [More]

#37 Posted by Stubbly_Dooright 8 years ago

Because of the chaos i doubt one man stood out above others who did the same thing....really i do not mean to sound disrespectful to the Father, i give him as much credit for his bravery as I do to the others, I think it the fact that the church do not. i actually wonder if the Father would welcome a sainthood or be humble enough to admit he did no different from his fellow man and that remembering them all would suffice? As pointed out he deserves a "nod", but so do all those who gave comfort. I am agreeing with you. I don't know if I am having trouble communicating what I am trying to say. (... [More]

#38 Posted by HollyDolly 8 years ago

I thought there had to be at least one miracle while they were alive, but I guess I was wrong after reading up on the process. http://en.wikipedia....ki/Canonization It does seem that regardless of if the person is a Martyr, he/she still needs two miracles after they are dead attributed directly to them to become a Saint. It appears there is a whole Catholic Bureaucracy involved in the several steps in the process. Well there is. It was St.John Paul 2 who did away with the office od Devil's Advocate. This was an investigator who did research into the proposed saints background. It was thier jo... [More]

#39 Posted by Stubbly_Dooright 8 years ago

Well, I am in the boat thinking that the poor father didn't really perform any miracles, but was a hero nevertheless, being there for others when the ship went down. But if we are thinking of maybe extraordinary circumstances from that event, I have read into many. Like strangers out of nowhere who throw people into life boats, to individuals having 'dreams' and decide to not go on the boat, or those who did and mentioned it to survivors. I think I read in Margaret Brown's biography that someone she knew on the ship mentioned such a dream to her. I even read that there was a rumor that a Egypt... [More]

#40 Posted by DieChecker 8 years ago

Well there is. It was St.John Paul 2 who did away with the office od Devil's Advocate. This was an investigator who did research into the proposed saints background. It was thier job to say why someone shouldn't be a saint. He didn't remove the office, he softened it's powers. The office was established in 1587 during the reign of Pope Sixtus V. The first formal mention of such an officer is found in the canonization of St. Lawrence Justinian under Leo X (1513-21).[3] Pope John Paul II reduced the power and changed the role of the office in 1983.[4] This reform changed the canonization process... [More]

Click here to view all 40 comments on this story

Please Login or Register to post a comment.

Our new book is out now!

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

AVAILABLE NOW

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!

Support us on Patreon

BONUS CONTENT

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

On the forum

Ancient Mysteries and Alternative History

Sea Peoples and the Phoenicians: A Criti...

Atlantis Explained!

Skeletons in the closet

Let's talk history

United States and the Americas

Ontarians vote NO to health care privati...

U.N. body condemns torture of Guantánam...

A Kennedy in the White House

Joe Biden after 10 months: Worst preside...

Spirituality, Religion and Beliefs

Spiritual Life

Thousands gather to perform ritual sacri...

Pope comments on Virgin Mary statue 'tea...

Golden Verses of Pythagoreans

Russia and the War in Ukraine

Russia says it thwarted major Ukrainian ...

Russia accuses Ukraine of mounting sabo...

Bakhmut apparently has fallen

NATO Weapons Used In Attack Inside Russi...

Total Posts: 7,458,184 Topics: 307,933 Members: 200,247

Not a member yet ? Click here to join - registration is free and only takes a moment!

Sainthood bid for priest aboard the Titanic

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

Support us on Patreon

Astronaut Scott Kelly describes his 'UFO' experience

Pope comments on Virgin Mary statue 'tears of blood' controversy

In what way is 'The Little Mermaid' based on real-life mythology ?

Rare all-white Risso's dolphin filmed in Monterey Bay, California

19-year-old woman claims an 'evil spirit' made her pregnant

Mysteries revisited: the abduction of policeman Alan Godfrey