Venerable Guido Vidal França Schäffer

Guido Vidal França Schäffer (22 May 1974 – 1 May 2009) was a Brazilian doctor, surfer, and seminarian. He died in a surfing accident in 2009. The Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro has begun his beatification process and he was proclaimed Venerable in 2023. Guido Vidal França Schäffer was the son of Guido Manoel Vidal Schäffer and Maria Nazareth França Schäffer. His father is a doctor, and his mother is a member of the Good Shepherd Community (Catholic Charismatic Renewal). Schäffer grew up in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, where he learned to enjoy the beach and surfing. He studied medicine at the Technical Educational Foundation Souza Marques (1993-1998). After his residency, he joined the medical staff of the 4th and 20th Wards of the Holy House of Mercy in Rio. He decided to become a general practitioner, a specialty that allowed him to assess the patient as a whole. During his academic education he was also dedicated to care for HIV patients at the Evandro Chagas Hospital (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation). Known for his knowledge of the Bible and for the importance he gave to the sacraments and the use of the charisms of the Holy Spirit, Schäffer founded several prayer groups and held many lectures. In 1999, during a retreat at the Canção Nova (New Song) Community, Schäffer heard a priest preaching the following passage: "Never turn your face from the poor, and God will never turn his from you" (Tobit 4:7). At that moment, he reflected how many times he had looked away from the poor. He asked God for forgiveness and said, "Jesus, help me take care of the poor." A week later he met the sisters of the congregation founded by Mother Teresa (the Missionaries of Charity), whose mission is the care for the "poorest of the poor." He realized that God had heard his request and was giving him the direction he wanted for his medicine. He volunteered his medical services to the Missionaries of Charity and started to meet the homeless on the streets.