Celtic legend to saint? Glasgow church group launch campaign to canonise Tommy Burns
A group has launched a campaign to present sainthood to the Bishop of Paisley and have Tommy Burns canonised.
Members of the ‘Tommy Burns Cause for Canonisation Co-ordinating Team’ have proposed a bid to have the Celtic legend canonised by the Catholic Church.
Who are they?
Chris McLaughlin, Philip Church and Robert Docherty are the members who plan to present sainthood to the Bishop of Paisley, Bishop John Keenan.
Father Robert Farrell, a friend of Tommy Burns, initially had the idea that the former Celtic player and manager should be a saint since he passed from skin cancer in 2008.
The group approached Burns family who were very enthusiastic, and they were given the green light to launch the campaign.
They plan to gather information from people who knew Tommy to appeal for the canonisation process to help officially move to the next stage.
"Characterised by acts of kindness"
Chris McLaughlin, a member of the Tommy Burns Cause for Canonisation Co-ordinating Team, said: “Tommy lived an extraordinary life of holiness, his whole life is characterised by acts of kindness which he gave to people that he knew and even those he didn’t know.
“Everyone who knew him speaks of his holiness and sanctity and that to us is a clear indication that he is in heaven.
“It is a difficult thing, and it could take a long time or never happen, but it could happen in a few years if the circumstances presented themselves.
“There is no way to know what will happen in the future, but unless you start you will never know!”
What is next?
There is a prescription set out in canon law about what must be demonstrated to the Bishop of Paisley for the cause to be formally opened.
It must be shown that the person had a reputation for holiness and sanctity and that there is a 'cult' of Tommy and people have been asking for his intersession from heaven.
If this appeal is successful, the former Celtic player and manager would become just the second Scottish saint since the Reformation and the first footballer in the world to be canonised.
Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.