In July 2020, a young Catholic college student from the United States was killed in an extraordinary act of courage and love.
Now, five years later, his story may lead to sainthood.
The Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, has announced the formation of a commission to study the possible canonization cause of Daniel Mark Anderl, a student at the Catholic University of America who died at age 20 while protecting his parents from an armed attacker.
An Act of Love That Became a Testimony
On July 19, 2020, Daniel was at home with his parents when an armed man—a lawyer with a case pending before his mother, federal judge Esther Salas—appeared at their front door.
Realizing the danger, Daniel stepped between the gunman and his parents, shielding them and taking the fatal bullets himself.
His selfless act of protection became known as a true “offering of life”—an expression used by the Church to describe those who die out of love, in the light of the Gospel.
At the time, John Garvey, then-president of the Catholic University of America, said:
“We all mourn and grieve this loss to our University community.”
A Moving Call for Canonization
Shortly after his death, dozens of parishioners from St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish, where Daniel had served as an altar boy and youth minister, sent a letter to Bishop James F. Checchio in August of 2020. In it, they officially requested the opening of Daniel’s canonization process.
The petition asked that the study begin based on the criteria for the offering of one’s life as detailed by Saint John Paul II and Pope Francis.
In response, Bishop James F. Checchio wrote on September 30, 2025:
“After prayerful consideration, I have decided to establish a diocesan commission to explore your request to look into the sainthood cause for Daniel Mark Anderl,” the Bishop wrote. “I join all of you at St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish in commending Daniel’s cause to [A]lmighty God, asking that His will be done in all things.”
A Legacy That Gave Life
Daniel’s death also led to concrete change. In 2022, the U.S. Congress passed the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, a law protecting the privacy and safety of federal judges and their families.
In 2021, a plaque honoring Daniel was installed at the entrance of the Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C., where he had planned to study.
The Silent Sacrifice of a Modern Saint
In 2017, Pope Francis officially recognized a new path to sainthood known as “oblatio vitae”—the offering of life— in the Moto Proprio, Maiorem Hac Dilectionem, for those who, moved by charity, give their lives for others.
It is under this criterion that the Diocese of Metuchen is now studying Daniel’s case.
Daniel Anderl was only 20 years old, but his story continues to inspire thousands of young Catholics across the United States and around the world.
In his short life, he lived faith, service, and sacrifice — and, like many saints before him, died on his knees, on the threshold between human violence and divine love.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)