A milestone in the history of Catholic sainthood
The Catholic Church is preparing to beatify a businessman for the first time in its history. The man in question is the Argentine layman Enrique Ernesto Shaw, whose cause took a decisive step forward on Thursday, December 18, 2025, when Pope Leo XIV approved the decree recognizing a miracle obtained through his intercession. Shaw, who died in 1962 at the age of 41, is presented as a model husband, father of nine children, and business leader who sought to apply the principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church in the workplace.
The miracle that brings him closer to sainthood
The event considered miraculous, and which paved the way for his beatification, is the complete healing of a five-year-old boy who, in 2015, suffered a serious trauma to the back of his head after being kicked by a horse. According to reports, the child made a full recovery and leads a normal life, a recovery that was attributed to the intercession of Enrique Shaw after the prayers of his family.
A life in the service of God and neighbor
Shaw's career was marked by a deep Christian commitment. An engineer by profession, he took over as CEO of Cristalerías Rigolleau, a company with more than 1,000 employees. From that position, he promoted a management style characterized by closeness and humane treatment of employees, a testimony that reached such a point that, during a critical medical operation that Shaw faced, his workers organized themselves to donate blood and help save his life.
Legacy in the business and secular world
His vocation to integrate faith and work led him to become one of the founders and first president of the Christian Association of Business Leaders (ACDE), an institution that continues to this day to promote a humanistic vision of business leadership. In addition to his professional work, Shaw was an active member of Catholic Action and the Christian Family Movement. In his youth, while serving in the Navy, he took advantage of periods at sea to teach catechism. In 1961, he was appointed president of Catholic Action Men, dying that same year, on August 27, of cancer.
His story comes to the screen
On the occasion of his upcoming beatification, Goya Producciones has released a documentary entitled "Enrique Shaw, el Empresario de Dios" (Enrique Shaw, God's Entrepreneur). The production narrates in detail what it describes as the "heroic life" of this man, highlighting his struggle to embody Catholic values in the business world and in his home. The documentary is now available for purchase online and can be viewed on the Famiplay platform, offering the public a journey through the legacy of the man who will be the first blessed with the title of entrepreneur.
Original source: www.aciprensa.com (published on December 19, 2025)
Photo: Juan Coronel on Unsplash
