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Bishop Frederick Campbell's homily at the funeral Mass for
Father Charles Theodore Thomas on Thursday, April 28, at Columbus St. Mary Church
"'Think of what is above, not
of what is on earth. For you
have died, and your life is hidden
with Christ in God. When
Christ your life appears, then
you too will appear with him
in glory (Colossians 3:3-4).'
"Exalting in the resurrection
of the Lord, St. Paul encourages
the Colossians to
know that if they are faithful
to Christ, they will share His
glorious life. As for now, our
lives are hidden with God in
Christ – hidden not only in the
sense that their full meaning
and purpose are not and cannot
be known completely now, but
also in the sense that they rest
in and are protected by the God
of Jesus Christ.
"Today, we have brought the
body of Father Charles Theodore
Thomas – 'Father Ted' to
many – to the church where he
administered the sacraments,
preached the Gospel, and celebrated
the Holy Eucharist.
As we draw his body close to
the altar of God, we offer our
prayers for his intentions and
enfold him in the paschal mystery
of the passion, death, and
resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the source of our hope.
"The readings for today's
Mass are all taken from the celebration
of Easter. I asked that
they be read for two reasons.
They are especially appropriate
for a funeral celebrated
within the octave of Easter, but
I also wanted to acknowledge
how Father Thomas longed to
celebrate the paschal Triduum
with his parishioners – how,
shortly before his final hospitalization
and subsequent
death, he spoke of the life and
goodness that he experienced
in his paschal ministry among
the people.
"Today, then, we continue our
observance of the Easter that
he so wanted to celebrate, and
now we do it for his good, for
our faith and consolation, and
for the honor and praise of the
lifegiving Lord.
"Some have observed that if
one were to die, how appropriate
it is to die on Easter Sunday,
the feast of the resurrection.
But I wonder if any day
can be called an appropriate
one on which to die.
"In the beginning, God did not
intend that we should die. Born
as we are into a world wounded
by sin and obscured by twilight,
we suffer sickness and
infirmity and, even though we
find death an offense to our true
nature – which it is – we are
subject to it. Yet it was to undo
this situation that Jesus came
among us, like us in all things
but sin. He experienced our
longings and our sorrows, our
suffering and even our death, to
transform them by hope and the
revelation of new life.
"Lord knows, Father Thomas
understood the meaning of suffering.
His Lent was a long one.
He had his dark and uncomfortable
days, but when I spoke
with him, there seemed always
to be a level frame of mind
and that modest voice, which
led me to wonder whether he
shared, in some measure, St.
Paul's mysterious message to
the Colossians: 'Now I rejoice
in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh I complete what
is lacking in Christ's afflictions
for the sake of his body; that is,
the church, of which I became
a minister according to the divine
office which was given
me for you, to make the word
of God fully known.'
"I recall Father Thomas' presence
at a Confirmation that
I administered at the Church
of St. Timothy. He was there
to act as sponsor for a young
relative. I invited him to concelebrate
the Mass with me,
but he demurred, saying that
he needed to sit – carefully –
throughout most of the service,
but he did want to support his
relative. As I spoke with him,
I could not notice that quiet
smile in his eyes and remember
his wry humor, especially
displayed the time that he was
playing host to me.
"I had come to St. Mary's to
confer Confirmation on the
parish's candidates. At one
point in the ceremony, I could
not find Father Thomas in the
sanctuary, but later I noticed
him sitting there. After Mass,
I asked what happened. Was
he taken ill? No, he said, he
had run over to the rectory to
check on the lamb chops that
he was preparing for luncheon,
because he knew that I liked
mine medium.
"I thought how cleverly he
explained his breach of liturgical
etiquette. It was as if he said
that he would never do such
a thing, except to assure the
bishop's comfort and his gastronomical
preferences. I told
him that I was perfectly willing
to share a meal with him, even
if the lamb chops had become
burnt offerings. 'Oh, bishop,'
he replied, 'but then you would
have eaten only one.'
"To see our suffering as part
of the redemptive suffering of
Christ requires the gift of wisdom
of which Baruch speaks
in our first reading – a reading
that we first heard at the Easter
vigil. This wisdom is a gift
of God that enlightens and
comforts. Even in the midst
of distress, it gives a reason
for rejoicing.
"Baruch calls upon us 'to turn
and receive (this wisdom);
walk by her light toward splendor.
Give not your glory to
another, your privileges to an
alien race. Blessed are we, O
Israel, for what pleases God is
known to us.'
"Immediately before our Lord
ascended to His heavenly Father,
He promised His disciples
that He would be with them
until the end of all time. It is
a promise that Father Thomas
evoked every time that he celebrated
Mass, making present
the Lord's saving word and His
lifegiving body and blood. In
the day-to-day celebration of
the holy Eucharist, this promise
becomes a blessed assurance
that we are never alone. It
is the strength of martyrs and
the comfort of the afflicted
"Perhaps this is the reason that
a particular command of Christ
is repeated throughout the
ministry of Jesus Christ, both
before and after his resurrection.
In Matthew's account of
the resurrection, the command
is first voiced by the angel and
then by the risen Lord Himself:
'Do not be afraid.' When the
disciples were awash in an angry
sea and crying out for help,
the Lord appeared to them and
said 'Get hold of yourselves. It
is I. Do not be afraid.'
"I was struck by Father
Thomas' baptismal names,
Charles Theodore. There is
great meaning in a name. The
name given to us at baptism
is the name by which God
will know us all throughout
all eternity. It was only when
she heard the risen Lord call
her by name that Mary Magdalene
recognized Jesus after
the resurrection.
"I do not know why Father
Thomas preferred to use his middle name instead of his first, but
I thought that it provided a small
connection between him and me. I
have a brother, also a priest, with the
same two names as Father Thomas,
but in the reverse order. When my
brother was a child and being introduced
to someone, he would announce
'My name is Theodore,' and
matter-of-factly add, 'and the name
means gift of God.'
"Father Thomas is a gift of God, as
we all are in many senses. We are a gift
of a loving Father, given life to achieve
a certain purpose here on this earth.
What we have received as a gift we
give as a gift. The living of life for the
good of others is the life that Jesus revealed
to us and, in the end, is the true
source of happiness. It is often in the
seemingly small ways that these gifts
bear the greatest fruit, not in the grand
plans and vast projects, but in the word
of consolation, a good ear, a gesture of
"We thank the Lord for the many
gifts that Father Thomas shared with
the family given to him both by blood
and by ordination. He loved his family
and his parishioners. Yet the final
summing up of his life must be left
to Jesus Christ, who knows us better
than we know ourselves. Therefore in
remembering Father Thomas, we also
remember the life and death and resurrection
of Jesus, the source of our
hope and confidence, who tells us that
we are never alone and need not be
afraid, even at the moment of death.
"It is in this confidence and faith that
we commend Father Thomas into the
strong hands of our Lord as we celebrate
the Eucharist for which this
priest of Christ was ordained and in
which he found the heart of his pastoral
ministry.
"Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord;
may he rest in peace; may his soul and
the souls of all the faithful departed
rest in peace."
Father Thomas Obit
Reverend Charles Theodore (Ted) Thomas, pastor of St. Mary, St. Ladislas and Corpus Christi Churches, died early Easter morning, April 24. 2011.
The son of Pete and Lillian (Smith) Thomas, he was born in Columbus on September 24, 1947. He is preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Mary (Leo) LaPointe, Helen (Dick) Rohrer and Martha; brothers, George, John (Mary), brother-in-law, Chuck Oliver.
He is survived by brothers, Jim (Doris), Joe (Pat), and Leo (Gerry); sisters, Betty (Ted) Jasper and Dorothy Oliver; and sister-in-law, Lettie, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and many dear and close friends, many of whom became part of his extended family.
Father Thomas attended Holy Name and Sacred Heart Elementary Schools, Columbus and Bishop Watterson High School and St. Charles College Seminary in Columbus, earning a B.A. in Philosophy in 1969. He subsequently studied theology at Mount St. Mary of the West Seminary, Norwood, Ohio, from which he graduated in 1973 with a Masters of Divinity, as well as earning a Masters of Arts in History from Xavier University, Cincinnati, in 1972. He was ordained to the Priesthood May 26, 1973 by the Most Reverend Archbishop Joseph Bernardin.
Father Thomas served as Associate Pastor at St. Mary Church, Portsmouth (1973-78); Associate Director of Vocations and instructor (1978-81), providing weekend assistance at Our Lady of Lourdes, Marysville (1980-81); Administrator, Pro-Tem at St. Timothy Church, Columbus (1981). He served as Pastor of St. Thomas, Columbus (1981-82); St. Timothy Church, Columbus (1982-92); Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Ada (1992-96); St. Vincent de Paul Church, Mt. Vernon, (1996-2006); St. Mary Church, Columbus (2006-2011); Corpus Christi and St. Ladislas Churches, Columbus, while continuing as Pastor of St. Mary Church (2010-2011). In addition, he taught at Notre Dame High School, Portsmouth (1973.-78), Bishop Hartley High School (1978-80) and Bishop Watterson High School (1980-81); Judge for the Marriage Tribunal (1987-94); Episcopal Vicar for Communications Pro-Tem and Diocesan Director of Campus Ministry (1993-2006) while also serving as Catholic Chaplain to Kenyon College (1996-2006). He served as Editor Pro-Tem of the Catholic Times (1997-1998) and for many years was a regular contributor to the Catholic times.
Father Ted loved working with youth groups, often hosting parties or being the driver for field trips. He also loved cooking, eating and sharing meals and traveling with his fellow priests. He had a wonderful gift for making people feel very special. His loving, caring, funny spirit and acceptance of all of God's children allowed him to accomplish much and endear him to all. He touched many lives and will be so greatly missed.
Father Thomas' body will be received at St. Mary Church, 672 S. Third Street, Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday where friends may call from 2-7pm, and will lie in state until the Funeral Mass at 11am. Thursday. Most Rev. Bishop Frederick F. Campbell, Celebrant Burial at St. Joseph Cemetery will take place following the Funeral Liturgy. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Mary Church, 672 S. Third Street, Columbus, Ohio, 43206. Arrangements are under the care of the MAEDER-QUINT-TIBERI FUNERAL HOME. 614-444-1185.