About Deacon Tom

I was born in Middletown Ohio and raised in Toledo Ohio.  I am one of six children born to a nurse mother and Optometrist father – a proud Irish American family.  I loved my youth going to grade school at St. Joseph Church in Sylvania.  It was during this time that many of my teachers, the Sister of St. Francis instilled in me, along with my mother, my faith which has had a profound impact on my desire to become a deacon. 

After college, and beginning my professional career in banking, I married my wife Kelly who I met our senior year in high school.  She too was from an Irish Catholic family.  Together we raised three boys, Brendan, Patrick and Joe and now have two beautiful grandchildren, Harper and Callahan. God is good!

I was first drawn to the diaconate when at St. Joseph Church in Battle Creek, when my second son was baptized by the permanent deacon assigned to the  parish.  I did know much about the diaconate, but Deacon Ross became a reason to begin this discernment.  While I could not begin the process in the Diocese of Kalamazoo as personal and professional issues prevented this, when we moved back to Toledo I began my discernment process again beginning in the Diocese of Toledo’s ministry formation program.  It was during this time I was drawn to family ministry that has stayed with me today.  Following so many encouragements from my fellow classmates in ministry formation as well as parishioners at St. Joan of Arc where we were members I continued my studies in the diaconate.  This journey culminated in my ordination on May 9, 1998.

After ordination I spent 15 years at St. Joan of Arc mostly in family and children ministry, then was transferred to Corpus Christi University Parish in 2013 followed by an assignment to St. Martin dePorres Parish in 2017 and finally in 2020 to St. Richard Parish in Swanton.  Details of the various assignments can be found below.