Thomas Lawes - Ordination to the Priesthood

As many of you know, Thomas was raised here in Salisbury, lived in Holy Redeemer parish and attended both St Osmund’s and St Joseph’s schools. For part of Thomas’s childhood, his family lived in Fotherby House (the former presbytery at Holy Redeemer) and we have been praying for Thomas since he entered seminary at St John’s, Wonersh in Sept 2014.  It is with great pride and joy that we look forward to Thomas’s Ordination to the Priesthood on 26 September at 11am in Clifton Cathedral.  It is sad that, due to the current COVID restrictions, we cannot organise a coach and his Ordination has to be an invitation-only occasion.  However, the event will be Livestreamed from Clifton Cathedral and will be available to watch on our website.  We will be presenting Thomas with a gift from our parishes to mark his Ordination and, if you would like to contribute to this gift, there are envelopes available in all of our churches this weekend.  Please put your gift into the envelope and place in the normal offertory basket by the entrance/exit in any of our churches. Please make cheques payable to ‘St Osmund’s Parish’ and write ‘Thomas Lawes’ on the reverse side. If you would like to add your gift via online banking, please call the office for bank details: 01722 562703 or email [email protected]  

Please continue to pray for Thomas as he approaches his Ordination.

My vocation grew up from many influences in my life. I think perhaps the most significant influences were my family, local Catholic community and a long line of very impressive and committed priests.

Thanks to my parents' love, family life growing up was safe and strong, and the faith was at the heart of it. It was not simply going to Mass on Sundays, the expectation of living according to the Lord’s teaching permeated through the week and brought much happiness.

The Catholic communities that I have lived in, for the most part Salisbury, gave me the experience of the Church that was more than simply a gathering of people who happened to share a religious opinion, but a community which shared the Christian life and supported each other in prayer and charity, good times and bad. This, I see now, helped the Faith to be a normal and natural part of my life even away from the family home.

 I think every parish priest and assistant priest has inspired me to pursue the Christian life, I cannot think of one priest growing up who was a discouragement to my faith, mistakes and all. Their witness gave me a love of the priesthood. In each of these men, without exception, I have seen Christ.

These influences created fertile ground for the Lord to work, it is through this that the Lord spoke to the deepest part of my soul and through all this that I was able to recognise His voice.

Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” (Jn.15:16)  This is my experience of vocation.  I grew up in Salisbury, I went to Mass every weekend (for some years I served at the altar), I went to both St Osmund’s Primary School and St Joseph’s Secondary School, and I always believed in God, and I was comfortable being Catholic.  Despite all this, I never felt the inclination to be a priest.  However, when I was 18 years old, I had a profound conversion experience in Walsingham where I encountered Jesus personally and led me to want to know Him more and more.  Most importantly, I discovered Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, in the Mass.  This Jesus who knows everything about me (including how sinful I am) and yet He loves me, not because I deserve it, but simply and unconditionally.  I began to place my trust in Him, so I asked, “What do you want me to do with my life?”  And He replied, “I want you to be a priest”.

Initially it filled me with fear.  I didn’t want to be a priest, I wanted to get married, have a family, I didn’t want to bear the responsibility, I didn’t want to live alone.  For years I put it off, but all the while, the more I read about it, the more I prayed about it, the desire grew in me.  I was accepted to seminary while still at university in Cornwall.  Then I was sent to Rome to study for the priesthood.  It has been a long road, with many highs and lows.  I have learned many things, but the most important thing that I have learned is that God loves me, and He will never abandon me.  The priesthood is how He wants to show me how much He loves me.  Jesus has chosen me, I am learning to choose Him.