Father Tom Gibbons was ordained a Paulist priest in 2012. Prior to becoming a priest, he spent time as a Jesuit Volunteer in Phoenix, AZ, working with immigrants in El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. He's also worked as a graphic designer and web developer, serving nonprofits like Success For All Foundation, Baltimore City Head Start, and Catholic Relief Services. He previously wrote a blog entitled “Kicking and Screaming” for Busted Halo. After serving as a deacon at Holy Trinity Parish in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., Father Tom was sent to St. Peter’s Church in Toronto, where he first served as Associate Pastor and then as the Parish Administrator. In 2016, he produced a documentary on the founder of the Paulist Fathers, entitled “Isaac Hecker and the Journey of Catholic America” – featuring celebrity voices of Martin Sheen, Matt McCoy, and Bob Gunton. Father Tom is currently at work on a new documentary investigating the complicated legacy of the Catholic Church in California with the film “Junipero Serra: Statue of Limitations,” scheduled for release in 2022. In addition to his work as Vice President of Paulist Productions, Father Tom also performs pastoral work at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church and Transfiguration Catholic Church in Los Angeles, CA.

Oncology and Ontology

This was the cosmic equivalent of either Jim Perry or Bob Eubanks turning over the Queen of Diamonds on the game show Card Sharks and all I had to do was shout, “Lower!” Yet when the Game Show host Fate turned over that next card, it turned out to be the King of Spades, I was one of that 5-10%.

The Book of Job

In the Old Testament Class for which the paper was being written, we discussed how the personification of divine insight in the Hebrew Scriptures is often referred to as “Woman Wisdom.” But sitting in a waiting room to find out if I had cancer, I could not help but wonder if I was also being joined by “Dame Irony.”

Bowling for Toronto

I have to admit – for my first homily in Toronto, I basically wanted to tell a few jokes, say “Jesus loves you,” and then sit down. The problem with that plan came when I started reading the newspaper this week. I arrived in town on Wednesday and there was this story about this mass shooting at a crowded block party in Toronto in which two people were killed and 24 were injured.