Fr. Thomas Blau, OP, is a native of Cleveland Ohio, and a diehard Browns/Indians/Cavaliers fan. He is number 7 of 9 children, and his parents were married 65 years. After attending public schools in Cleveland and getting his undergraduate degree from Akron University, Fr. Thomas had a chance to live in Honduras and Guatemala on an extended service mission. That peaked his interest in a religious vocation. Along the way Fr. Thomas has had numerous jobs – including a mailman, a grade school teacher, and a partial owner of a drug store.
After his work overseas, Father attended Franciscan University and received a Master’s Degree in Theology. There he also met the Dominicans and soon entered the order. Fr. Thomas lived in Washington, DC at the Dominican seminary and completed various degrees [including the Licentiate in Sacred Theology/STL]. He was ordained in 1999. Since then Father has been assigned to Dominican outreaches at the University of Virginia and Providence College. He was assigned to St. Patrick Church as a parish vicar in 2010.
Currently Fr. Thomas is an itinerant preacher in the Diocese of Columbus doing parish missions with his residence at St. Patrick Priory. He is one of the Pontifical Missionaries of Mercy of the Catholic Church, an inducted “Magistral Chaplain” for the Knights of Malta, and the local chaplain for the Columbus Legatus organization. He is also the founder of St. Barnabas Ministry which provides a Dominican priest ready to take over a diocesan parish to allow the priest to go on vacation or retreat. That ministry is beginning to take off in recent months. Fr. Thomas completed the Camino de Santiago [the entire Camino Frances] in August of 2019.
