Dear Friends of the Kolbe Center,
Pax Christi!
It is with sorrow mixed with joy for a dear friend that I must announce to you the death of Fr. Tom Hickey, a member of the Kolbe Center's leadership team, an important presenter in the DVD series "Foundations Restored," and the chaplain of our annual leadership retreat for many years. Fr. Thomas Hickey spent over twenty-five years of his life as a Baptist minister. "Compelled," in his words, "by the undeniable witness of history and the inescapable conclusions of Scripture," Fr. Hickey resigned his ministry and was received into full communion with the Catholic Church in 2002.
To his great surprise, he was given an opportunity to study for the priesthood at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, CT, with the Archdiocese of Hartford. In May of 2010 he was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Henry Mansell. He served many happy years at St. Paul and St. Augustine churches in Glastonbury, CT, and as Pastor of St. Stephen Church and School in Hamden, CT, while teaching Sacred Scripture at Holy Apostles Seminary. He was serving as Pastor of St. Mary Magdalen parish and school in Oakville, CT, at the time of his death a few days ago.
At a time when so many Catholics in leadership positions kowtow to the current consensus in favor of theistic evolution, Fr. Tom fervently defended the traditional Catholic doctrine of creation as the foundation of the Faith and the only account of our origins worthy of our all-wise, all-good, all-powerful, and all-loving Creator. Just last weekend he preached a Lenten mission for which he composed the following prayer, a prayer which he not only prayed but lived:
Gracious God, our loving Heavenly Father, we present our hearts and minds to You for the transforming work of Your Holy Spirit to renew us in faith, hope, and love through this time we have given to You. May we continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Beloved Son, that we may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, and shine like lights in the world (Php 2:15). We ask this through Christ our Lord, by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Grace. Amen.
I am told that Fr. Tom died with the Holy Rosary in his hand.
Let us unite in prayer for the repose of the soul of our beloved chaplain, teacher, and friend.
Yours in Christ through the Immaculata in union with St. Joseph,
Hugh Owen
P.S. We have just learned that a funeral Mass will be offered for Fr. Tom at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Oakville, Connecticut, at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 20.
P.P.S. It has been brought to our attention that some people do not want to preview the first two episodes of "Foundations Restored" because of the requirement that they register on the website. If you know someone who would be willing to view the first episode of the DVD series gratis but who does not want to register, please refer them to this link at the Sensus Fidelium Youtube channel where they will be able to watch the first episode of "Foundations Restored" without having to register on the website. Hopefully, once they have seen the first episode, they will want to register on the "Foundations Restored" website to view the second episode, if not the entire DVD series.
