Obituary: The Rev. John Thomas / Served at Sheldon Calvary Camp as its 'heart and soul'
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The Rev. John Thomas: "To young people he was bigger than life."
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The Rev. John Thomas, an Episcopal priest from Mt. Lebanon, devoted much of his ministry to helping young people discover God's purpose for their lives at Sheldon Calvary Camp, which his father had founded on the shores of Lake Erie in 1936.
He died Wednesday at age 77.
"He was the heart and soul of this place," said Tim Green, current executive director of the camp in Conneaut, Ohio, which is affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.
"To young people he was bigger than life," said Mr. Green, who first met him as an 11-year-old camper. "You always knew that Father John saw that best in you. That was one of his gifts: seeing the best in every human being, especially children."
His father, Bishop William Thomas, founded the camp when he was a parish priest, and he would later become the suffragan -- assistant -- bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
"The camp was founded with the idea that you learn faith best by experiencing it lived in everyday, day-to-day life. So it was built to be a Christian community where people experience God's love," said the Rev. Leslie Reimer, director of spiritual life at the camp.
He graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School, where he spotted his future wife, Janet, on the cheerleading squad and immediately declared his intention to marry her. He studied at Washington & Jefferson College, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and then Philadelphia Divinity School. His father ordained him a priest in 1961.
He founded St. Francis-in-the-Fields, Somerset, and spent 11 years as rector of St. James Episcopal Church, Penn Hills. But he was best known for his work at Calvary Camp, where he spent stints as director in the early 1960s, early 1970s and finally 1985-1996.
"He was so centered and grounded and so embodied the spiritual life. He had an ability to make connections between people and God," said Rev. Reimer, who was a young camp staffer 40 years ago. She recalled him setting up a table and celebrating Communion in the recreation hall to show that God is present always and everywhere.
In 1977, he became rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Ashtabula, Ohio, located near the camp. But in 1985 he returned to rescue Calvary, which had fallen on hard times. Not only were its facilities badly deteriorated, but the chapel was on the verge of falling off a bluff into Lake Erie.
He raised more than $1 million for the camp, which has been fully restored and last year had its largest group of campers ever. He instigated what was then a highly controversial erosion control project that spared the chapel from either destruction or removal to another site, Mr. Green said.
He left the camp staff in 1996. After interim ministry in Ohio, he joined the staff of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Mt. Lebanon, as a "retired" assistant priest. He and the other retired priest on the staff, the Rev. Richard Davies, referred to each other as Frick and Frack, after a famous team of ice-skating comedians.
"He was the consummate pastoral priest. John never stopped caring about people who were ill or distressed or grieving," Father Davies said.
Father Thomas had a gift for praying aloud with others, he said. "He really was devout with people. He'd pray with them on the telephone. And he was absolutely magnificent in the hospital and with shut-ins."
Despite some heart trouble, he had continued in active ministry and on Dec. 30 gave a speech to 300 people who gathered to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Calvary Camp. The next day his family would take him to the hospital with shortness of breath, and he never recovered.
But at that celebration, Rev. Reimer said, he left them with his vision for future generations of campers: "To laugh, to sing, to pray. For God is joy. To learn, to care, to share. For God is love."
He is survived by his wife, Janet; two daughters, Jennifer Thomas of Asheville, N.C., and Julie Michelitch of Atlanta; and one grandchild.
Visitation is 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday in St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Mt. Lebanon, where the funeral will be held 1 p.m. Saturday.
First Published January 12, 2012 12:00 am
