PERSONALITY
John has a very calm nature to him. He is rarely angered, but can become brusque with people when their ideals differ from his own which do echo those of the Church very stringently. John has always been a bit on the stubborn side which he comes by honestly as both of his parents are strong-willed people. The difference between John and his four brothers has always been that while he enjoyed the lifestyle of a young man, he never felt like a young man, but rather like someone pretending to be young. He’s what one would call an old soul in that sense.

He has a great sense of humor about being a priest even though he truly sees no humor in faith. John collects priest jokes, in fact, and has a ready supply in the event that someone wants to have a good-natured laugh at his expense. He is a proud soldier for God which is the way that he sees himself even though he has never been called to the task of performing an exorcism himself.

On the few occasions that John has tried to incorporate himself into normal society, he has typically been unable to fit in well. He doesn’t make earthly friends as well as most men due to the fact that his relationship with his faith satisfies his needs for companionship in a way that would appear abnormal to most, including to many members of his own profession since even priests typically have some friends.

John can be sarcastic, but tries never to be rude as he was raised to know that was wrong. He has a great deal of respect for his fellow man, but his views can be offensive without that being his intentions at all; he truly does not realize that his church-based opinions on people’s lives can be construed as condescending in some cases.

Though he can be an acquired taste in social situations, John has a very comforting presence when he is acting in an official capacity of the Church. His faith keeps him from panic, usually from despair, and always strengthens him when faced with difficult life scenarios. He considers himself an unshakable advocate for God.

John's largest personality flaw happens to be his greatest source of pride which is his unshakable faith. His devotion to church ordinances has made him inflexible and intolerant of today's society members. His subsequent relocation to Asheville has been brought on by that lack which even the highest members of the Church hierarchy can see in him.

John does not believe he will be able to change his world view in the way the church officials want him to, but he has a tendency to underestimate himself from time to time...

BIOGRAPHY
John Michael Thomas was raised the middle son of five boys in the Thomas family. His parents –Kate and Aaron Thomas- were devout Catholics, staunch Republicans, and proud Texans. They had met at mass while still attending high school, then became a couple which carried through until they started college and decided to go ahead and marry for fear that they wouldn’t be able to wait to be together if they didn’t choose to solidify their union first. Kate became pregnant with their first son –who they named Andrew after her favorite saint- and chose to leave school to ensure that their son would have the best life possible.

Aaron finished undergraduate school and then went on to get a master’s in civil engineering in order to get a job with an oil company. His salary allowed him to amply support their, by then, family of four as he and Kate had already added little Mark to their family along with Andrew. John Michael came along on Thanksgiving Day of 1978 however his birth was quickly eclipsed by the final additions to their family, the twins, Marius and Maximus, both of whom needed a lot of care as they were born premature with a host of health problems which needed a lot more tending to than John Michael who was always a healthy, happy boy with a giving disposition.

John Michael went through his adolescence as a typical boy in most respects. He played Little League, then football. He had friends and took girls to dances. The family knew that he wasn’t completely normal however as John Michael never went through any rebellious phase, never managed to keep a girlfriend for long enough to become serious with her, and was very, very interested in the church from the time he was old enough to attend Mass.

Kate and Aaron were as proud as could be expected when their middle son decided to pursue a life within the church. There hadn’t been a priest in their family in generations. A great-great-uncle on the Thomas side had been in the church, but that was long enough ago in the history that Aaron didn’t remember the man. They both honestly expected John to grow out of the idea once he got into college and had a two year romance with a girl from a good family who they all liked a great deal. When John announced he had broken up with her for fear of breaking his resolve to join the church, his parents began to realize that this truly was the life their son was going to pursue and became much more supportive of him.

He graduated with an undergrad degree in Theology from the University of Dallas after which John went into seminary school at The Holy Trinity Seminary within the diocese of Dallas. John was allowed to do his six month deaconship inside the diocese of Dallas, but, before he could take his official vows, was asked to enter into another tenure for six months as a deacon in Rome. While there, John was struck by the strength of the church, the reality of life as a priest, and by the power of faith. He observed exorcisms, life inductions, and sat on a council which evaluated individuals who had been recommended to the church for consideration of attaining sainthood.

By the time that John took his final vows to become an official priest, he was certain that his life was in perfect harmony with God’s plan for him. John’s faith was unshakable enough that he was noted for it by senior members of the church he was stationed back at domestically within Texas in the Diocese of Corpus Christi. The senior church officials actually became very concerned for their young brother when they noted that his devotion to the tenants of the church was strict enough to make him ignorant of potential opportunities to witness to needy souls in their community. They felt that his mind should be broadened and attempted to find him ways to acclimate to a wider way of thinking, but their efforts appeared in vain as Father John only seemed to become more convinced that he was doing well on God’s plan for him.

In hopes for helping their brother find a way to make peace with the reality of the world versus the church’s view of the world, the church elders appealed to Rome for intervention. The church sent official word that Father John was to be relocated to the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, where Father John would be seated under the bishop who presided over the Basilica of Saint Lawrence which was the mother church for the diocese. Father John was to expand his world view, broaden his thinking, and find peace within the diocese the church willed him to reside in or he could be sent back to Rome for further training which would be viewed poorly within the church’s hierarchy.

Father John has been stationed preliminarily at the Parish of Saint Eugene which has earned a reputation for itself within the church for being open-minded, welcoming to a broad spectrum of parishioners, and fully willing to embrace the diversity of their unique community. He also helps at the Basilica by performing the Mass twice weekly as well as serving the duties of a junior rector while the bishop travels away to perform his many duties within the diocese. Father John has already spoken with the bishop about potentially serving at Saint Barnabas inside the diocese as it may prove to be a better fit for him, but the bishop has agreed with the church to date in that Father John needs to learn that it is not finding a church which fits him but rather finding the strength within him to fit any church God sees fit to direct him to His service in.