On Dec. 11, Father Tom Nicholson, a priest of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, left for the heavenly city.
Born in Belfast, May 8, 1935, and ordained in 1967, he initially followed his father and brother in gaining a law degree at Cambridge.
It was while attending a Sunday evening Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver that he experienced the call to serve the Church as a priest. Remaining in the church when Mass ended, he was drawn to the way the presiding priest extinguished the candles and attended to the sacred vessels on the altar.
Typical of his spontaneity, he said to himself: “I could do what he does.”
It was such a strong movement in his soul that he proceeded next day to the Benedictine Abbey in Mission to inquire about entering the seminary.
Encountering the Focolare spirituality in Chicago in 1979 confirmed for his outgoing Irish personality that individual sanctity – just perfecting ourselves – is not enough. The last words of Chiara Lubich to Focolare members was simple: “always be a family.”
That’s how former parishioners will remember him, as the father of a family. Joy was his characteristic. Affable with everyone, he managed to establish numerous relationships. Secretaries like Linda Christensen brought order to his life and her office was home to all.
He lacked pretensions and was driven by his spontaneous character and unique style. He relied on the inner voice of the Spirit. He was not the one pulling the strings, but, like Mary, he was in the background, cooperating with others and working to build unity among all.
He was same Father Tom at Marriage Encounter weekends, where he never sought a reputation as the hero, as if it were all about him as he focused on fixing this couple or situation. He simply wanted to make connections with people.
We also observed in him his focus on living the “present moment,” another point in Chiara’s spirituality of unity. He was very present to the sudden traumas of parish life, standing courageously beside people facing illness, loss, and grief.
Perfection in ministry was less important for him than being present as a father in all the dynamics of parish life, happy and sorrowful. He lived out the proposal of Pope Francis that we engage ourselves with people in the peripheries. He was exceptional in this, with First Nations people, immigrants, and those abandoned – especially in old age.
Parish life often delivered Father Tom into experiences that became teaching stories, fired up by the drama of his own shortcomings.
Once he rushed off to answer a sick call, not remembering he had been warned there was a dog at the sick woman’s home. Of course he was bitten, furthering the woman’s distress. Caring for the bite, she asked pardon for the Australian cattle dog.
Later that night Father Tom was regaling a family with this adventure when one of the children piped up, excusing the dog on the grounds that it must have regarded Father Tom, dressed in black, as a wayward Aberdeen Angus cow. He had made a connection; for him, the real story was about anointing the sick.
He had his own trials too, suffering at times from burnout and overwork. He had learned to honour the gift of suffering, that the mystery of love in Jesus Forsaken is our life too.
When he was diagnosed with dementia, he serenely bore this “will of God” and became a source of many graces. About his final years, Ann Mariner, a presence of Mary in his life, observed that with a smile born from his abandonment to a life of dementia over 15 years he continued to comfort those around him with a sacred presence.
Now he can see in the light of God his great adventure of contributing to the fulfillment of the final prayer of Jesus, that all may be one (Jn 17:21).
Fathers Harry Clarke and Pat Kenny are retired priests in Penticton and Ireland, respectively. They both were active in the Focolare Movement with Father Nicholson.
Father Tom Nicholson was born in 1935 in Belfast. He attended the Benedictine Downside Abbey School near Bath in England, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he received his law degree.
He emigrated to Vancouver in 1957 and spent five years at the law firm of Russell & DuMoulin. He entered the Seminary of Christ the King in 1962 where his presence was soon felt in such areas as the S.C.K. Digest, the Vocations Club and ecumenism.
He received a BA in philosophy in 1963 and finished four years of theology in 1967.
He was ordained a priest by Vancouver Auxiliary Bishop James Carney on May 19, 1967, and said his first Mass two days later at St. Mary’s Church, next to his family home in Ardmore, Derry, N. Ireland.
He served as managing editor of The B.C. Catholic from 1967 to 1968. See below.
His first parish was in Powell River, where he began his close, life-long connection with the First Nations of Canada.
Over many years of parish work, he was pastor at St. Paul’s, Richmond; St. Patrick’s, Maple Ridge; and St. Joseph’s, Mission, as well as in Sechelt. He was a dedicated member of the Focolare movement.
At age 75 he retired from full-time pastoral duties and returned to Mission, where he concelebrated Masses at St. Joseph’s. He was also a concelebrant for 15 years at the annual pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Mission.
He remained very close to his family, particularly his sister Felicity in London, his brother Michael and sister-in-law Augusta and their children in Ireland, and the Nicholson family on Vancouver Island.
He celebrated the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination in 2017. His final years in retirement at Carrington House and The Residence in Mission were enriched by the loving support of his friends, and his family wish to pay tribute to Ann Marriner and Linda Christensen in particular.
He was a fine bridge player, an enthusiastic golfer, and enjoyed fishing rain or shine on the Sunshine Coast and the Fraser River, delighting in sharing the fish he caught and cooked with his friends. He loved classical music and attended many concert series with friends over the years. He was an avid reader, with his most cherished read being the Bible, followed by prayer.
Prayers were to be held Wednesday, Dec. 16, at Saint Joseph’s in Mission at 7 p.m., with the funeral Mass Thursday, Dec. 17, at 10 a.m. and burial at 12:30 p.m. at Gardens of Gethsemani. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the funeral will not be opened to the public, but will be available for livestream through dignitycanada.com/mission.
