Father Thomas Gills, a former military chaplain who ministered to critically wounded servicemen and later served as pastor of St. Peter the Apostle in Oakland and St. Peter at the Lake in McHenry, died Sept. 6 at his home in Little Orleans. He was 71.
Friends and parishioners remembered him for his compassion, devotion to the sacraments and dedication to those he served.
“He was selfless,” recalled Father William Keown, a Navy veteran who succeeded him as pastor in Garrett County. “Tom never turned down an assignment. He went where there was a need for ministry – and that included challenging places like Afghanistan. He always went faithfully to be present for the people.”
Father Gills grew up at St. Clement Mary Hofbauer in Rosedale. After graduating from Eastern Vocational Technical High School in Essex in 1972, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy two years later, serving as a computer programmer for four years. He later entered St. Mary’s Seminary in Roland Park and was ordained to the priesthood in 1986.
Following parish assignments, he was granted permission by Cardinal William H. Keeler to become a military chaplain. He chose the U.S. Air Force.
Father Gills first served as an Air Force Reserve chaplain for about a decade before being called to active duty after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when he was pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in Pikesville.
His military assignments included Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Italy, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. He served at Hill Air Force Base in Utah (2003-07), Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska (2007-11), the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado (2011-16) and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio (2016-18).
In a 2021 Catholic Review interview, he described the challenges of chaplaincy, recalling his ministry at Balad Air Base in Iraq in 2009.
“You’re face-to-face with 19- and 20-year olds who had lost an arm or both arms, a leg or both legs, and writhing in pain,” he said. “And you would just touch them through prayer and somehow God would work through those prayers to lift them up and give them renewed hope and an optimistic view of the future and something they would not otherwise have gotten if it had just been medical treatment.”
Father Gills, who sometimes celebrated Mass on the hoods of Humvees, attained the rank of major and received commendations for both domestic and foreign service. He was also a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus.
Bishop F. Richard Spencer, an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for U.S. Military Services and another former pastor of St. Peter in Oakland, first met Father Gills when the two were studying at St. Mary’s Seminary. When Father Gills was stationed in Germany, the two worked together as leaders in youth retreats for the families of U.S. servicemen.
“Father Gills always regarded confirmation retreats as key moments to know and love Jesus and he would share with the teenagers his own awareness and joy in worshiping and following the Lord,” Bishop Spencer said. “His love for youth ministry continued at Wright Patterson Air Force base in Dayton.”
Patrick O’Brien, a parishioner of St. Peter now in formation to become a deacon for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, noted that he and Peter Ogden, another St. Peter parishioner in formation for the diaconate, both pursued ordained ministry through the encouragement of Father Gills.
O’Brien said Father Gills traveled the nation to celebrate the sacraments with people he had befriended over the years.
“He was so committed to his relationships and bringing the sacraments to people,” O’Brien said.
The way Father Gills celebrated Mass attracted people back to the Catholic faith, O’Brien said.
“He injected a passion into the Mass that was invigorating for many who attended,” he said. “He prayed the eucharistic prayer with a heartfelt energy and brought it alive, especially for those who may have been away from the church for some time.”
O’Brien’s wife Michele recalled Father Gills’ thoughtful personal gestures.
“Whenever he’d come over for dinner (which was often) he would always bring a yummy treat like fresh fruit or a locally made dessert, or a gift such as a hand-made wooden basket or a porcelain bowl from local artisans,” she said.
Tink Yost, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Fields in Millersville, has known Father Gills since he was an associate pastor of her parish in the 1990s. She and her late husband Harry grew very close to him and considered him an adopted son. They visited him when he was stationed in Germany and Tink received daily texts from Father Gills right up until a few days before his death. When Harry was dying of cancer, Father Gills visited and supported him.
“We used to call him ‘Sonny,’” Tink Yost remembered. “He was just a special, giving person.”
Father Keown said he was amazed to learn how many former parishioners Father Gills kept in contact with long after he left assignments. He sent out regular texts with inspirational messages, the priest said.
“He wanted to remind people that he was still thinking of them and still praying for them,” he said. “It was pretty impressive.”
In addition to serving as pastor of St. Peter, Father Gills was the associate pastor of St. Louis, Clarksville (1986-90); associate pastor of St. Mary, Hagerstown (1990-95); associate pastor of Our Lady of the Fields, Millersville (1995-2000); pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, Pikesville (2000-02), and assisting priest at St. Michael, Clearspring, St. Patrick, Little Orleans, and St. Mary, Hagerstown (2018-19).
He was an avid runner and loved spending time in nature. Friends noted that he also had a passion for sports cars, especially convertibles.
In a 2024 interview with the Catholic Review upon his retirement, Father Gills said he enjoyed his priesthood and was inspired by those he served.
“Ministering in parishes and on military installations, as well as in war zones, gave me the opportunity to excel in what I was called to do – and that is to serve the faithful in the name of Christ and to reach out to those who are not familiar with Christ and bring them his love, forgiveness and healing,” Father Gills said.
The family will receive friends Sept. 14 from 2 to 5 p.m. at St. Peter at the Lake. Archbishop William E. Lori will celebrate a funeral Mass there Sept. 15, beginning after military honors accorded by American Legion Post #71 and Deer Park VFW Post #10077 at 10:45 a.m. Interment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org
Also see:
Father Thomas Gills, retired Air Force chaplain, recalls ‘powerful ministry’ to wounded and dying
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