Thomas, a member of the Society of Jesus, served in the dioceses of El Paso and Las Cruces from 1964 until his death at 78 in 2006. That event in Ju\u00e1rez emboldened him to expand ministries that assisted and advocated for the disenfranchised throughout the Paso del Norte region.<\/p>\n
Those who knew him or worked with him considered him a saint on Earth, and many have petitioned since 2011 to make the title official. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted overwhelmingly, 206-4 with one abstention, in November to start an investigation into Thomas\u2019 life for the purpose of possible sainthood.<\/p>\n
Las Cruces Bishop Peter Baldacchino presented the request during the conference of bishops business meeting in Baltimore. He did not return a request for comment.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: U.S. bishops back sainthood cause for Father Richard Thomas, El Paso priest who served Borderland poor<\/a><\/p>\n The Rev. Mike Lewis, director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Diocese of El Paso, said saints are the heroes of the church who intercede on a person\u2019s behalf to share their petitions with God, who is the only one who can answer prayers. He said the canonization process is a way to hold up Thomas\u2019 life of virtue and his struggles for justice through his ministry.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes that\u2019s its own reward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A spokeswoman for the Jesuits\u2019 USA Central and Southern Province, to which Thomas belonged when it was part of the New Orleans Province prior to 2014, said the Jesuits appreciated the deep affection and respect that former collaborators had for Thomas.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are happy to allow the Diocese of Las Cruces to continue to lead the efforts to promote his cause for canonization,\u201d said Therese Fink Meyerhoff, provincial assistant for communication.<\/p>\n But the road to sainthood is long, hard and can be expensive. Here\u2019s some information to help you understand the process.<\/p>\n What does it mean to be a saint in the Catholic Church?<\/p>\n Unofficially, a saint is anyone who makes it to Heaven. Officially, the title belongs to those who have died and have had their lives scrutinized by the Catholic Church and found to be worthy of veneration through martyrdom and heroic virtue. Those people are canonized. The church does not have an official list of saints, but the estimate is well over 10,000. The reason for the uncertainty is because some received the title before the formal process started in the 10th century.<\/p>\n What roles do saints play in the church?<\/p>\n Saints are role models and intercessors. They were flesh-and-blood humans who showed a strong devotion to God. Catholics ask the saint to intercede on their behalf to help with different trials or situations. People often call on their patron saint \u2013 St. Jude for lost causes, St. Anthony of Padua for lost objects, St. Christopher for travelers, and St. Peregrine for cancer patients, to name a few.<\/p>\n Lewis likened it to when a policeman issues a traffic ticket. The offenders have cousins in the legal system and ask them to see if they can get someone to write off the offense. That is similar to when people ask a patron saint to intercede on their behalf for assistance. The saint does not grant the request, but, as someone closer to God, submits it for God\u2019s review.<\/p>\n How does the process start?<\/p>\n There usually is a five-year waiting period after the death of a candidate before consideration for sainthood can begin. The request often starts with a group of people who worked with the person and is familiar with the person\u2019s ministries. They usually petition the leadership of the diocese where the person died, or the candidate\u2019s religious order, to carry the request.<\/p>\n Thomas died at The Lord\u2019s Ranch in Vado, New Mexico, which is part of the Diocese of Las Cruces. That is why Baldacchino shepherded the request. The conference of bishops\u2019 decision was needed to formally open the investigation into Thomas\u2019 life.<\/p>\n The Bishops\u2019 Conference will form a team that will collect what Thomas wrote, preached or shared in recordings, and conduct interviews with people who knew him and worked with him. The team will include a representative from the Las Cruces diocese. Part of the team\u2019s mission is to ensure that the candidate did not promote views contrary to the Catholic faith.<\/p>\n In an April 4, 2012, message to Thomas\u2019 followers, Ellen Hogarty shared some information from the Jesuit provincial of the New Orleans Province. The provincial said that the province would gather archived materials related to Thomas, and would have them ready if they were needed for a sainthood request.<\/p>\n The information, which often takes years if not decades to compile, will become part of the packet that will be delivered to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome, which oversees the complex process of beatifications and canonizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Who was Fr. Richard Thomas?<\/p>\n Thomas was born March 1, 1928, in Seffner, Florida, near Tampa. He was ordained a priest of the Society of Jesus, or a Jesuit, in 1958 in San Francisco. He served the borderland until his death on May 8, 2006. He is buried in the Jesuit section of El Paso\u2019s Concordia Cemetery.<\/p>\n Thomas was executive director of Our Lady\u2019s Youth Center in El Paso, which was part of the Sacred Heart parish. Under his leadership, the center expanded ministries that served the poor in Ju\u00e1rez. These included work with schools, food banks, medical and dental clinics, as well as services for prisons and mental hospitals. His ministry focused on the needy, oppressed and marginalized. People considered him a gifted teacher and preacher.<\/p>\n The priest started the Lord\u2019s Ranch in 1975. The center, located about 30 miles northwest of El Paso, was a retreat complex for needy youth.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2012, the Jesuit provincial of New Orleans Province approved the creation of prayer cards<\/a> where people may ask privately for Thomas\u2019 intercession the same way they ask friends and family for prayers.<\/p>\n What are the different stages on the road to canonization?\u00a0<\/p>\n There are four official steps to sainthood: Servant of God, Venerable, Blessed (Beatification) and Canonization.<\/p>\n The candidate earns the title of Servant of God after the Dicastery accepts the diocesan investigation. One may ask for the candidate\u2019s intercession publicly at this point. The faithful ask the person to intercede on their behalf, and if something miraculous occurs, it is added to the candidate\u2019s report.<\/p>\n In the second stage, a panel of scholars familiar with divine matters will examine further the candidate\u2019s materials to confirm he or she lived a virtuous life. If the pope approves, the person is declared \u201cVenerable\u201d and can be acclaimed publicly.<\/p>\n A miracle, usually a scientifically unexplainable healing of a terminal condition, tied to the candidate\u2019s intercession is needed for the candidate to achieve the \u201cBlessed\u201d status. Doctors and theologians will study the possible miracle. If it makes it to the pope and he approves, the candidate becomes \u201cblessed\u201d or beatified, and can be celebrated at Mass in their region or their religious order.<\/p>\n An exception to the \u201cmiracle\u201d rule would happen if the person was killed for their faith. Martyrs may be beatified without a miracle.<\/p>\n The last stage is the canonization, which takes a second miracle to be attributed to the candidate after their beatification. After even more study of the candidate, the pope makes the final call for sainthood after which the candidate can be celebrated with universal adoration.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Who keeps the application process on track?<\/p>\n Early in the process, the diocese or the group of followers will hire a postulator, or \u201cproject manager,\u201d whose job is to gather evidence and guide the application from the diocese level to the Vatican. If the cause reaches Italy, a Roman postulator, usually a canon lawyer, takes over the case. The initial postulator often will stay on to assist.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou bring in someone who knows what they\u2019re doing,\u201d Lewis said. He added that a postulator\u2019s job can be long and difficult because it involves a lot of research and interviews.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n What is considered a miracle?\u00a0<\/p>\n The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops<\/a> website states that a miracle is something that has occurred by the grace of God, usually a healing, through the intercession of a Venerable or Blessed person, and is scientifically inexplicable.<\/p>\n What is the job of the \u2018Devil\u2019s Advocate\u2019?\u00a0<\/p>\n The person\u2019s job is to thoroughly investigate a candidate to search for a candidate\u2019s flaws in character and to question proposed miracles. Pope Sixtus V established the job in 1587 to ensure that beatifications and canonizations were not based on fraud or weak claims. Pope St. John Paul II reformed the process in 1983. The job\u2019s official title is Prelate Theologian.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/fr-michael-lewis-e1766435647757-150x150.jpg\")
The Rev. Michael Lewis, director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Diocese of El Paso, said the process to be considered for sainthood \u201ctakes as long as it takes.\u201d (Courtesy of the Diocese of El Paso)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Fr.-Richard-Thomas-150x150.jpg\")
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have approved the request to consider the Rev. Richard Thomas for sainthood. He lived a humble, spiritual life that focused on helping the borderland\u2019s poor. (Courtesy photo)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Thomas-2.jpg\")
The Rev. Richard \u201cRick\u201d Thomas is buried in the Jesuit section of Concordia Cemetery near its south wall. He was executive director of Our Lady\u2019s Youth Center near Sacred Heart parish, and opened The Lord\u2019s Ranch near Vado, New Mexico, in 1975. (Courtesy Concordia Heritage Association)<\/p>\n