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Father Tomson followed Augustine’s journey, one that follows an individualistic conception of his relationship with God, to the idea that God works in and through others. Father Tomson notes that, “when Augustine first wrote his philosophical dialogues, he said at one point, ‘I desire to seek God in the soul and nothing more.’ By the time St. Augustine writes his Confessions, he sees the importance of the ‘other’ in his journey in seeking God.” In his dissertation, Father Tomson explores what brings about this change in St. Augustine.
The man who was consumed with zeal for God in the philosophical dialogues — to the exclusion of others — becomes someone who Father Tomson points out can say in the Confessions, “Lord, you nourished me through my mother Monica’s milk, you showed me the allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament through your servant Ambrose, you consoled me through friendship with Alypius.”
Father Tomson’s interest in St. Augustine first piqued while he was a seminarian at Bishop White Seminary and a student at Whitworth University. “When I was a student at Whitworth, I had a course in Introduction to Church History; the professor told the story of Augustine. He relayed to us his conversion story, which inspired me to read Confessions. And that enkindled in me a desire to study patristics.” Father Tomson went on to major seminary in Rome, studying for a Licentiate in Patristics degree, which focuses on the lives, writings and doctrines of the Church Fathers. His Licentiate degree allowed him to study the life and works of St. Augustine in greater depth. After returning to Spokane, Father Tomson stepped back from academic research to focus on his new role in parish life.
The interest in learning more would only lie dormant for a few years. In 2009, Father Tomson was asked to fill in briefly for a professor at Gonzaga University. “Father Patrick Hartin asked me to take on a part of his course on Christian Spirituality at Gonzaga — the part on Augustine and the Confessions. So that forced me to go back into the Confessions to get ready for the course.”
The chance to teach and be immersed in St. Augustine again was a turning point for Father Tomson. Teaching the short section on St. Augustine to university students rekindled his interest in the Christian theologian, “from there I couldn’t really get away from him [Augustine]. I’ve always had a love for the Fathers.” Prior to beginning studies with the Pontifical Lateran University, Father Tomson undertook an independent study in philosophy through the Gonzaga University graduate program. This is when he began exploring St. Augustine with Professor Michael Tkacz. Later that year, Father Tomson began doctoral studies through the Lateran University.
In 2015, Bishop Daly assigned Father Tomson to the Newman Center in Pullman. Because he was ministering to students who follow an academic calendar, Father Tomson was afforded the opportunity to work on his doctorate while balancing research with pastoral ministry. This also put Father Tomson in regular contact with other students. He shared that his doctoral studies have had a positive influence on how he has ministered the students through the campus Newman Center. “It’s given me some real solidarity and some street cred with the students and the professors as well.” Noting that it has especially impacted his relationship with masters and Ph.D. students, “I am able to understand where my grad students are coming from.”
The area of his research, how God affects our lives through others, seems especially relevant at a Newman center that houses FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Student) missionaries. FOCUS ministry emphasizes developing and enhancing relationships; personal relationships are prioritized over programs. Father Tomson said that his doctoral work and the evangelizing work of his ministry lined up well in many ways. “God’s providential hand is involved in every aspect of our lives. I’ve seen that and experienced it more and more in my ministry, I guess I am more attuned to it.” The presence of God is in everything in life. Father Tomson stresses,
“God is at work, whether it be a conversation, or a homily, or an encounter with a student. God is working in that.”
“The defense (of his dissertation) was an exciting thing,” said Father Tomson. “It was all in Italian. I went before three professors. They all wear these robes and sit on this dais — like a courtroom — with a Vatican flag, since we are technically in Vatican City. I had to give a twenty-minute speech in Italian, and then they ask questions. I left the room; they rang a bell and then I came back in and they read a decree in Latin, where they say, ‘in the name of Pope Francis, we declare you a doctor.’ And everyone claps.”
Congratulations to Father (Doctor) Lucas Tomson!