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December 19, 2021
Meet Fr. Rick Thompson
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Welcome to Fr. Rick Thompson. He is a retired priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh living at the retreat center in what was the Girl Scout Camp Elliott in Volant. It is now called Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and there is a youth ministry retreat center there known as Dry BonesMinistry. Fr. Joe Freedy is part of that organization.
We are very grateful to Fr. Rick Thompson for living in our parish territory and being willing to help us out on occasion with the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Holy Mass. In fact, Fr. Thompson will be the celebrant and homilist for the 6:00 pm Mass at St. Camillus on
Christmas Eve.
Fr. Thompson has had an interesting career path. After high school, he served 6 years in the Army as a paratrooper, a Green Beret and a medic. He graduated from the US Army Field Medic School at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, then from the Hospital Medic Course in Landstuhl, Germany. Following his Army service, he attended and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. In 1992, he received his Bachelor of Arts in English degree from Duquesne University. He kept up his studies and in 1996 was awarded a master’s in divinity when he graduated from St. Vincent Seminary.
His first appointment was as Parochial Vicar at St. Alphonsus Parish in Wexford. At his next two parishes, he was both Parochial Vicar and high school Chaplain for Prince of Peace/Central Catholic High School and St. Joseph & Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament/St. Joseph High School.
Next, as pastor, he was responsible for the merger of St. Alphonsus Parish, St. Louis Parish, and Epiphany Church from June 2005 to June 2008. Then, in his six years as pastor at St. Ann Parish in Waynesburg, he provided pastoral care to parishioners as well as directing the Neuman Center at the University of Waynesburg and being a chaplain for the local Knights of Columbus. At his next assignment, Fr. Thompson did double duty again. Between 2014 and 2018, while pastor at Mater Dolorosa and St. Joseph Parishes, he was also a part-time chaplain at Butler Hospital. The parishes were also a challenge as he had to unite the people as one who were in turmoil due to previous mergers.
In October of 2018, Fr. Thompson became the full-time Clinical Chaplain at UPMC East Hospital and Forbes Regional in Monroeville PA where he was on call to both hospitals with 24/7 responsibilities.
We look forward to working with Fr. Thompson. You can meet him on the occasions when he helps with the Sacrament of Reconciliation and also Mass, not only on Christmas Eve, but throughout the coming year.
God love you,
