Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church

Father Sunoj Thomas
(816) 436-0880
frsthomas@stcharleskc.com

On July 1, 2022, parishioners bid Father Don a fond farewell as he transferred to a new position at Rockhurst College involving mission, ministry, and evangelism within their campus and throughout the Kansas City urban core. At the same time, we lovingly welcomed Father Sunoj Thomas as our new pastor.

A native of Kerala, India, he is the oldest of three sons. After graduating high school, he joined the Benedictine monastery. He lived there for twelve years while completing college: five years of Latin, religious studies, a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, and a master’s degree in theology. Ordained in 2002, his superiors saw such great promise in him that they appointed him to start a new Benedictine community in the area where he oversaw the construction of monastic buildings and the establishment of an agricultural farm.

In 2005, on a trip to the United States, he engaged in dialogue with various other monastic traditions, eventually leading to a ministry of priestly service at the Benedictine Abbey in Conception and the northern region of Kansas City-Saint Joseph. He fell in love with his work in our diocese and returned here often, living and serving at the Co-Cathedral in Saint Joseph, Saint Therese in Parkville, and Saint Thomas More in south Kansas City.

Father Thomas is proficient in numerous languages, including Italian, Spanish, Greek, and Hebrew, which allowed him to study the Bible in its original script. He also has a working knowledge of Latin and German. He received a licentiate degree from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has guided pilgrimages to the Holy Land and is a popular instructor. He joined the staff of Saint Thomas More Parish in 2011, where he served with Father Don for five years before being asked to pastor Saint Catherine of Siena Parish in south Kansas City, which he has done for the past six years.

We are very blessed to have him become a part of the good things at Saint Charles, where he will help bring us to greater levels of knowledge, wisdom, faith, and holiness. He will also be a tremendous blessing to our Borromeo Academy.

Saint Charles Pastoral Team