Thomas Wollis reflects on his ordination to the transitional diaconate

As he donned his moccasins and lay prostrate on his buffalo pattern blanket, Thomas Wollis wanted to show his deep reverence for the Wabasca community. It’s a community that has become like a second home to him, and his pastoral internship year there marks a pivotal milestone in his journey towards priesthood.

Both the blanket and moccasins were gifts from the parish community of St. Martin’s Church in Wabasca, given to Thomas when he completed his year of pastoral internship there in the summer of 2024. He returned to the parish on August 19th of this year with a new mission – to be ordained as a transitional deacon.

“I thought, if I’m going to be ordained in the community where I did my internship, and if I want this to be a meeting of worlds and a meeting of hearts, then the least I can do is try to ‘tread a mile’ and show my willingness to journey alongside them by this gesture,” Thomas said. “By wearing the moccasins that were given to me, by using the blanket that was given to me, it was a way for me to say that this too is my community, and I’m not going to forget my people.”

Before the final blessing of the Mass, Thomas received one more gift. Mary Vina Young, a Cree elder of the Wabasca community, approached the front of the church and offered a prayer in Cree for Thomas, gifting him with a hand-made beaded cross she placed around his neck. In a culture where the approval of elders is a very treasured thing, this was a powerfully symbolic moment for Dcn. Thomas. It reaffirmed that, just as much as the community made an impact on him during his internship, he also has left a deep impact on them.

“It was very special,” Thomas said of Vina’s prayer and gift. “When I first arrived in Wabasca, I was really not sure what to expect.

“Over that internship year I was able to make connections to the point where I was seen as part of the community, part of the family if you will, and to the point that the elders, the ones who are guides for the community, have recognized something in me, that recognition that you’re a part of the community, you’re a part of us. And there, when the elder speaks, that’s the final word. So that moment felt like a way for the community to say, ‘You’re ours, and we got your back wherever you go’.”

Given that Wabasca is in one of the more eastern and rural areas of the archdiocese, Thomas was pleasantly surprised when he saw the support for his ordination.

St. Martin’s Church was filled with family, friends, seminarians from Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon, and parishioners from around the archdiocese, especially from Peace River where Thomas was raised. At the reception service after Mass, held at George D. Auger Hall in Wabasca, a plentiful feast with dozens of different dishes and deserts was prepared. It was a clear sign of the support and love the Wabasca community has for the newly ordained deacon.

Thomas entered the seminary in 2017 when he was 18 years old. Now at age 26, he has undergone many years of formation and study to lead him to this point. In his homily, Archbishop Gerard Pettipas reflected how this formation has helped shape Thomas into the man he is today. Above all, the quality the Church searches for in the men it ordains, said Pettipas, is that he is dedicated to serving others, to live out what Christ proclaimed in saying “I have come to serve and not to be served.” (Mk 10:45)

“Seminary formation is not just about academics. It is much more than that. It is about forming a young man’s personality, giving shape to his spirit, making him a man of prayer and of pastoral concern for the needs of those he will meet in his ministry,” Pettipas said in his homily. “God has given Thomas the gift of his life. A gift from God is never only a gift to the person. It is meant for others. The most mature action, by any one of us, is to give our life away. This act speaks loudly that we do indeed see our life as a gift from God, to be given to others.”

Drawing on this theme of our lives as gifts to be given away, Archbishop Pettipas also reflected on the witness of Thomas’s parents. They were visibly emotional and overjoyed as they watched their son take this next step in his vocation. At a time when homegrown vocations are rare in many parts of the world, Pettipas noted that it is an important witness to see parents that are so moved to offer their son to the Church. Thomas, who was raised in Peace River, is the first local ordination to the transitional diaconate since Msgr. Charles Lavoie in 1991.

“A priest said to me one time – the greatest benefactor in the church is the parents of our priests, because they offer their son,” said Pettipas. “Thomas’s parents and his grandmothers have prayed for him many times, affirming God’s plan for his life. And I hope many more are praying for our young people, to give of themselves. Thomas has received the gift of life from his parents, and now he is ready to give his life to us for the Lord Jesus.”

The investiture – when Thomas was vested with the stole and dalmatic with the help of his mom and dad – was the most emotionally impactful moment for both Thomas and his family.

“Going in I was expecting my mom to be emotional, but I wasn’t expecting my reaction. When I gave my mom the hug after being vested, I could feel the emotions welling up. It all felt so real,” Thomas recalled. “But when I just about lost it and went into tears was when I gave my dad a hug. It really hit me at that moment. I was expecting him to be a bit more stoic. I wasn’t expecting how emotionally affected he was. It was very powerful.”

This is only an excerpt. Read the full story in the September 2025 edition of Northern Light
See more photos from the ordination here.