As one of the twelve disciples, St. Thomas was one of the closest followers of Christ.

His humanity is on full display in the Gospel. At first, he urges his friends to follow Christ, even to death, as they approach Jerusalem, the headquarters for the enemies of Jesus. Then, when Jesus is arrested, he runs away like almost everyone else.

One night after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Lord appeared to the disciples, who were locked in the upper room. Thomas happened to be absent, and when his friends told him that they had seen Jesus, he said, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail-marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20: 19-29).

A week later, Jesus appeared to the group again, and this time Thomas is able to place his fingers in the very wounds of Christ. He professed his belief with the words, “My Lord and my God.”

After Pentecost, Thomas went east, evangelizing people in India. He was eventually martyred in India in the year 72. Legend holds that he was stabbed with a spear while he was praying. Thus, he holds the spear of his martyrdom in many of his depictions, including these statues on campus.

Because of all the churches he built in India, St. Thomas is the patron saint of architects and builders. The statue on the left stands on the north face of Cushing Hall of Engineering, and the other can be found on Crowley Hall, which now houses music programs but used to house science and engineering labs. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.

This desire to know by touching is common to the human condition. As children, we come to know the world through touching and manipulating it. If we can feel it, we know it is real. Yet, what is most real and true about our life—that it is rooted in God—escapes our senses. Jesus says to Thomas and to us: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

St. Thomas, you believed because you saw the risen Lord, and helped others believe on faith alone—pray for us!

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Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Thomas the Apostle is in the public domain. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.