Page 4 - Padua Donor Book 2020-2021

Donor Spotlight:
BROTHER TOM CARROLL, OFM
There’s always hope. There’s always something there – or someone – and we learn from others to be
hopeful and hope-filled. We don’t do it by ourselves.
Upon sitting down to chat with Brother Tom Carroll, it is hard to imagine this affable man – with his kind, blue eyes, warm
smile, and witty Irish gift of the gab – ever feeling anything less than confident. Having worn a multitude of hats over his time at Padua Franciscan High School, most of us know him as the unwavering, resolute man who leads and loves with a type of quiet fire. Thirty-two years ago, however, as a young friar first coming to Padua Franciscan, “I was terrified,” he recalls, “and I remember saying that I would do anything – anything – except teach the all-boys’ religion classes.” As fate would have it, he became the senior moderator for the last group of Padua’s all-male class, a role which helped established the blueprint for years of dedicated service,
ingenuity, and quiet leadership. He claims, “I had no idea what I was doing and, like any
new teacher, was terrified to ask for help.” But, he quickly adds, “I had hope! And then I met so many people. And we just got it done.”
It is that unassuming approach – and quick desire to give credit to others – that has come to define the legacy of Brother Tom’s career as a Padua Bruin, a vocation that has spanned more than three decades and witnessed numerous transformations. In that time, Brother Tom has been a steadfast fixture in the halls, within the classrooms, and over the loudspeakers; our very own “franchise friar,” as some have called him. He is someone who leads with a quiet energy and a humility that never sees him accept any accolades as an individual, instead preferring to redirect praises to those around him. “I know I’ve done a lot,” he concedes, “and people appreciate what a person does... but I’m convinced that I’ve not done it alone. God certainly has put people into my life to help me to be that less noisy, patient, whatever-needs-doneperson.”
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