Holy Cross Father Thomas Lemos dies Dec. 30 at age 76

NOTRE DAME, Ind. Rev. Thomas Francis Lemos, C.S.C., 76, died at Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Ind. on Dec. 30, 2024, after a short illness. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Jan. 6 at Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame. Burial followed at the Congregation of Holy Cross cemetery in Notre Dame.

Father Lemos was born in Salinas, Calif. on Feb. 22, 1948, to John and Lorene (Wylie) Lemos. After graduation from Woodside Priory High School in Portola Valley, Calif., he entered St. Joseph Hall, Notre Dame in 1965. During 1966-1967, he was a novice at Holy Cross Novitiate in Bennington, Vt. After specializing in Spanish and Latin-American studies at the University of Notre Dame, he graduated in 1970. Three years later, he received his Master’s in Theology from the University of Notre Dame. He professed final vows on Feb. 10, 1973 and was ordained a Holy Cross priest on April 6, 1974.

After ordination, Father Lemos served for six years as Vicar for Hispanic Ministry in the South Bend area. For two of those years (1977-1979), he also served as Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Milford, Ind. From 1980-1986, he served as Pastor of St. Stephen Parish in South Bend, Ind. before serving as Pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church in Tolleson, Ariz. from 1986-1994. In 1994, he returned to South Bend, Ind. to serve as Pastor of St. Casimir and St. Stephen Parishes until 2001. Father Lemos’ kind and pastoral manner earned him the unofficial title of “Pope of the West Side;” a richly deserved appellation.

 In 2001, he moved to Colorado Springs to serve as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish until 2004. From 2004-2010, he served as Director of Novices at the Holy Cross Novitiate in Cascade. In 2010, he returned to South Bend, Ind. to serve as Associate Pastor of St. Adalbert and St. Casimir Parishes until 2013. From 2013-2024, he served as Associate Pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in Goodyear, Ariz. before residing at Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Ind. in 2024.

Memorial contributions in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross can be made to: United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of Advancement, P.O. Box 765, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0765 or online at https://donate.holycrossusa.org.