About Brother Thomas Banacki, SA
Brother Thomas Banacki, SA, a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement, received the Franciscan Federation’s annual Peacemaker award at their 2014 annual conference in St. Louis, MO, for his 24 years of service as part of the community.
The Franciscan Federation presents these awards annually to Franciscans whose ministries reflect St. Francis and St. Clare. This year Brother Thomas was among those recognized. He is currently serving a three year term as Guardian of Chapel of Our Savior in Brockton, Massachusetts, where he is also Manager of the Gift Shop. He has worked with the homeless and addicted at St. Christopher’s Inn at Graymoor. Brother Thomas entered the Atonement Friars in 1990, and professed his final vows poverty, chastity, and obedience to the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in 1992. He is known and appreciated for his Franciscan hospitality and his ability to reach out to those who feel they do not fit in. Brother Thomas was nominated by the Atonement Friars’ General Council for the ministries he has carried out with humility and simplicity as an authentic Franciscan. He creates a sense of Franciscan hospitality and welcome where one feels safe and at ease.
Rev. James Puglisi, SA, who had served as Minister General for the Atonement Friars at the time of Brother Thomas’ nomination, stated, “Brother Thomas was embarrassed by our choice, believing that other Friars were more worthy of this recognition. This, in itself, shows his humility.”