About Tom Stanks
Throughout high school and college, I kept wondering where my vocation lies. Born and raised a Roman Catholic, but never having gone to a Catholic school, I kept asking God, "What do You want of me?" In the summer before my final year at the University of Pittsburgh, I had an enlightened moment in which all became clear. I was to enter the seminary and put all else aside. It was God's will and now my own. With that unyielding realization, rather than go back for my fourth and final year, I decided to study for the priesthood.
Once at St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA, and later at St. Mary's University and Seminary, Baltimore, MD, I loved my studies and was driven to go as deeply into philosophy and theology as I could. After two B. A. Degrees and an M. A., I was sent to the University of Louvain, Belgium, to get my Doctorate in Theology, S.T.D. While I was studying there, Pope John XXIII convened Vatican Council II.
As world renowned theologians, our professors went to Rome for six months of the year to work on the documents of Vatican II to be published later. They came back to Louvain for six months to teach our courses. Their vision was expanded almost beyond belief by what this Pope proposed, and they proceeded to share this unlimited horizon with us. Pope John's view of world-wide-oneness inspired me to see the same when he said, "We all have the same address, Earth." (For further explanation of this topic, see FREE BOOKS on this website: FINDING ONENESS, The Power of Loving Awareness, Chapter VII, Section D, Vatican II & Pope John XXIII.)
After successfully defending my doctoral dissertation at Louvain, I taught theological students for eight years at St. Mary's, Baltimore, MD, St. John's Seminary, Plymouth, MI, and Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. Psychology was my second greatest interest. It led me to a brief career of ten years counseling in the priesthood and later in a private clinic.
With an increasing love for God and Jesus, after leaving the priesthood, I decided on a serious study of Eastern philosophy and religion. I visited and studied at seven Buddhist and Zen centers from New York to Hawaii. Silent meditation, using various techniques, has been my main spiritual practice since I was 21.
After publishing a book, articles, and poems in psychology and theology, I sought a broader audience to hear my theistic and interspiritual approach. My particular interests were the nature of God, the oneness of all reality, and the primacy of consciousness. The obvious solution was to create a website on the Internet. Having no knowledge of technology, I sought help from my wife, Helen. She created and maintains this website, all of which is a mystery to me.
Helen and I married in June 1971 and we live in Dearborn, Michigan. She earned a doctorate in Education and had a long career as a classroom teacher, Staff Development Leader, Mathematics & Science Consultant, and Executive Director at an Educational Service Agency.
Throughout high school and college, I kept wondering where my vocation lies. Born and raised a Roman Catholic, but never having gone to a Catholic school, I kept asking God, "What do You want of me?" In the summer before my final year at the University of Pittsburgh, I had an enlightened moment in which all became clear. I was to enter the seminary and put all else aside. It was God's will and now my own. With that unyielding realization, rather than go back for my fourth and final year, I decided to study for the priesthood.
Once at St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA, and later at St. Mary's University and Seminary, Baltimore, MD, I loved my studies and was driven to go as deeply into philosophy and theology as I could. After two B. A. Degrees and an M. A., I was sent to the University of Louvain, Belgium, to get my Doctorate in Theology, S.T.D. While I was studying there, Pope John XXIII convened Vatican Council II.
As world renowned theologians, our professors went to Rome for six months of the year to work on the documents of Vatican II to be published later. They came back to Louvain for six months to teach our courses. Their vision was expanded almost beyond belief by what this Pope proposed, and they proceeded to share this unlimited horizon with us. Pope John's view of world-wide-oneness inspired me to see the same when he said, "We all have the same address, Earth." (For further explanation of this topic, see FREE BOOKS on this website: FINDING ONENESS, The Power of Loving Awareness, Chapter VII, Section D, Vatican II & Pope John XXIII.)
After successfully defending my doctoral dissertation at Louvain, I taught theological students for eight years at St. Mary's, Baltimore, MD, St. John's Seminary, Plymouth, MI, and Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. Psychology was my second greatest interest. It led me to a brief career of ten years counseling in the priesthood and later in a private clinic.
With an increasing love for God and Jesus, after leaving the priesthood, I decided on a serious study of Eastern philosophy and religion. I visited and studied at seven Buddhist and Zen centers from New York to Hawaii. Silent meditation, using various techniques, has been my main spiritual practice since I was 21.
After publishing a book, articles, and poems in psychology and theology, I sought a broader audience to hear my theistic and interspiritual approach. My particular interests were the nature of God, the oneness of all reality, and the primacy of consciousness. The obvious solution was to create a website on the Internet. Having no knowledge of technology, I sought help from my wife, Helen. She created and maintains this website, all of which is a mystery to me.
Helen and I married in June 1971 and we live in Dearborn, Michigan. She earned a doctorate in Education and had a long career as a classroom teacher, Staff Development Leader, Mathematics & Science Consultant, and Executive Director at an Educational Service Agency.