Fr. CummingsFather Thomas W. Cummings, SJ, died Aug. 9 in St. Louis. He was 81 years old, a Jesuit for 64 years and a priest for 51 years. A lifelong educator, Father Cummings touched the lives of thousands of students at Saint Louis University High School, Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo., and Regis University.
A memorial Mass was celebrated Aug. 20 at St. Francis Xavier (“College”) Church. Father Cummings donated his body to science.
He was born in St. Louis on Oct. 3, 1938, to L. Herbert and Juanita Tyler Cummings. After graduating from St. Louis University High School in 1956, he entered the Society of Jesus in Florissant and pronounced first vows on Aug. 15, 1958. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 4, 1969, at St. Francis Xavier Church and pronounced his final vows on Feb. 3, 1978, at Saint Louis University High School.
Father Cummings earned multiple degrees from Saint Louis University: a bachelor of arts and a licentiate in philosophy, a master’s degree in English literature, and both a master’s degree in theology and a licentiate in sacred theology.
His first classroom assignment was at Rockhurst High School, where he taught from 1963-66. He would return to Rockhurst two more times: from 1970-76 as an English teacher and from 1985-93, when he served as president.
He was appointed president of Saint Louis University High School in 1977, the youngest president in the school’s 200-year history, and he remained in that role until 1985, when he was assigned to Rockhurst.
In 1994, Father Cummings moved to Denver to work in campus ministry and teaching at Regis University. He remained until 2003. For most of this time he was also the superior of the Xavier Jesuit Center. In 2003, he returned to St. Louis to become superior of the SLUH Jesuit Community and to teach theology. With the exception of one year’s sabbatical at Xavier in Denver (2008-09), Father Cummings remained at SLUH until 2013, when health issues dictated his move to the Jesuit retirement community at Jesuit Hall in St. Louis.
Father Cummings’s love for language and gift for storytelling made him a compelling teacher and a riveting speaker. Under his leadership, SLUH undertook a renovation and beautification of the campus, culminating in a new athletic stadium. Similarly, he helped revitalize Rockhurst High. But however high-energy and successful he was as a leader and fundraiser, he said his priesthood meant more to him than anything else; he brought God’s radiant smile to countless families in moments of both celebration and grief.
He is survived by his brother Richard and his twin sisters Linda Duffy Ingram and Barbara (Kerry) Kreikemeier.