\nHe grew up rural county Tipperary, in a family with strong military ties. His grandfather fought in Gallipoli, while his great uncle was at the battle of Thessalonica during the first World War.
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![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.hellenic.ie\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Father_Tom-300x169.jpg\")
\nGrowing up in a Catholic secondary school, he felt called to take holy orders but was told he was not ready, so he followed the family tradition and joined the military.
\n\u201cWe seem to be a family that was always involved militarily. There was discipline among us, but the rules were not too strict. Yet, I could never consider myself a free spirit,\u201d he recalls.
\nIt was while serving in Cyprus with the UN in the 1960s that Father Carroll\u2019s life, vocation and future were set on a path that led him to a narrow brick-built church in the centre of Dublin. A church which stands out from others in the city because of richly gilded decorated screen which separates the altar from the nave, but also because it is orthodox.
\nTo prevent its servicemen being influenced in anyway, the UN did not permit any interaction between them and either communities. However, Father Thomas could not entirely follow the discipline, that both the peace keeping forces and his family have edified him.
\n\u201cI had a few acquaintances with Cypriots, but the only person that I had a lot of communication with, was a Greek orthodox priest in a village,\u201d he recounts. Father Thomas would meet up with him on a regular basis, to talk about theology and argue regarding everything around it.
\n\u201cWe often could not agree on anything, but he left a lasting impression on me,\u201d he continues.
\nThat prompted him to explore the Orthodox religion further, but when he returned to Ireland there were only a handful of Greeks and Cypriots living in the country. They did not have an established community, so nobody could help him.
\nIt was only when the Archbishop of Great Britain Methodios, established the first parish in Ireland in 1981, that became possible for him to talk to people with the same interest.
\nPrior to this he had contacted the Greek Orthodox archdioceses in London, but nobody responded to his letters. \u201cThey probably thought that I was some guy seeking only information,\u201d Father Thomas says.
\nWhen the parish has been established by Methodios, a friend happened to mention it to him by chance. He then got around there straightaway, but it took him another 5 years before he decided to make the \u201cbig jump\u201d and convert.
\n\u201cI eventually became an Orthodox in 1986, so I do not do anything in a hurry as you see,\u201d he jokes. \u201cBut after that, I was committed. I took early retirement from my job in 1996 and went to study theology for 5 years.\u201d
\nAfter the conclusion of his studies, he initially served as a deacon for four years in his new parish, before eventually becoming a priest. And to him it is a vocation, not his profession.
\nUltimately, it was the outward portrayal and the beautiful liturgies of the orthodox dogma, that attracted him to it. \u201cI came from the tradition that initially the Catholic Church came from, with many similarities in liturgy and rituals. But after the Second Vatican Council in the \u201860s, everything changed and became more simplified,\u201d the priest explains.
\nFor Father Thomas, the traditional poignant ceremonies had been stripped from the Catholic faith. Services had become to some extend \u201cprotestantized\u201d in the method of worship, minimalised. So, he realised that it was not for him.
\nThis inevitably left a big hole in his spiritual life, that he couldn\u2019t relate to this new situation in the Catholic Church. \u201cThis is where Orthodoxy entered my life and gave me something tangible to hold on to. Something about the church itself, its layout, the rituals even the smell of incense, would grab you straight away,\u201d he describes.
\nAt the time, among the Orthodox community in Ireland, there were about 20 nationalities. The original parish was founded for all orthodox Christians within the island of Ireland, regardless of any jurisdictions.
\nAs immigration increased into Ireland, many of these new arrivals established their own communities and Father Thomas\u2019 parish eventually became primarily Greek. The community has grown in recent years due to the increasing emigration from Greece, thus the future of his parish looks secure.
\nFor Father Thomas, a church is a living thing and must adapt to society, rather than society adapting to it. Another reason why he admires the Greek Orthodox Church, is because it reaches out to every nationality.
\n\u201cAll Greek orthodox archdioceses in the UK, have up to 30% clergy that is non-Greek, thus the liturgies are commonly English speaking. Other jurisdictions like the Romanian or Russian, are operating in their language solely for their own people,\u201d he says.
\nThe priest believes that breaking down language and nationality barriers is very important for a modern religion, especially when attracting young individuals.
\nOtherwise they could be at the mercy of fundamentalist evangelical churches, while others may become attracted to radical Islam. \u201cThey are giving them something to live for, when often they have nothing,\u201d claims Father Thomas.
\nHe is the only one who converted to Greek orthodoxy in his family. \u201cIt did not make any difference to most of them, but I think today they would be happy with my choices,\u201d he says.
\n\u201cIf you asked me how Ireland is responding to a church of different dogma about 50 years ago, there would be quite hostile reaction to it. Now nobody cares. At the last count, there were about 130 different religions the country, most of them established during the past 15 years,\u201d Father Thomas explains.
\nAbout 50% of those are ethnic African churches. \u201cBut the people of Ireland are accepting all religions in their country now. Maybe the reason is that most of them do not go to the church themselves,\u201d he continues.
\n\u201cYoung people particularly, who are carrying on the catholic faith in Ireland, have absolutely no animosity to anybody outside this tradition,\u201d he concludes.
\nFather Thomas is one example of a man, who did not just follow a religion due to family, community or national traditions. He researched, reached out and when the time was right, he found what was best for him.
\nBy Christos Mouzeviris.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"