September 30 , 2021 The Beacon • 43

Josie Sellers

Father Tom Gardner and his dog Benny are excited to be part of Sacred Heart Catholic Church .

By Josie Sellers

Father Tom Gardner is excited to be in Coshocton at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and helping people grow closer to God .

Gardner grew up on the east side of Columbus and was ordained in May 2015 . He felt called to ministry while attending the Ohio State University .

“ I decided to dive deeper into my faith when I was in college and became part of a really great Catholic organization ,” Gardner said . “ I was telling God what I wanted to do , but then a switch flipped , and I started listening to what God was calling me to do .”

Gardner graduated with a degree in technology education , which was helpful during the pandemic and being able to livestream masses . This is his fourth assignment since being ordained . He previously served at churches in Scioto County , in Hilliard near Columbus and in Tuscarawas County .

“ As a young priest I ’ ve gotten moved a lot ,” Gardner said . “ What ’ s neat though is that I ’ ve gotten to serve people who haven ’ t had the same experience I have or whose lives are different than mine was .”

He started at Sacred Heart in July and has really enjoyed being part of a small town .

“ Most of the time small towns have a great sense of community and connectedness ,” Gardner said .

Joining Gardner in Coshocton is his dog Benny .

“ I didn ’ t grow up with a dog , but I ’ ve always been a dog person ,” he said . “ I ’ ll go get Benny after church , and oftentimes , people will say hi to him first before me . People love pets . It ’ s a way for people to open up and me to make myself more accessible .”

Benny even has his own section in the church bulletin .

“ Years ago there was another priest who wrote an article from the perspective of

his cat ,” Gardner said . “ It ’ s a way to engage with readers of the bulletin and spice it up . It grabs people ’ s attention . I really enjoyed creative writing in school .”

In addition to writing his column , Gardner , who is 34 , is looking forward to reaching out to younger people in the area and planning a Guadalupe festival for December .

“ I want to look for ways to be more out there in the community ,” he said . “ There are a lot of needs here , but my main goal is to help people grow in their faith and know Jesus better .”

Masses are held Saturdays at 5 p . m . and Sundays at 8 and 10:30 a . m . at Sacred Heart . For more information visit www . sacredheartcoshocton . org .

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