St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Bagley celebrated the life of St. Thomas, the patron saint of architects, on his feast day with an article in its June 28 bulletin. 

St. Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles, was known to be a loyal but impulsive follower of Jesus Christ. Thomas was believed to have pressured the other Apostles to join Jesus on a dangerous trip to visit Jesus' sick friend Lazarus in Judea. At the time, the authorities were exhibiting growing malice where Jesus and the Apostles could have been killed.

When Jesus prepared for the last meal before he was crucified on the cross, Thomas said he didn't understand what Jesus meant when Christ said he was preparing someplace for them to join him since they knew where and how to get there. Jesus assured Thomas that Christ is the way, the truth and the life.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church | stjosephsbagley.org

St. Thomas was probably most famously known for his part in confirming that Jesus had risen from the dead. He didn't believe it when the other Apostles said they saw Jesus on what is now known to be the first Easter Sunday. He was given the nickname "doubting Thomas" because he refused to believe Jesus had risen.

It wasn't until eight days later that Thomas was given the evidence he wanted, which included seeing Jesus' hands and the holes where nails had been placed to hold him to the cross, plus the cut in his side, when he acknowledged Christ had risen. 

These stories were all told in the New Testament. St. Thomas was often pictured as a young man holding a scroll or touching Jesus' injuries. 

St. Thomas is believed to have been killed when a fowler was attempting to kill a peacock. After he died, relics were taken to Edessa and India. Some of those artifacts are still at the San Thome Basilica in India today.  

Those that were in Edessa were moved to the Cathedral of St. Thomas the Apostle in Ortona, Italy. His skull is believed to be at the Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Patmos, Greece.