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Fr. Shane Tharp: Formerly Unchurched

May 4, 2015 4 Comments

Father Shane was raised by a single mother. His parents divorced when he was six months old. His mother had been brought up Catholic but it wasn’t a good experience for her. His father was almost every religion until the end of his life when he died in the grace of Christ in the Catholic Church. In consequence, Shane was raised with absolutely no religious instruction or influence. His mother wasn’t anti-church, it was just not a topic of conversation. Shane’s first exposure to the story of salvation came to him through watching The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on TV. By high school and college he didn’t have any focus or direction for his life. He was looking for the truth but could not find it. He discovered the fullness of the Truth and his calling in life when he discovered the Catholic Church of Jesus Christ.  

Sadly, Fr. Shane Ian Tharp suffered a massive heart attack and died Friday evening, Oct. 16, 2015,  while on retreat with other priests of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. May he rest in peace!  JDA