Thomas was brought up in Louisiana as a Methodist. In his early years, he was very anti-Catholic. While in the military, he was drawn to the Catholic faith, through the witness of a Catholic convert. He discovered the beauty of the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. After he married a Catholic girl, he became convinced of the truth of the Catholic Church. Thomas was received into the Church in 1959. Thomas wrote the book, Uncle Jeb and the Spirit.