Fr. Thomas Franks, OFM Cap. is New College Chaplain
Fr. Franks is the newest member of Manhattan College’s campus community.
Fr. Thomas Franks, OFM Cap., has been appointed Manhattan College’s new chaplain. As chaplain, he will provide direction, guidance and pastoral care for the liturgical, sacramental and spiritual life of the campus community.
“I look forward to being of service in collaboration with leaders in Campus Ministry and Social Action, Student Services and the College’s administration to foster a lively faith that serves as the foundation for daily life,” Fr. Franks said. “I know the presence of the chaplain in the daily life of the campus can greatly enhance the experience of faith in this formative stage of students’ lives.”
Fr. Franks has been the pastor of the Roman Catholic Church of Holy Cross and Saint John the Baptist in midtown Manhattan for the past two years. Prior to the merger of the two churches, he was pastor of Saint John the Baptist from 2011-15 and was parochial vicar from 2008-11.
He has served in numerous leadership positions within the church in New York City. He was a missionary of mercy during the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016, with faculties conferred by Pope Francis. Since 2012, he has been the deputy chief chaplain of the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Fr. Franks also has served as a rector at the Shrine of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina and has been a pilgrimage chaplain on trips to Italy, Germany and the Holy Land.
Fr. Franks received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and philosophy from Fordham University in 2003, when he graduated summa cum laude and was the class valedictorian. He earned his Master of Divinity in sacramental theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology.
He entered the Capuchin order in 1998 and was ordained into the priesthood in 2008.