Fr. Gabriel Thomas Mosher, O.P.

Jason Mosher was born on October 22, 1979 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As the oldest child he often thought of himself as "thoroughly spoiled." He was raised Catholic until the age of seven, when his parents divorced. He attended public schools, played soccer, and was a typical child of the 1980s.

"In those years my faith was like an old tennis racket. It was something that I owned, kept in the garage, probably swung a few times a year and promptly returned for another year of neglect," he notes.

Eventually he decided that he wanted to be a Marine, and enrolled in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University. Then in 1999, while preparing for the University's annual bonfire, he was struck by the fragility of life when the structure collapsed killing 13 people and injuring many more. He began to fail his studies and decided to return home.

He got a job, moved in with his grandparents, and with their support, received Communion for the first time, after participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. "It was there in RCIA that I first strongly felt a call to the priesthood."

That same year, he began studies with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. He was sent to Holy Apostles College & Seminary for philosophy, and then to Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon for theological studies. He met many wonderful young men, also discerning the priesthood, but because of a series of personal trials, decided to leave the seminary.

He returned to New Mexico and began working for the Knights of Columbus as the local insurance agent. He met a young women whom he began to date, and considered getting married. But while visiting New York for a friend's ordination, he felt God speak to his heart in such a profound way that he was filled with a certainty that he was called to the single life. "There was something lacking in the relationship," he says. "It was in that lack that I found God's will."

The future friar returned home, ended the relationship, and began to discern God's call. During many hours of Eucharistic Adoration, he realized that he could best serve as a teacher and a preacher. "Immediately I thought of the Dominicans, because they had been in my life the whole time, and I had never really looked at them before. The parish where I had RCIA was staffed by Dominican Sisters, my current parish was named for St. Thomas Aquinas, and my spiritual directors at both seminaries had been Dominicans...The light began to shine in the dimness of my mind, and so I looked into the Order of Preachers...When I came to visit the Province for the first time, I felt like I was coming home for the first time."

In 2007, our brother received the Dominican habit, along with his new name, Gabriel Thomas. A year later he professed first vows and on May 30, 2015, he was ordained to the priesthood.

"My godfather, a good priest, once told me that, 'God calls you who you are as you are.' So I asked God what gifts he had given me that I could use in His service...Now I am here in the Order of Preachers, keeping my eyes fixed on the Crucifix, covered in the mantle of Our Lady, seeking the mercy of God for the salvation of souls."

Fr. Gabriel's first assignment as a priest will be at Holy Rosary Church in Portland, Oregon.

To see photos from Fr. Gabriel's Ordination and Masses of Thanksgiving, visit our photo gallery.