A push for the Roman Catholic Church to beatify a courageous priest who went down with the Titanic appears to have stalled, but that doesn’t diminish his heroic actions. Father Thomas Byles and two other priests sacrificed their own lives as they chose to remain on board with those doomed to die, offering them blessings, prayers, and absolution. All three rejected offers to get on a lifeboat.
Father Graham Smith who leads Father Byles’s former parish of St. Helen’s in Ongar, England launched a campaign to honour “an extraordinary man who gave his life for others” with a sainthood.
On Sunday, April 14th, 1912, Father Byles celebrated Mass aboard the Titanic, just four days into its historic maiden voyage and preached a homily about using prayer as your life vest, and the sacraments to save your soul in a spiritual shipwreck. That night the so-called ‘super ship’ struck an iceberg.
As though he was the captain himself, Father Byles remained on the ship to hear confessions and offer prayers. A survivor recalled: “We saw before us, coming down the passageway, with his hand uplifted, Father Byles. Be calm, my good people, he said, and then he went about the steerage giving absolution and blessings. A few around us became very excited, and the priest again raised his hand and instantly they were calm once more. The passengers were immediately impressed by the absolute self-control of the priest.”
Father Byles was joined by Father Juozas Montvila from Lithuania who was fleeing Tsarist rule in Russia and Father Josef Peruschitz from Germany who was heading to a new job as a school principal in Minnesota.
Eyewitnesses recounted how passengers, particularly Catholics and many who didn’t speak English, sought the presence of the priests in their hour of need. The priests led prayers, administered sacraments, and provided solace as the Titanic went down along with just over 1,500 passengers and crew.
Christian Today reports Father Byles who was a convert to Catholicism, was hailed as a martyr by Pope Pius X for his unwavering dedication to his faith and his fellow passengers. He had been travelling to the US for the wedding of his brother. A plaque at his former parish commemorates his “heroic death in the disaster” and notes that he “earnestly devoted his last moments to providing religious consolation to his fellow passengers.”
A memorial at Father Peruschitz’s former monastery in Bavaria reads: “May Joseph Peruschitz rest in peace, who on the ship Titanic piously sacrificed himself.”
There have also been efforts towards the canonisation of Father Montvila who had faced persecution for his ministry in Lithuania under the Russian Empire, as a testament to the enduring impact of his bravery and compassion.
At least two miracles must be attributed to someone to be recognised as a saint which may prevent the honour being bestowed on the Titanic priests. On the 100th anniversary of the ocean disaster, Father Graham Smith from the Ongar parish in Essex told the BBC: “We hope people around the world will pray to Father Byles if they are in need and, if a miracle occurs, then beatification and then canonisation can go forward.”
Even if it doesn’t, their sacrifice and humanity will long be remembered.
