A Catholic missionary from Connecticut whose decades of service left a lasting mark on the Church in Peru may soon begin the formal journey toward sainthood.
The Diocese of Chiclayo is preparing to open the cause for the beatification and canonization of Monsignor Juan Tomis Stack, an American priest remembered for dedicating more than 20 years of his ministry to communities in northern Peru.
According to EWTN News, Bishop Edinson Farfán Córdova of Chiclayo announced the plans during an Aug. 4 Mass celebrating the feast of St. John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests.
Tomis holds a particularly meaningful place in the missionary history of Chiclayo. Pope Leo XIV, who served for years in Peru before his election to the papacy, has cited the American priest on various occasions as an important inspiration for his own missionary vocation.
“Everyone in our diocesan Church of Chiclayo knew Father Juan Tomis. I want to ask that we learn from him. If all goes well and the Lord accompanies and blesses us, the process for his beatification and canonization will begin before long,” Bishop Farfán said, according to EWTN News.
Born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Tomis left the United States to serve the Church in Peru, eventually ministering among communities facing serious poverty and limited infrastructure.
“How beautiful that he was born in those lands. He came from the United States to serve these communities in Santa Cruz — in the highlands — and later in our beloved Chiclayo, which holds him so dear,” Bishop Farfán said.
“I pray, through the intercession of St. John Vianney, that we may begin this process with joy, gratitude, and hope,” he added.
Tomis’ missionary story began in the 1960s, when Bishop Walter Curtis of Bridgeport sent priests to serve in Latin America. Journalist and researcher Larcery Díaz, speaking at the recent presentation of the Spanish edition of a book chronicling the Bridgeport mission in Peru, described the beginning of that mission as a decisive act of faith.
“The book tells us a story that began with a courageous ‘yes,’” Díaz said, according to EWTN News.
Among those who answered the missionary call was Tomis, whom Díaz described as “a young, enthusiastic priest of Slovak descent, filled with faith.”
The conditions awaiting the missionaries were difficult. In Santa Cruz, Cajamarca, they encountered communities without electricity or potable water, severely limited roads and widespread childhood malnutrition.
Tomis responded with both evangelization and concrete works of service. According to EWTN News, he helped advance road construction, encouraged priestly vocations, assisted in establishing a clinic for the poor and worked to recover Church property that had been illegally occupied.
“Upon arriving during a cold winter, the missionaries faced a reality very different from what they had envisioned. Yet, it was their perseverance that allowed the seed of the Gospel to bear fruit on Peruvian soil,” Díaz said.
The mission later moved to Chiclayo, where Tomis founded St. John Vianney Parish in 1967.
His vision extended beyond constructing a parish institution. Díaz said Tomis sought to create what he called a “parish family,” building community through charity and personal relationships.
“He did not want just an institution, but a ‘parish family.’ His tools were active charity and human kindness,” Díaz explained.
That approach led to numerous pastoral, educational and charitable efforts. According to EWTN News, Tomis helped develop programs for children, Scout troops, medical clinics, libraries, religious music festivals and televised celebrations of the Mass.
“Father Juanʼs work transformed Chiclayo. That is undeniable,” Díaz said.
Recognition of his ministry eventually reached Rome. In 1979, Pope St. John Paul II bestowed upon Tomis the title of monsignor.
Tomis died on June 29, 1986. The depth of the community’s affection for the missionary priest became unmistakable at his funeral.
According to EWTN News, approximately 20,000 people joined the procession through Chiclayo to bid farewell to the priest who had devoted so much of his life to them.
“The outpouring of people from the entire community was spontaneous,” Díaz recalled.
“I can still see the thousands upon thousands of white handkerchiefs fluttering in the wind, bidding him a final farewell,” he said.
Díaz remembered Tomis as “a priest who came to fulfill his duty, always bringing a delicate touch of tenderness, a warm spirit of love for his neighbor, and an unwavering devotion to the needy and the downtrodden.”
Four decades after his death, that legacy may now enter a new chapter as the Church examines his life and Christian witness through the formal canonization process.
For Catholics in Chiclayo, however, the story of Juan Tomis is already deeply woven into the history of their local Church — a missionary who crossed continents, embraced a people far from his birthplace and sought to make the Gospel visible through service.
As Díaz said while reflecting on Tomis’ legacy, “This book stands as a testament to how the love of God, when translated into service, can change the history of a community.”
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