Fr. McLaughlin, former Ojai pastor, dies
Funeral Mass was held March 15, at St. Patrick Church in San Diego for Augustinian Father Thomas McLaughlin, who died March 6. Father McLaughlin, who served as a navigator in 25 flight missions over Germany during WWII, was the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Ojai from 1977-87.

A native of Ohio, Father McLaughlin graduated from St. Augustine High School, San Diego, in 1943, joining the service right after graduation. His plane was shot down over enemy territory during the war, and he was reported missing in action. His reappearance when liberated from the POW camp April 29, 1945, caused him to be nicknamed "Spook" by his family and friends.

In the fall of 1945, he entered the Augustinian seminary at Staten Island, New York and was ordained in Los Angeles on May 30, 1953. After two stints of teaching high school in Southern California, at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai and St. Augustine High School in San Diego, he became director of seminary students in San Francisco in 1971.

In 1975, he began a long career in parish ministry, first serving at St. Patrick, San Diego, later moving to Ojai to serve as pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas for a decade. From 1987-1993, he ministered at Our Lady of Grace Church in Castro Valley, California.

In the last few years of his priesthood, Father McLaughlin was the go-to person for any Augustinian parish whose priest needed a respite. According to his fellow Augustinians, his love for ministry was only surpassed by his love for the Augustinian community. Among his final words were repeated statements about how he loved ministering. Memorial donations may be sent to the Augustinian Guild.