Justice Clarence Thomas talks about how spending time in church brought him through a difficult time

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is known as a man of faith. Early in his life, he briefly attended Conception Seminary College, a Roman Catholic seminary in northwest Missouri. He also was an assistant Missouri attorney general under John Ashcroft.

During a recent speech for a chapel dedication at Hillsdale College, however, he shared that he questioned his faith during a difficult time when he was in his 30s.

“I was in the midst of one of the darkest periods of my life,” he said. “I felt like I had nowhere to turn.”

He found solace in the church, where he was able to be one with God and pray for healing.

“Unlike the tumultuous world around me, the church building provided a place of peace, a sanctuary from the turmoils of my life,” he said. “Within those walls, with God’s help and grace, I was able to elevate my thoughts beyond my circumstances and self-absorption, and set my mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Spending time reading the Bible and praying revitalized his faith.

“God used those times of prayer and meditation to rekindle the flame of faith in my life,” Thomas said. “I am a changed man today, and God began that transformation in a holy place, a sanctuary.”

He encourages others to learn from his example.

“The primary purpose of a chapel is to provide a place where man can enter the presence of God,” he said. “Chapels provide that sacred space for stillness and an encounter with the divine. Our deepest needs are met through God, who is near to the broken hearted, the wretched and the lonely.”

–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice