The Rev. Thomas Meersman, a longtime Catholic priest in Salt Lake City, died Sept. 22, 1991, of an apparent heart attack. He was 69.
The Rev. Meersman was known throughout the state for his friendliness and sense of humor.For 25 years he served as chaplain at the Utah State Prison, counseling a number of death-row inmates. He also served for many years as chaplain to the Veterans Administration Hospital and as national chaplain to the Disabled American Veterans.
The Rev. Meersman was known to non-Catholics through his long-running TV program, "From the Cathedral," his KSL radio program on Sunday mornings and his interdenominational Downtown Devotional Services - an interfaith organization he founded of Catholics, Jews, Presbyterians and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The reverend was ordained July 18, 1954, in Rome, deciding to become a priest after reading "The Life of The Little Saint - St. Theresa Lusux."
The Rev. Meersman was an Air Force captain during World War II and was shot down over Germany on his 33rd B-17 mission. Injured after he parachuted from his burning bomber, the Rev. Meersman was captured by German soldiers and held in a prisoner-of-war camp for more than a year. He said he didn't even think about becoming a priest during the ordeal. "I just thought about getting out and food. We thought a lot about food."
The Rev. Meersman was born outside of Nauvoo, Ill., an ironic twist he often spoke of. Nauvoo was an early settlement of the LDS Church, and the Rev. Meersman served all of his priestly duties in Utah, now the headquarters of the LDS Church.
The reverend was a frequent visitor to the Utah State Prison, providing calendars to inmates since the mid-1960s. "I've spent more time at the prison than most of the (inmates)," the Rev. Meersman once joked.
He counseled a number of men in their final hours before their execution at the institution. He played himself in the movie "Executioner's Song," the story of double murderer Gary Gilmore. The Rev. Meersman accompanied Gilmore to his firing squad and witnessed the execution.
The reverend served in a number of capacities in the local Catholic Diocese. He served as the priest to the Kearns parish early in his career and was made rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in 1982.