Sarah Thomas was 12 years old when she learned her father was a Roman Catholic priest. Her mother, who had kept the secret for years, finally revealed the truth in 1990. Sarah's parents met as mature students in 1970s London, and her mother became pregnant after a two-year relationship. The priest ended the relationship upon learning of the pregnancy and never spoke to her mother again without a church representative present.
A senior priest suggested Sarah's mother go away to the seaside until the baby was born and give it up for adoption, but she refused. The church allowed Sarah's father to continue as a priest on condition of secrecy. Sarah grew up in a housing association flat in south-east London, unaware of her father's identity until her mother told her the truth.
At 14, Sarah finally met her father, accompanied by a Catholic counsellor. She wore her favourite turquoise and white tie-dye jeans from Camden Market, but the meeting was cold and awkward. Her father told her he would not see her again for four years. 'I went in there thinking we were going to be best friends, but he was very aloof and cold,' Sarah recalled.
The rejection left deep scars. Sarah spent years trying to establish a relationship with her father, but he remained distant. It took a near-death experience for her to overcome the pain of his rejection. She now speaks about her experience to raise awareness of the challenges faced by children of Catholic priests.
