HONG KONG (SE): Father Thomas Anthony Peyton, a dedicated Maryknoll missionary for 67 years, who served the poor and marginalised in Hong Kong and South China for over 35 years, passed away peacefully on 9 May 2025, at 93, at the Skilled Nursing Unit at the Maryknoll Society Centre in New York.
Born on 19 September 1931, in San Mateo, California, he grew up in Los Angeles and attended Holy Spirit grammar school and Loyola High School. He was ordained a priest on 14 June 1958 after earning a Master’s in Religious Education from Maryknoll Seminary.
Father Peyton earned a doctorate in English from the University of Ottawa in 1963 and taught at Maryknoll seminaries and Williams College. His commitment to justice and service led him to the National Federation of Priests’ Councils (NFPC), where he served as Director of Ministry for Justice & Peace, advocating for greater social outreach among American clergy.
His heart gradually turned outward—toward the suffering he heard about overseas. In 1981, he requested his assignment to Hong Kong, marking the start of a transformative chapter in his priesthood. After a year and a half studying Cantonese and engaging in parish life, he founded St. Matthew’s Parish in Tuen Mun’s Butterfly Estate.
With humility, Father Peyton listened to local needs and launched services for marginalised families, including support for children with mental disabilities. His proximity to the forgotten shaped his ministry as he became a prison chaplain, visiting inmates weekly and providing hope and dignity. Father Peyton believed that a parish should serve the community, stating, “A parish is a point to serve the community.”
Father Peyton listened to local needs and launched services for marginalised families, including support for children with mental disabilities. His proximity to the forgotten shaped his ministry as he became a prison chaplain, visiting inmates weekly and providing hope and dignity
In 1994, Father Peyton began relief work in China’s leprosy-affected communities, visiting patients in twelve provinces and providing medical supplies along with companionship, always affirming human dignity. He collaborated with the China Apostolate to Lepers and Catholic relief networks, offering a model of resilience amidst suffering.
In 1988, he advocated for justice for Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong and was elected regional superior of Maryknoll’s Hong Kong Region twice, showing the respect he earned among peers. Assigned as parish priest of Christ the Worker Parish in 2000, he continued serving as an assistant priest and prison chaplain until retirement in 2011, remaining active in outreach to the elderly, ill, and homeless.
In 2012, he received the Hong Kong Humanity Award for prioritizing the marginalised. Father Peyton believed in practicing love through service, stating, “Love means serving the needy.” His mission was characterized by relentless compassion, impacting lives without seeking notoriety.
Even after returning to the US in late 2016, he remained eager to help those in need. Throughout his nearly 35 years in Hong Kong and China, Father Peyton embodied the Maryknoll spirit, serving the poor in various settings.
Remembering him honours a life dedicated to love, standing with the marginalised, and finding Christ in the margins.
There will be two wakes on May 15, at 9:15–9:45am [New York time], at the Holy Spirit Chapel [for Society Members living on the second floor only], and 10:00– 1:00am, Queen of Apostles Chapel.
The burial Mass will follow on May 15, at 11:00am, also at the Queen of Apostles Chapel.
