Meet Thomas Slosky

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Thomas Slosky. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Thomas below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Thomas with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

From obedience and discipline.
From the belief that work, done faithfully and without complaint, is a form of prayer.
From the duty to use one’s gifts fully, to labor with attention, humility, and constancy, and to leave the results to God.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My work centers on service to people in concrete situations. I serve as an Orthodox priest, a licensed professional counselor, and a chaplain in the Army National Guard. Each role involves listening, presence, and responsibility, whether in parish life, clinical work, or military service.

In parish ministry, I teach, preach, and provide pastoral care. In counseling, I work with individuals and families on matters related to discernment, stability, and change. In the military, I serve soldiers and their families by offering counsel, support, and ethical guidance in demanding environments.

Professionally, my focus is on formation over time. I am interested in how people carry responsibility, sustain commitment, and remain grounded in faith and duty. My current work continues to develop in the areas of counseling, pastoral care, and leadership support.

What I would want readers to know is that my work is based on trust, discretion, and consistency. I take seriously the responsibility of being present to people at important moments in their lives.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, three things stand out as most formative in my journey.

First, the ability to listen well. Real listening takes patience, restraint, and practice. It means learning to stay present without rushing to fix or advise. For those early in their journey, spend time listening to people who are older than you, people who disagree with you, and people who are carrying real responsibility. That kind of listening forms judgment.

Second, discipline. Not motivation, but steady discipline over time. Showing up consistently, keeping commitments, and doing ordinary work well matters more than intensity or talent. Build simple routines, respect structure, and let time do its work. Most formation happens quietly.

Third, grounding in tradition and sound knowledge. Whether in theology, counseling, or leadership, depth comes from submitting yourself to something larger than personal preference. Read carefully, learn from teachers who have been tested, and resist the urge to reinvent what has already been handed down.

For those early on, my advice is to be patient with the process. Seek formation, not shortcuts. Choose faithfulness over visibility. Give yourself to work that asks something of you, and allow yourself to be shaped by it.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

No single person, but a small number of people, my wife, children, family, teachers, priests, supervisors, and senior leaders who were willing to be honest with me and demand consistency. They corrected me when needed, set clear expectations, and modeled what faithful work looks like over time.

What mattered most was not advice but example. Watching how they handled pressure, authority, failure, and responsibility taught me more than any formal instruction. I also learned a great deal from people I was serving, who made clear through their lives what was needed and what was not.

I am grateful to those who took their roles seriously and did not try to impress. Their steadiness and willingness to hold others to account shaped the way I work and lead.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stmarysorthodoxwv.org/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-slosky-12916133b/
• Other: https://www.sloskywellness.com/