Thomas McVeigh “Mac” Smith (1936–2021)

Thomas McVeigh Smith was a Catholic priest and theologian who held various positions within the Diocese of Little Rock before leaving the priesthood to start a private counseling service. He also claimed to have received, starting in 1977, numerous messages from the Virgin Mary, but the Catholic Church never rendered any decision on the purported supernatural character of these apparitions.

Thomas McVeigh “Mac” Smith was born on April 20, 1936, in Little Rock (Pulaski County) to Hugh Randolph Smith and Louise Mattingly Smith; he had three brothers. His father, a native of Kentucky, worked for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Smith’s maternal grandfather, Thomas W. Mattingly, had assisted Bishop John Baptist Morris with the establishment of the Southern Guardian newspaper (later called the Guardian and then the Arkansas Catholic) and served as a diocesan bookkeeper and accountant. Smith attended Our Lady of the Holy Souls School and Catholic High School for Boys. Both of his parents died in 1954, and he was raised by an aunt and uncle. While at Catholic High, he played football, basketball, and baseball, being selected the all-state quarterback in 1954. After graduation, he was recruited by Louisiana State University’s football team, and he attended the university from 1955 to 1957 before transferring to the University of Southwestern Louisiana for a year.

In the fall of 1958, he enrolled in St. John’s Seminary in Little Rock, having decided to become a priest. While at seminary, he also studied during summers at what is now the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and at Catholic University of America in Washington DC. He later undertook graduate studies.

Smith was ordained in Little Rock on May 30, 1964, at St. Andrew’s Cathedral; he subsequently held a variety of positions, including pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hot Springs (Garland County) at a time when the state was starting to tackle the problem of illegal gambling in the city. Smith later served as associate director of Catholic Social Services for the diocese and taught theology at Catholic High School.

He later decided to leave the priesthood, and, in 1979, he began two years in the position of executive director for CONTACT, an international telephone ministry endorsed by Bishop Andrew McDonald. He then served as executive director for the Office of Economic Opportunity in Little Rock, being responsible for efforts to mitigate poverty in Pulaski County.

On October 3, 1981, Smith married Fay Isabelle Cantzler Trent; they had one son and one daughter.

The September 9, 1983, issue of the Guardian (forerunner to the Arkansas Catholic) includes an advertisement stating, “Psychiatry Associates, P. A. announces the association of Thomas McVeigh Smith, M.S. for individual and family counseling by appointment only.” In the September 13, 1997, issue of the Arkansas Catholic, he is advertised as the co-founder of Eagles Wings Counseling Center, leading a “charismatic retreat” for Little Portion Hermitage.

Smith reportedly began receiving messages from the Virgin Mary (known to Smith as Our Lady of the Most Precious Blood) while in Little Rock on January 28, 1977, and they continued for the rest of his life. However, Church authorities never rendered a decision about the supposed veracity of his experiences, and Catholic writers who have examined the content of the messages have not found them convincing, given that they refer to the Freemasons, Illuminati, the mafia, “One World Order,” and other components of conspiracy theories.

Smith died on September 2, 2021, in Little Rock. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery.

For additional information:
“CONTACT Seeking Volunteers.” Guardian, July 13, 1979, p. 8.

Conte, Ronald L., Jr. “Claims of Private Revelation: True or False? An Evaluation of the Claimed Messages and Apparitions to Thomas Mac Smith at Washington, Louisiana, and Villa Platte, and Other Locations.” Catholic Planet, March 24, 2010. https://catholicplanet.com/apparitions/false100.htm (accessed May 30, 2025).

“Father Smith Sings First Solemn Mass at Holy Souls.” Guardian, June 5, 1964, p. 2.

“New Priest’s Family Roots Range Deep in Arkansas Catholicism.” Guardian, June 5, 1964, p. 8.

Obituary of Thomas “Mac” Smith. https://ruebelfuneralhome.com/obits/preview.php?id=2928 (accessed May 30, 2025).

“Thomas McVeigh ‘Mac’ Smith.” Find a Grave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/231794001/thomas-mcveigh-smith (accessed May 30, 2025).

“Two Young Men Receive Holy Orders at Cathedral.” Guardian, June 5, 1964, pp. 1, 2.

Staff of the CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas