Which son of J.R.R. Tolkien became a Roman Catholic priest?

John Tolkien, J.R.R. Tolkien’s eldest son, became a Roman Catholic priest.

John Francis Reuel Tolkien was ordained in 1946. He later served in parish ministry and became involved in Catholic education, including work connected with the Catholic school founded at Our Lady of Mercy in Birmingham. His vocation reflected the importance of Roman Catholicism in the Tolkien family.

John is sometimes confused with Christopher Tolkien because Christopher became the principal editor and literary custodian of his father’s posthumous writings. Michael Tolkien served in the Royal Air Force and wrote about his wartime experiences, while Simon Tolkien became a novelist and barrister. The four sons had different careers, and John’s priesthood is the distinctive biographical fact that identifies him in this question.