He was reported as being amidst the throng of trapped passengers on the ship's rear deck in its final moments of descent, audibly praying.

While at Oxford, Byles converted to the Church of England and later, like his younger brother William had done before, to the Roman Catholic faith, taking the name Thomas.

He said Mass on 14 April, the morning of the sinking and the Octave of Easter (now known as Divine Mercy Sunday), for both second-and third-class passengers in their respective lounges.

Toward the end he recited the Rosary and other prayers, heard confessions[3][4] and gave absolution to more than a hundred passengers who remained trapped on the stern of the ship after all of the lifeboats had been launched.

[6] In April 2015, Graham Smith, the current priest of St Helen's Church, with support of Bishop Alan Williams of the Diocese of Brentwood, initiated the first steps toward declaring Byles a saint.