Yes. Finally in the home stretch. We all watched with wonder as what was once indiscernible as a House of God began to take fonn as our new St. Thomas More Catholic Church. As spring welcomed new life. we watched the Holy Spirit bring new life to the steel and concrete and glass structure that began to take shape before our eyes. Now we can almost picture the altar gracing our holy sanctum) . the crucifix rising above il. and St. Thomas More depicted in a beautiful tapestry keeping a watchful eye on the church that bears his name. We can c1H’i sion the Baptismal Font waiting to welcome those who begin their journey as baptized Catholics. the stained glass window in the Reconciliation Room bringing God’s own light into our space.
The Marian Shrine (a work still in progress) honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary. and the Memorial Garden outside our Daily Chapel where quiet prayer and meditation wiU bring us closer to our Maker. We ha,бc been blessed” ith man~. many memorials that arc a crucial part of making our Church build-out possible. Herc is one example of how some ha,бe come together to gi, e and to remember: a number of our Parishioners are honoring their dear!~ departed children by sponsoring oli,бe trees as a tribute to their loved ones. Brian Leahey. our Director of Construction. continues to conduct weekly tours of the Church. Even for those who explored the site when Brian first offered them in October. recent tours ha\’c brought awe and inspiration as what once could only be seen with the mind’s eye is now unfolding before us. A tour !nil) reinforces the fact that our dream is becoming reality.
The excitement builds and the question of the day is: ббwhen will we be able to enter the doors and worship our God in the wonderful new Church that wil I be our home for years 10 come?” I lere’s the good news. In the fall of this year, our doors will open for the first time and Bishop Robert McElroy will dedicate this holy space, blessing our Church and all who enter. What a glorious day that will be. Keep abreast of al I good news by reading the Sunday bulletins for more updates in the months to come. Grace is defined as both an elegance and beauty of form as m chann or fluidity, as well as a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior. I feel we can see grace woven into every facet of our Permanent Church … into each carefully thought out work of art, and in the palpable presence of the Holy Spirit- our superior, guide. and friend. For the past 12 years, Fr. Mike has led us on our journey to this holy space, by God’s Grace soon to be the permanent St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
In January we honored him as he celebrated the 40th anniversary of his priestly ordination. I le recently shared his thoughts about what has been and what is yet to come for St. Thomas More. бThis year we celebrate our 30th anniversary as a Parish. What a way to celebrate! We will move our fonnal worship of God from our Multipurpose Building, our Parish Center, to our new Permanent Church. Ir has been a long and challenging road these past thirty years, but it has been very rewarding. Along the way, we have come to realize that a church is not a building, but rather it is the people. What we are presently constructing is the building in which the Church will gather. And with that belief, we have become a very vibrant and alive Parish, serving not only our own Parishioners, but serving the wider community in which we find ourselves. A number of years ago, a Parishioner said to me: бwe already have the Church, the buildings will come!’ Now is the time for the buildings to come.
The new Church building will strengthen us and inspire us to continue to answer the call of Jesus to be Church! For all that has been, “Thank You!‘ For all that will be, “Yes!” — Fr. Mike
Please accept our apologies for type-o’s as this was computer-copied from a scanned historical document.