It is my joy as well as my duty to address you for whom I labor, the members, guests and families of St. Thomas More Catholic Church.

A year has ended and another has begun, and our human caravan moves upward and onward as Christ would have it: Where He leads, we follow. But before we get too far down the road, I want to pause here and look back to where we began in 2019. It gives us all a shared perspective to evaluate how far we have come together, and God willing, the courage and enthusiasm for the road ahead, though we cannot see the way.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well.  You know the way to the place where I am going.

“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ (John 14: 1, 5-6)
 

We exceeded all expectations because we outdid ourselves. Success is not roulette; it comes from setting difficult, worthy goals and surpassing them. This is true in our personal lives, our work lives and of course in our lives of Faith in Christ. The big difference is that we don’t claim all the credit for ourselves, but give the greater glory and honor to Christ, without Whom we can
do nothing. It’s a team sport, even if it is a personal best. So let’s be like that athlete who scores a perfect 10, who sinks the winning basket or rushes for a First Down: Hands up to Our God above, to Him be the glory for what we have been able to do in His Name and with His grace. 

 

DIOCESAN SERVICES APPEAL 2019

Bishop Gerald Barbarito set the Annual Diocesan Services Appeal 2019 Goal for St. Thomas More Church at

$328,000.00.

As of December 22, 2019

We raised:
$417.852.86
 

867 Donors contributed to the DSA 2019.
According to the bishop’s program, St. Thomas More
Church will receive 50% back of the overage to the parish

for surpassing our goal:

$44,926.43
 

This is our seed money for the DSA 2020 goal

$318,000.00.

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The Annual Bishop’s Appeal is the primary source of funding for all of the ministries and the charities of the Catholic Church in 5 counties. This includes room/board and education of Seminarians and formation for Permanent Deacons; Catholic Charities,
Office of Evangelization, Marriage and Family Life, Pro-Life Action, Birthline/Lifeline as an alternative to abortion, Pregnancy Care, emergency housing for the homeless and refuge for those in domestic abuse, prison ministry, Catholic Schools and High Schools, College Campus Ministry and the thousands of people who are blessed by our witness to Christ.

These are not impersonal numbers, statistics and institutions, but represent a year of labor, love and ministry at St. Thomas More Church. Father Alex Vargas and I minister to you by sharing in the work and in the giving. We tithe of our salary, we contribute to
every event, we have given our lives to our Church and committed to being present here and available to you.  We lead by example and ask of you what we demand of ourselves. The Church’s major fundraisers are dedicated to the DSA. Every fish dinner that we sell during the Lenten Suppers, every car-raffle ticket, every song at our Christmas Concert, every plant and refreshment that we offer at the Arts and Crafts Festival contributed towards the DSA 2020 goal of $318,000.oo. I wish to
acknowledge and thank every member of a parish ministry or group, our STM Academy Teachers, our Confirmation Students, the St. Thomas More Staff and Maintenance Team who volunteered at the parish events and who sold tickets, Christmas Trees, vegetables in our Green Market and promoted the St. Joseph Feast, Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta, the Cancer Awareness Gala,
and the Broadway and Opera Musical Reviews. Seeing this in one place makes one realize how much goes on here, how people devote themselves to our Catholic Church and how very generous our parishioners and guests truly are year after year.\

Charity and the love of Christ begins at home and in the parish. The DSA does not in any replace our commitment and contributions to the worship of the Lord and His beautiful church, the care of souls, the care of the needy and the hungry, the comfort of the sick and the consolation of the dying that make up the daily life of priest and parishioner at St. Thomas More Church.
This weekend begins the Diocesan Services Appeal 2020 campaign. We have already made an excellent start on the goal of $318,000.00. You will receive a DSA Brochure in the mail if you gave last year or receive one this weekend from one of my staff or ushers. None may give all, but each can give something to help us reach the goal. I am confident that with your help, prayers and contributions we will again meet and exceed expectations, for that is the very nature of the high calling we share in Christ: to make it over the goal, leaving no one behind, and always stretching forward to grasp the hand of Jesus.

Father Julian P. Harris, Pastor