Enrollment accepted for grades PK-12 starting on July 13! Detailed information on all our Religious Education & Youth Ministry programs can be found HERE.  We'd love to talk to you if you have questions (785-776-5151).

Tickets

Will be on sale starting August 1.  You can purchase tickets online, in the parish office, at the Parish Picnic (August 1) or following Masses August 15/16 and 29/30.  

Winning Prizes, Changing Lives

Contributions will provide funds to replenish Parish funds used to purchase the new Organ and to help address poverty in Riley County. This is your opportunity to help: Shepherd’s Crossing, STM Benevolence Fund, FIT Closet, Catholic Charities, Life Choice Ministries, St. Isidore’s Dollar Dinners, STM Youth Ministry and Religious Education, Be Able, and others as need arises in Riley County.

Hosted by the Thomas More Ladies & STM Outreach Committee

WINNERS

Will be posted here starting September 1.

The Salina Rescue Mission is a resident facility for men in transition in Salina, Kansas providing 76 beds each night, 365 days a year.  In addition, the Salina Rescue Mission provides over 50,000 meals yearly to women, men, children, and struggling families in the Salina community.  The mission receives no federal funding.  For more information visit:     https://salinarescuemission.com/

There is a constant need for men’s blue jeans and black slacks; used & slightly used as well as new jeans and black slacks.  The call is for men’s only; all waist and inseams lengths accepted.  The mission is in need now and as the winter months approach the need will become more acute.  Beginning Monday, August 3, there will be a container in the parish office entrance.  This appeal will end Monday, August 31, 2026.

For questions, contact Ken Culbertson (620-442-8819;  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Carolyn Dreiling-Culbertson (785-341-4075).

Want to learn some new recipes? Fr. Frank has got you covered! Join our pastor and well known chef, Fr. Frank Coady along with special guests as they test out some of Fr. Frank's favorite recipes.

Videos

Welcome to a new addition from our Diocese of Salina Communications Team! This newsletter is simply a way to keep you informed about some of the happenings in the diocese.

From the Diocese...

July 2026

June 2026

May 2026

April 2026

March 2026

February 2026

January 2026

December 2025

November 2025

October 2025

September 2025

August 2025

July 2025

June 2025

Updates

Current Principal Balance: Loan is Paid In Full

Loan Amount: $888,153.33

OUR LOAN IS PAID IN FULL!!!

Retiring the Debt

We have paid off our debt!  We sent the last payment to the diocese this month.  The debt was down to $106,000.  We had $150,000 left of the Covid money that we received a couple of years ago, so the finance council voted to use that money to retire the debt completely.

Thanks to all who generously contributed to this milestone.  A number of you had continued your campaign pledges for an extra year to help whittle down the principle on our loan.  Others made a donation whenever they could.  That helped us make our monthly payments without having to dip into the General Fund.

So, what is the Covid money?  Some time ago, the diocese informed us that we might be eligible for money to reimburse us for salary expenses during the pandemic.  The government wanted to keep people working during that time.  We applied, and received $162,000.  The finance council decided to set that aside in order to fill the gap whenever we were unable to make our full monthly payments on the loan.  We only had to dip into it twice, so we still had much of it left.  That is what we used to make the final payment on the loan.

Our original loan was $888,000.  As the capital campaign pledges were fulfilled, a large portion of that was paid back.  Thanks to your generosity, the rest was paid off in record time, saving us considerable money in interest.  Congratulations to all.

We urge you to consider continuing to give, even though the debt is paid.  You can transfer those gifts to the Capital Reserve account.  That account takes care of the various emergencies that come up with maintenance of the parish campus.  As our buildings age, we are facing regular expenses, such as replacement of equipment that ages out, grounds maintenance, etc.

Renovation & Loan Details

In the Fall of 2023 St Thomas More Parish borrowed approximately $889,000 from the Diocese of Salina at an interest rate of 4.25%.  This 10-year loan is being used to pay the construction costs on the renovation of our church.  If paid in equal monthly payments over those ten years, the interest alone was projected to be over $182,000.

The parish asked parishioners to make pledges to pay off the loan in a Capital Campaign called “Legacy of Faith”, or LofF for short.  Most pledges were set up over 3 years from mid-2023 to mid-2025 and have now been fulfilled.  Although the loan has not yet been paid off, we are making good progress with many parishioners generously continuing to make donations to the Capital Campaign fund. The current loan balance as of 1/15/2026 is $138,895.60.

Please prayerfully consider a gift to our renovation costs or extending your campaign pledge.  The sooner the parish can pay off the loan, the less interest we will have to pay.  If you would like to make a gift at this time, you may use the link below or send a check with the memo “Campaign LofF”

Thank you for your generous support for our parish’s mission and future.

Give Now

Download Financial Report

Enjoy this article on St. Thomas More's altarpiece, written by the artist herself, Barbara Waterman-Peters. This altarpiece was installed in 2023 during the renovation of the church.

The Altarpiece

We invite all parishioners to share their time and talents with their faith-community in order to build up the Body of Christ. Thus, we encourage you to fill out our Stewardship Form to mark those areas in which you are interested in serving or participating. Current ministers are encouraged to contact the parish office with any contact information updates or to be removed from a ministry or group.

Stewardship Form

Fr. Don Zimmerman recounts his 473 mile journey on the famous

Camino Francés (French Way), starting in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France

and ending at the tomb of St. James the Apostle in

the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain.