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

St. Thomas More Church will host its Annual Garage Sale on Friday, August 14 from 12:00-8:00 p.m. and Saturday, August 15 from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. All proceeds benefit charities of KofC Council 8488 and St. Thomas More Ladies.

Donations are accepted on Tuesday August 11 through Thursday, August 13 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

No clothing, shoes, TV’s, mattresses, exercise equipment or magazines accepted.

For more information, contact the parish office or Brother Knight Pete Sandoval (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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...

At St. Thomas More, we recognize the impact of dementia on our community. Many of our fellow parishioners have either been diagnosed or are caring for loved ones with this condition. In response, St. Thomas More has hosted a support group for caregivers, and more help is needed.

We are developing two new ministries, both designed to support individuals with dementia and their caregivers. But we can’t do it alone, we need volunteers to help make this possible.

The Reflection Connections will offer a welcoming environment for individuals with cognitive challenges to socialize, share stories, and participate in engaging activities—while their loved one attends the St. Thomas More Caregiver Group. Reflection Connections will be run by trained volunteers under the guidance of the Meadowlark Memory Program Leadership.

Click here to view a video from the first training session.

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

The Jubilee has always been an event of great spiritual, ecclesial, and social significance in the life of the Church. Ever since 1300, when Boniface VIII instituted the first Holy Year – initially celebrated every hundred years, then, following its biblical precedent, every fifty years, and finally every twenty-five years – God’s holy and faithful people has experienced this celebration as a special gift of grace, characterized by the forgiveness of sins and in particular by the indulgence, which is a full expression of the mercy of God. The faithful, frequently at the conclusion of a lengthy pilgrimage, draw from the spiritual treasury of the Church by passing through the Holy Door and venerating the relics of the Apostles Peter and Paul preserved in Roman basilicas. Down the centuries, millions upon millions of pilgrims have journeyed to these sacred places, bearing living witness to the faith professed in every age.

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.