Dear Ones,

First of all, Thank You! You have pledged over $103,000 towards our 2023 Bishop’s Annual Appeal Goal (which was $127, 538.) Sadly, we haven’t made our goal for a long time. Hurricanes and covid really had a negative impact. While our Diocese says the campaign can continue until the end of the year, I want to have a clean deck as we move into a new 2023-2024 year of growth and service.

We are getting ready for the 187th anniversary of the foundation of St. Thomas, our Mother Church; our 155th year as sponsoring the oldest Catholic School in the State of North Carolina. Our Diocese is getting ready to begin our Centennial as a Diocese as we celebrate a Eucharistic Congress in Raleigh on October 21st(Mark your calendars NOW!!!) Locally, we are getting ready to recruit and train more Liturgical Ministers (Eucharistic Ministers, [both  at Mass in the Church and with our Sick in Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Hospices,] Liturgical Readers, Altar Servers, Ushers, Musicians [Cantors, Choir Members, Instrumentalists,]) Parish Ministries of Pastoral Council, Collection Stewards, Faith Development Teachers, Aides and Assistants, St. Mary School Volunteers, Book Store Volunteers, Parish Office Volunteers, and more. We also want to invite more folk to join our 90+ volunteers who serve the poor of our area by way of our Sister Isaac Center. We also need to recreate a Bereavement Ministry who will help members of our Parish Family through Funeral and grieving. We have several Hispanic Ministries that are vital to our Parish- San Andres, John XXIII and Alvernia Matrimonial, each adds to and challenges the depths of the lives of our parishioners. I’m also pretty sure that if you wanted to join one of our National Organizations who are engaged in local service, neither the Knights of Columbus nor the Catholic Daughters would turn you away. I know I’m going to get in trouble for omitting somebody. Such is life.

You and the things you do for the Lord are the most important things around us! (I will talk about building repairs and maintenance a little later!)

Be well,

Father T