News - December 2020 RSS Feed

As recipients of God’s greatest gifts: His Son, our lives, the promise of heaven, Creation, how do we show our gratitude?

Begin a New Year's journey toward Zero Waste by taking a few steps that will protect our earth and say thank you to God for His gift of creation.

"All powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures...."

"We are BLESSED to have such a caring and supportive parish! Old and young participated in creating and giving to folks in our community. Many parishioners - young and old - created lovely Christmas cards to be shared with our long term care parishioners, homebound, and group home folks. I am able to provide prayers, handheld crosses, cards and quilted placemats, and knitted and quilted blankets and lap robes from Pastoral Care Ministries along with lovely items made by our young families - blankets and scarves, treat bags, and hand crafted items. By the time deliveries are finished, there will have been over 160 gifts distributed throughout the parish. THANK you to our Pastoral Care volunteers and the FF and Youth Ministry folks for organizing the family craft items and treat bags. Also, a shout out to Christine Rooney, a local Pampered Chef Consultant, for donating lovely "cozy care packages." So generous. Pulling together our programs has helped us to continue to feel a warm sense of community. Please visit our Photo Album page

Tess Crick of The Water Project writes, "Your faithfulness and generosity has translated to clean water for the students at Bulukhombe Primary School, a gift of love and hope."

Cookies thank you! We thank our St. Thomas Family for loading up Santa’s Sled with Greetings, Holiday Cookies and food for our neighbors at Street Soldiers. Kelly, a Volunteer, was most grateful for your generosity! YOUR gifts of JOY will be shared this evening with neighbors in Troy and Albany! Thank you for sharing HIS LIGHT, & HOPE as a “weary world rejoices”! Wishing you all a “New & Glorious MORN” for CHRIST IS LORD! “GOD BLESS us EVERYONE!”

Share the JOY of our Lord & the Love of His Mother by joining us in prayer at our Advent Prayer Service found on our Middle School & High School Faith Formation Page or https://youtu.be/xf744DUQbDQ .

OUR LAST HOLIDAY FOOD DRIVE IS THIS WEEK TUESDAY DECEMBER 15th 3pm-4pm in the Church Parking Lot! Collecting Bought Packaged Christmas Cookies with an attached Christmas card from YOU signed “Your friends from St. Thomas Parish” with a Prayer message! Our goal is to assist Santa in sharing the packaged cookies to those served at Troy’s Street Soldiers Christmas Gathering. Street Soldiers is a Grassroots initiative that provides assistance for those in need in Troy & Albany. Volunteers set up tables and provide warm food, gifts of warmth, pantry items whatever has been collected that week & share with our neighbors who are homeless or in need. We are working with the Troy site to provide some "sweetness" for their 'Holiday Party"! God bless you for being an AWESOME neighbor!

AMAZING! THANKFUL! HUMBLING! Our Food Drive for the Café was a MIRACLE! Special shout out to Martha & Bob Keen for sharing a huge amount of items from our Parish Food Pantry & to our wonderful elves Ted & Liam Witting for greetings & sorting! On the drive to the Café I was concerned if the Café would have storage space for our donations. Tracie Killar, Director of the Café called me last night and shared how she was struggling with how to host their weekly food drive plus Christmas! When she entered the Café and saw all your donations; it was the answer to her prayer! A Christmas Miracle! All those wonderful items from you and our Food Pantry will make their way home to families served at the café this Friday! Talk about the Spirit! Emmanuel “God with us!” God bless you! We too wanted to share that the Café accepts nonperishable items any time at the café 25 Warren St. Albany in cabinets outside the café. Neighbors are able to help themselves. View photos in Photo Album.

This Tuesday Dec. 8th 3pm-4pm in the church parking lot we are collecting food items for our young friends served at the South End Children’s Café. They are most in need of: canned veggies, canned fruits, tuna, peanut butter, jelly and small bags of rice! Donations can be made out to the South End Children’s Café. God Bless you for your Generosity!

Awakening The Dreamer: Save The Date St. Thomas’ Public Policy Committee and The Creation Care Team invite all parishioners to a zoom experience Jan. 12, 2021 at 7 pm. The event, entitled” Awaken The Dreamer”, will help us examine our relationship with the natural world, the current “dream” of modern societies and confront powerful unexamined assumptions that are at the heart of the environmental crises impacting our Common Home, the Earth. This zoom event, designed by the Pachamama Alliance (https://www.pachamama.org), will be presented by Lois Gundrum, a member of Capital Climate Conversations and moderated by St. Thomas Public Policy leader, Marie Copeland. To register for the zoom meeting, email Barbara Leonard at [email protected]

At our Food Drive this week we asked our friends what they are Hopeful for this Advent! We are all hopeful for a vaccine, for healing, peace, tranquility, for normalcy, kindness, to be able to gather with others. COME LORD JESUS COME! One person shared “PRAY the more we pray the more the good in humanity will SHINE!” THANK YOU ALL FOR LETTING THE GOOD IN HUMANITY SHINE THROUGH YOUR PRAYERS & GENEROSITY! “Thank you for sharing HIS LIGHT to BRIGHTEN the lives of others in these uncertain times! Thank you for the amazing gift cards for our neighbors via our parish Giving Tree (still time to drop off in Gathering Hall until Dec. 6) and for making life a little “SWEETER” too! Thanks for being an angel of HOPE!