News - March 2021 RSS Feed

We are called by the Risen Christ to be an Easter People living with loving kindness for all Creation, acting with gratitude for the gift of life, sharing the resources of this world with all peoples, seeking to be healers, to be caregivers. Huge goals arrived at “One Small Step” each day.

As we live the renewal of Lent, rethinking our choices and recommitting to faith-filled behaviors, Creation Care Team is offering some Small Steps to Care for Creation. Caring for creation is caring for the entire "web of life." It is social justice. It is seeking to be healers in our world. Huge goals arrived at one small step each day.

This Tuesday’s Drive March 30 in our Church Parking Lot from 3pm-4pm is for our St. Thomas’s Meal Ministry. This Ministry provides comfort and hope to our parishioners who are experiencing the joy of a new baby, or the loss of a loved one or are experiencing an illness or in treatment. The gift cards lets our neighbors in our pew know we are thinking of them! Please consider donating a gift card from a local restaurant that DELIVERS. Gift cards can be $10-$40 from restaurants like Delmar Market Place, Village Deli, Romo’s, Track 32, Swifty’s, Roux. GOD BLESS YOU 

HAPPY SPRING! We thank everyone for their generosity and support of the South End Children’s Café this week. Special shout to our Young church greeters: Nina, Natalie and Amanda. Happy Anniversary too ST. Thomas! Looking back to a year ago when we started our food drives we were surrounded by uncertainties. Yet TOGETHER we worked & prayed to make this a year of HOPE, LOVE AND JOY. We thank each and every one of you for the gift, the blessing that you are! We invite you to check out our Photo album page on our parish website Photo Albums (stthomas-church.org) or on our Youth Ministry Page Photo Albums (stthomas-church.org) . TOGETHER WE ARE ST. THOMAS STRONG! God bless you!

As we live the renewal of Lent, rethinking our choices and recommitting to faith-filled behaviors, Creation Care Team offers more Small Steps to Care for Creation.

This Tuesday marks our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY for FOOD DRIVES! We thank all of you for your commitment to help others during this pandemic. It has been humbling to witness your generosity, kindness and love of neighbor! And it has been a beautiful gift for our volunteers and young church to see firsthand what it means to be “CHURCH”! This Tuesday March 23 in our Church Parking Lot 3pm-4pm we are headed back to The South End Children’s Café where we started! The Café is most in need of: canned fruit especially Mandarin oranges, or fresh fruit, canned green beans or other veggies, soup, bread, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, tuna, beans in bag, pasta, pasta sauce, laundry detergent, body wash and face masks. St. Mother Teresa shared, “If you can’t feed one hundred people than feed just one.” God bless you for feeding hundreds of neighbors this past year!

Special shout out to all of you for your generosity shown to the Capital City Rescue Mission and to Kaitlin Strokes who did an excellent job sorting and packing our loaded truck yesterday! A volunteer at the mission shared more than once, “Thank you for sharing this Blessing with us!” Your blessings… your donations! A neon cross hangs on the corner of the Mission that I am sure we all have seen hundreds of times. But yesterday it gave me reason to pause, it reads, “Come to Jesus. JESUS SAVES.” How powerful! What a beautiful invitation to “Come to Jesus” this Lent…to pray, to be nourished by the Eucharist and to receive His forgiveness and grace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Yes, JESUS SAVES!

As we live the renewal of Lent, rethinking our choices and recommitting to faith-filled behaviors, Creation Care Team is offering some Small Steps to Care for Creation.

“AMAZING !!! “ exclaimed the volunteer at “Things of my very Own!” as we unloaded our van filled with toiletries, art supplies, playing cards, and journals! Your donations will be shared with foster youth throughout the area. Special shout out to Amanda Burke, Ted & Liam Witting for greetings, sorting and picking out some of your wonderful items to be added to our Care Backpacks! We are very excited to report that as Wednesday we have collected $524.06! Congratulations St. Thomas we are pass our half way point! God bless you for your continued generosity! Next Tuesday’s Drive! Tuesday March 16’s Food Drive 3pm-4pm in the Church Parking lot will be for our neighbors served at the Capital City Rescue Mission! The Mission serves 4 meals a day and hosts Chapel Services daily! Chef is most in need of: rice, beans, cans of tomato sauce, canned vegetables, pasta, peanut butter, jelly and lunch snacks like granola bars.

All are welcome to join us this Sunday evening March 14 at 6pm in the church, to reflect on our Lord’s Passion by praying the Sorrowful Rosary lead by our Young Church. Maura Barrett our Pastoral Care Associate will be joining us to share the wonderful works of our Pastoral Care Program. Please arrive 15 minutes ahead of time. Mother, Mary Pray for Us!

Loose Change Collection for “Things of my Very Own!” So far we have $348.00 enough to purchase and fill 3 ½ backpacks or goal is 12!!! Special shout out to Creation Care Team and all you Clynkers for donating 12 Nalgene Bottles! WE THANK ALL for your GENEROSITY! Our drive continues till March 26 jugs are located in the Gathering Hall. Donate your loose change or sacrifice that treat for an at risk teen in a crisis situation. Backpacks will include: Nalgene bottle, a Build a Bear, Throw, Hoodie, Lounge Pants, Tee Shirt, toiletries and activity supplies. Our estimated cost is $90 a backpack. Parents please encourage your children to share their allowance, gift money or work money. Checks made out to St. Thomas; Memo line: Care Backpacks. Together WE are MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

The closing hour of our Parish 24 hour Eucharistic Adoration was recorded and may be viewed on our Parish YouTube site. See right hand column for link.

Week Before the Collection Next week, our parish will take up The Catholic Relief Services Collection (CRSC). Funds from this collection provide food to the hungry, support displaced refugees, and bring Christ’s love and mercy to all people here and abroad. Next week, please give generously to the CRSC and help Jesus in disguise. Learn more about the collection at www.usccb.org/catholic-relief.

As we live the renewal of Lent, rethinking our choices and recommitting to faith-filled behaviors, Creation Care Team is offering some Small Steps to Care for Creation.

March was roaring like a lion on Tuesday with the wind…but that did not stop YOUR WARM HEARTS! God Bless you for the variety of toiletries we will be sharing “Things of My Own”! Special shout out to our young church Violet Piccinini and Amanda Burke for greetings and sorting! Next Tuesday March 9 we will be collecting from 3pm-4pm in the Church parking lot: Journals, color pens, puzzle activity books, coloring books, crayons, playing cards, puzzles, markers, stickers or any creative items that teens can relax while doing. Thank you for making a difference in the life of a teen in foster care. God bless you! Look for the Photos of the March 2 Drive on the Food Pantry Page.