Recent Photos and Videos from St. Thomas the Apostle

More videos here.

More photos here.

Marian Holy Hour - 6:00 PM Friday August 13th

Please try to make it to a Marian Holy Hour being held in the Adoration Chapel of St. Thomas. Vespers begins at 6:00 PM, with silence from its completion until the beginning of Compline at 6:50 PM. At Vespers, we will chant the Ave Maris Stella, and then at Compline, the Salve Regina. Please try to come. I realize there is the rosary being said in the church around the same time, but it would be a wonderful thing to pray the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin in our beautiful Adoration Chapel. It's truly a gift from God that we have such a thing.

IPPG Proposal Accepted

This evening, Fr. Tanck informed us that the bishop has accepted the IPPG proposal. His statement was rather vague and rushed, and he left before any questions could be asked. We will be trying to obtain more concrete information as the week progresses.

We Wait For Word

Friends - We are still waiting to hear from Bishop Clark regarding the future of our parish and the others in Irondequoit. We must maintain prayerful hope, and not give into the despair so common with people in our unfortunate position.

In order to keep everyone on the same page, here are links to the February 2010 and April 2010 editions of Veritas. Definitely give them a read. Please check here and at other Rochester blogs (i.e. Cleansing Fire) for news about St. Thomas and the Irondequoit cluster.

What's Going On With This Site?

I've gotten some emails asking what exactly is going on with this site.

Those of us in charge of the site think it prudent to wait until we have definitive word - YES, STA will be closing or NO, STA will not be closing. It would look pretty bad for us if we actually find a buyer, and then Bishop Clark hears our pleas. We would be causing him embarrassment, as we would ourselves.

We have a mission statement prepared, and which will be posted once the results of the next Presbyteral Council meeting are released to us. Please be patient - we need to do this thing right, or it won't yield any results for which we are hoping and praying.

Now is the Time for Prayer and Action

Dearest parishioners, now is the time when we should start looking around us for someone who may be able to help this vibrant and beautiful parish. Sometime this coming week, we will be posting an introduction to our efforts, explaining who we are, what we are doing, why we are doing it, etc. It will have information about the parish, our facilities, our uniqueness, our strengths.

Until this goes up, we should start contacting various priests, religious orders, monastic communities, and oratories, to see if anyone is looking for a parish to run in this part of the nation.

People have remarked that St. Thomas the Apostle is architecturally suited to chant, for reverent, dignified liturgy. Keep this in mind when you go forth, questing for assistance. Orders whose names have been suggested are as follows:

• Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
• Fraternity of St. Peter
• Society of St. John Cantius,
• the Barnabites
• Benedictines
• Conventual Franciscan Friars
• Oratorians
• Institute of Christ the King

As time goes on, we will be posting contact information for various of these orders, various other websites, dioceses, and other organizations who be able to help find priests to take over St. Thomas, or who may "know people who know people." There is definite reason to hope, dear friends. No doubt about it.

So, until such a time as we get around to posting the contacts, please take the initiative and seek these brothers, friars, priests, and monks out, explaining to them "with clarity and charity" what we are hoping for.

Introduction

More information will be posted soon, but I'll let you know the basics right now:

• We are a group of lay people from the parish and beyond who would like to see the continued existence of a Catholic presence in this area of the Diocese of Rochester.
• We would like to see St. Thomas the Apostle left open, even as a different entity, such as an oratory, monastery, etc . . .
  
• We will be contacting various religious orders, bishops, priests, and apostolates to see if any of them would be willing to take over the parish, and make it a unique "canonical entity."

Please, until that time, feel free to email us at savestthomas@gmail.com. We have a calling as Catholics to defend Holy Mother Church. We are not launching this initiative out of selfishness, pain, anger, or frustration. Rather, we are doing this in the hopes that the area will continue to be a rich environment for the faith for years to come.