Week
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June 20, 2001
Inside the Register
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Parish celebrates 30-year anniversary
St. Thomas More Center grows from 12 families to over 5,700
By Kitty Kolody
In 30 years St. Thomas More Parish, Englewood, named after a layman-saint popularized in the movie "A Man for All Seasons," became a showcase of a modern 20th century Catholic community. This dynamic center of today began as Mission Southeast. It would not have been possible without the vision of its first pastor, the Rev. Frederick D. McCallin.
In November 1970, Father McCallin and a group of people, aware of the demographics of the area, met on a weekly basis to discuss the needs of the people in the new area.
Before a crucifix attached to a basketball hoop and a covered table serving as altar, Father McCallin celebrated the first Mass with 12 families in the gymnasium of the Walnut Hills Elementary School on the weekend of Feb. 13, 1971.
A parish census taken in May 1971 revealed 590 Catholic families with the need and ability to support a new parish. The proposal was taken to Archbishop James Casey who approved the establishment of a new parish in June 1971. Instead of calling the new community a "parish," the people decided to call it a "center," because it was to be more than just a church. It was to be the center of their lives, of their neighborhood, a center for all people to meet God and one another.
Construction on the new rectory started immediately. By February 1972, through the tireless efforts of Ted Gerhardy and John Petrinsky, the parish acquired 40 acres of land as a building site for the parish center.
On Feb. 24, 1974, Father McCallin broke ground for the St. Thomas More Parish, and on Dec. 8 celebrated the first Mass in the newly completed 300-seat chapel. By this time the parish community had grown to 1,000 families.
Two weeks later the parish opened its restaurant, the Padre. The idea of a restaurant by the church was so unique that the news of its existence reverberated throughout the country. Father McCallin, however, saw it as a natural way to evangelize people.
"You had to bring them together before you could evangelize them," he said. He often cited examples of how people gathered around Jesus at feasts and how he fed the multitudes. He also pointed out that Christ's public life began at a wedding feast in Cana, and ended with the Last Supper with his Apostles.
He recalled that in earlier times the priest visited the families on pastoral visits. Since our modern complicated life rendered these visits difficult to accomplish, the priests could meet the people in the Padre.
The parish community continued to grow, and in January 1982 construction on the church adjacent to the original center began. On June 21, 1983, the parish celebrated the Mass of Dedication.
The parish also added new programs and facilities: tennis courts, softball, soccer and football fields, were put in place to meet the needs of the ever growing community. Father McCallin's last building project before his retirement in 1988 was the Youth Center.
Father Michael Walsh succeeded Father McCallin in June 1988 as pastor of St. Thomas More. The parish passed into the hands of a very experienced and capable priest who not only was able to carry on the vision of its founding pastor, but also brought innovative ideas of his own. Under Father Walsh's leadership, the parish, which reached out to the local community at large, now reaches out to the global community.
The parish played a major role in hosting 2,300 French youth who came to Denver for World Youth Day in 1993.
After the fall of the Iron Curtain, Father Walsh recognized the need to help the emerging Catholic Church and its people who suffered persecution for 70 years under Communism. Father Walsh initiated the First International Conference to Assist the Catholic Church in the republics of the former Soviet Union. First of its kind in the United States, the Conference, which was held in Colorado Springs, brought to Colorado a cardinal and three bishops from the former Soviet republics who told of their hardships of rebuilding Christ's Church. What initially began as aid to Russia, QAMA (Queen of the Apostles Mission Association) now has expanded its aid to Ukraine and Slovakia where it continues to send medical equipment to hospitals, and rebuild churches and seminaries.
The thrust of Father Walsh's pastoral work has been evangelization — not just abroad but at home. Because of the tremendous growth of the parish, large numbers of students in religious education were scattered in the homes of various catechists due to the shortage of room in the church facility. Although Archbishop J. Francis Stafford approved the construction of a facility next to the church, residents in the vicinity objected.
After many hearings and numerous meetings with county commissioners to overcome the objections of the neighbors, permission was granted. Archbishop Stafford dedicated the Evangelization Center on June 24, 1994. Today the Center houses not only two sections of grades kindergarten through eight, but all of the religious education classes. In addition to 500 students who attend school, 1,800 students are in religious education classes and 150 students in Mother's Day Out program also take advantage of the Center facility.
Father Walsh also added the Holy Hour and the Perpetual Adoration in the Oratory of the Blessed Sacrament to the already prayerful parish. Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger from France consecrated the Oratory while staying at St. Thomas More during World Youth Day. The Oratory enhances the prayer life of a parish in a special way, and its fruits are visible.
In June 2000 Father Andrew Kemberling began his term as administrator of St. Thomas More. Father Kemberling's first year is a "challenging one," he said, "adjusting to the business operations of the largest parish in the Archdiocese of Denver."
He has made a few changes thus far. A true believer in the practice of stewardship, Father Kemberling's first official policy was to make St. Thomas More a tithing parish.
"I believe that by doing so, we truly live out our practice of stewardship on the parish level, fairly and justly on all counts," he said.
He also remodeled the parish offices and facilitated some much needed repairs of the parish facilities. He also has expanded the Cloister Cove, the only religious gift store in the southeast Denver area.
A few other changes are in the planning stages in the religious education, parish school and youth ministries, specifically the changes in Confirmation age.
"I've been holding meetings and listening sessions with the staff, pastoral council and parents and have received an incredible support of these new and exciting developments in the parish," Father Kemberling said.
In addition, the new expansion on the Evangelization Center is now fully used by the Religious Education Department and the school. Working with school children on a regular basis should serve the parish well in promoting vocations, which is one of Father Andrew's goals at St. Thomas More.
"I'm happy to see that the parish has a very strong sense of vocations, with the incredible number of clergy recently ordained to the priesthood and the diaconate program," he said. Yet he knows that "the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few" (Lk: 10:2). He has made it a priority for his staff to find ways to promote vocations in their own sphere of influence.
Presently there are 5,725 families, made up of about 18,986 individual parishioners registered. Thousands of volunteers serve on the 94 ministries in the parish. The vitality of parish life is evident not only in its social activities but also in its devotional life. Over 300 people attend Mass daily, and 12,000 on Sundays.
Parishioners say they are thankful to celebrate 30 years in the service of our Lord.