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Welcome to the Parish
I
welcome you into our parish community of St Thomas More's. I trust you will find
it to be a place where you feel at home and your faith in God nourished. Please
introduce yourself to me if you have not already done so. This can be done after
Mass or by means of a telephone call. I would like to hear from you.
Our parish is made up of people who come from many different cultures. This provides
all of us with a rich experience in sharing and celebrating our Catholic faith.
Whatever your age and background, our parish is one that strives to offer hospitality
to all.
St Thomas More Primary School is an important part of the parish and educates children
in the Catholic tradition from Kindergarten to Year 6. The school community regularly
takes part in parish life, particularly on important liturgical occasions. Families
with children in the school are encouraged to be part of the broader life of the
parish, especially at Sunday Mass. Marist College Kogarah (boys) and Bethany College
Hurstville (girls) are the two regional Catholic High Schools serving our parish.
The parish was established in 1937, originally having been part of Rockdale parish.
The area we now call Brighton Le Sands was known in earlier times as Lady Robinson’s
Beach. Fr. John Joseph McGovern was appointed as first parish priest of St Thomas
More’s. The foundation stone of the first church (now the site of the parish school)
was laid in 1938. Fr. Bernard Hudson became the second pastor in 1942 and was to
remain until 1954. That year saw the arrival of Fr. John Lander who was the parish
priest for thirty-seven years. He built our present church which was blessed and
opened in 1964. Fr. Jim Doyle arrived in the parish at the end of 1991, remaining
as parish priest until his retirement in February 2006.
I encourage you to think about becoming an active member of our parish in one of
the many ministries and apostolic works. There is sure to be something that fits
your interests and talents. By doing so you are living more fully your life of baptism
and sharing in Christ’s mission. I would also like to ask you to consider joining
the planned giving appeal through the weekly envelopes or, preferably, an automatic
monthly debit from your credit card. This goes to the second collection to finance
the needs of the parish. Your weekly contribution is partly tax deductable. Again,
I welcome you to our community at St Thomas More’s. I hope you find our church a
place where you will feel close to God’s love. Wishing you Christ’s peace and blessings.
Regards
Fr. Andrew Kim
Parish Priest
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