Parish History

St. Thomas More was established as a mission church of Incarnation Parish in Sarasota on September 16, 1979. The first Mass for the mission was celebrated at Gulf Gate Elementary School on October 6, 1979, by Father Eugene Ryan, the appointed Administrator. The new mission quickly registered two hundred families and continued to meet for weekend Masses and other social functions in the Gulf Gate Elementary School cafeteria over a period of five years until the permanent church was built.

St. Thomas More was officially designated a parish in January 1981, with Father Eugene Ryan named the first Pastor. A house on Regatta Drive was soon purchased to serve as the rectory, and additional office space was rented nearby. Weekday Masses were held at Toale Brothers Funeral Home.

In 1954 the Archbishop of St. Augustine purchased twenty acres on Gulf Gate Drive for future use. Plans for a church and chapel were drawn up by award-winning architect Carl Abbott and groundbreaking for the new church was held on June 26, 1983. Father Ryan celebrated the first Mass at sunrise on Easter Sunday 1984, while people stood in the roofless church on an unfinished dirt floor. The church was completed and dedicated on October 6, 1984 by Bishop John J. Nevins. A month later, on November 16, over nine hundred people attended a dedication concert in the new church for the Gress-Miles Pipe Organ. Later in January 1985, work on the chapel began, and it was dedicated by Bishop Nevins on October 6, 1985.

As the Parish continued to grow, the need for a Parish Center was evident. Construction on the St. Thomas More Parish Life Center began in January 1997, and was re-named the Chelsea Center for its dedication on March 29, 1998, by Bishop Nevins. After twenty years as pastor of St. Thomas More, Father Ryan resigned in 1999 and Father Mark Heuberger was appointed pastor. He remained as pastor until 2000, at which time Father Jacek Kowalik assumed administrative duties until a new pastor was appointed. On February 22, 2001, Father Donald Henry became pastor of St. Thomas More. It was at this time that the Parish experienced a period of growth, jumping from 700 families to 1,500 families by 2003.

In 2002, the Parish administrative offices moved to the Chelsea Center, allowing the church to enlarge the sanctuary by two hundred seats. We caught the spirit and in 2006 the Spirit Center was dedicated. It was the first building in the Diocese to be completely paid for before it was ever in use! St. Thomas More is a growing, vibrant parish with people who are alive in the Spirit.

In 2008, parish leadership embarked on the “Our Spirit Soars” Capital Campaign, raising funds to renovate and refurbish the main Sanctuary and Chapel. The decision to do so, was prompted by our rapidly growing parish, and the need to enlarge our worship space as well as bringing the church up to current building codes. With the completion of our capital campaign, “Our Spirit Soars” in 2010, and its subsequent “Our Spirit Soars - to the Finish ” campaign to be completed in March 2012, the Parish anticpates the completion of a newly renovated Church which will meet current hurricane compliant building codes in the fall of 2012. Our ground breaking was Sunday, September 18, 2011. We anticipate moving into the new worship space, November 2012.