MANY CAME WITH stories from 30 years of parish life at St. Thomas More; others were new to the bustling Irvine parish but excited to celebrate all that the future holds.
On July 25, the parish hosted a celebration to look back on 30 years of growth and change, and to mark the start of a new church building which will begin construction the following week.
ON JULY 25, ST. THOMAS MORE PARISH CELEBRATED ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A FUN PARTY FOR STAFF AND PARISHIONERS. PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
St. Thomas More was established in 1996 with the first Mass celebrated in the rectory. Founding pastor, Fr. John Janze celebrated Mass for 40 people who filled the room and all the way up the staircase. As so many young parishes did, they soon rented space in nearby Sierra Vista School, and celebrated Mass there until a temporary building was available on their land. While the parish was preparing to build a permanent church, an opportunity arose to move to a larger site, about three miles away. The entire congregation voted to move. When the day came, they processed carrying the Blessed Sacrament to the new location.
“Today, Mass attendance is frequently standing room only,” said the church’s pastor, Fr. Eugene Lee. “This is my joy; I’m all in here. Throughout all the changes, the church has retained a sense of family, with thriving ministries and outreach programs. Our community is very resilient, but ultimately it is Christ who has been the source of our enthusiasm. Our new permanent church will be a worthy temple of the Holy Spirit.”
GUESTS AT THE JULY 25 CELEBRATION ENJOY FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP.
Susan and David Navarrette, members of St. Thomas More Parish for 20 years, shared their favorite memory of a procession carrying the Blessed Sacrament from the original parish church on Remington to their current location in Irvine. Over 1,000 parishioners participated. Susan has led “When Women Pray” and is involved in various ministries, while David is a Cursillo representative. They have four children, only one of whom still lives in Irvine.
A video documentary was prepared by the parish to commemorate the milestone. In it, parishioners spoke of their church with the same kind of reverence that they might use to describe their alma mater.
Seminarian Matthew Esguerra said, “Now to me, St. Thomas More is my home. It’s my identity. This is where my vocation to the priesthood began.”
Patricia Dow, another long-term parishioner, said that “even though you don’t talk to everyone every day, if you need people to support you, this is the place.”
Over the past 30 years, by working together, the 3,700 families of St. Thomas More have built a garden of love, Catholic values and teamwork.
As their patron, St. Thomas More, said:
“The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don’t want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don’t have a soul.”
This parish in a small enclave of Irvine is quietly tending to souls one day at a time.