Our parish and our environmental committee are deeply grateful to Father Tom Hayes for the inspiration, guidance, and support given that our parish might embrace the wisdom and advocacy of Pope Francis’ call to care for creation as a principle of our Catholic faith. Through his book studies, homilies, bulletins, and personal support, our pastor led our parish to know and understand more fully that care for the earth and all its people is a right to life commitment that each of us must make.

With Father Tom's support and your donations, we have sent $500 to Catholic Relief Services for their water projects in impoverished areas.

Our prayerful reading and discussion of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ (Our Care for Our Common Home) and the Lenten book study on  Just Water gave us a new and more ambitious goal – to work with an international organization to build a well in an area without safe and accessible water. We have already begun steps to reach this goal and will use the bulletin and parish website to provide details and fundraising information. And when we reach our goal, Father Tom, it will be because you taught us that water is a right to life issue for each person on the earth!

My God bless you in the new chapters of your life.

Gratefully – the People of St. Thomas.