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Below is a link for an article written by one of the Granda Liturgical Arts team members. We are so thankful for their work in helping us have such an amazing place to worship! If you have some time please give the article a read.
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Sanctuary Renovation
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Campaign Progress$1,325,190 of $1,400,000 Funded 94% of Goal
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Renew & Rejoice Sanctuary Renovation
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
What is the cost of the project and when will construction begin?
The current cost is estimated at $1,800,000. We have $400,000 in savings and the balance will come from campaign gifts. We hope to begin construction this summer.
What is included in the renovation?
The entire Sanctuary will be renovated and replaced with the new Altarpiece (inc., paintings & sculptures), altar, tabernacle, ambo, baptismal font, furnishings, and floor tile. New Stations of the Cross will be installed. A new lighting system will be installed and Sanctuary lighting will be replaced. New carpet in the aisles & choir area. If we exceed our $1.4 million campaign goal, the pews will be replaced.
Will all member families be asked to give?
Each member family will be asked to make a sacrificial financial commitment. The total amount of your Faith Promise may be paid over a three-year period and, in most cases, is fully tax-deductible.
How much should I give?
After prayerful consideration, you should select an amount that your family can sacrifice given your financial resources and obligations. Recommendations are included in the Faith Promise Giving Plan.
Gifts of Stock:
If a stock has been held long-term (over one year), the donor does not have to pay capital gains tax and is allowed a tax deduction for the full value of the stock. Call Margie Moore at Merrill Lynch at (850) 434-7013 to transfer stock to St. Thomas More.
Is my contribution in addition to my regular tithes and offerings?
Yes. Your contributions for this project are in addition to your regular tithes and offerings. It is important to continue your regular offering to fund ongoing parish operations. What if I can’t support the campaign financially at this time? Please pray for the parish’s success and consider participating in the future if circumstances were to change.
Where will Mass be held during construction?
The Saturday Vigil and all Sunday Masses will be celebrated in the main church. Daily Mass will be held in the O’Brien Social Hall during the week.
Many of you remember that fateful day, June 5th, 2019, when our sanctuary became a victim of arson, by a disturbed young man. Our presider and deacon chairs were set on fire, which soon spread to the sanctuary walls and carpet, and filled the entire church with a cloud of thick toxic smoke that reached deep into our air handler HVAC system.
As providence would have it, it was not a total loss. We caught the fire in time before it reached our tall wood ceiling and other areas of the church, however, the damage was done, and soon reached into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
After the dust settled and the initial shock of it all quelled, we asked the inevitable question, “who would do such a thing and why?” A team of investigators came immediately from around the State to answer just such questions. Within a few days, a suspect was arrested and booked into Leon County jail.
As justice is being served, our need for forgiveness is brought to light. Knowing the demands of the Gospel, we set our minds, as our hearts caught up later, to forgiving. If, as a parish, we cannot forgive, then we are not a community of Christ-followers. Forgiveness is not only a human affair, but it is sacramental.
With all of this said, we now set ourselves to the task of not only restoring but also building for the future. The central focus of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral is its sanctuary. Paint and a few used chairs as a replacement can only serve as a temporary fix. We are now in our 53rd year of celebrating our presence on terra firma in Tallahassee and now look for a more permanent solution to our center of worship.
Last Fall, I assembled a Sanctuary Renovation committee, made up of a cross-section of parishioners who know and love our cathedral-parish of St. Thomas More.
Bishop William Wack
Fr. John Cayer
Silvia Alderman
Mike Collazo
Segundo Fernandez
Heather Jordan
Dasha Nixon
Jeanne O'Kon
Bill Preston
Jean Uthmeier
Michael WilliamsAfter numerous meetings and conversations with a few church design companies, we have settled upon working closely with GrandaUSA. Granda is a liturgical company that was started by Fr. Felix Granda, who founded his workshop in 1891 in Madrid, Spain. His satellite offices exist around the world, including the USA. We are confident that what Granda helps us create, will, in turn, help you create a beautiful worship experience and a legacy for future generations. Please click on the link below to see more about GrandaUSA.
You may notice some new barrel lighting in our sanctuary. These lights are temporary lighting fixtures while our other ones are re-fitted with new lighting. Our lighting within the sanctuary is also another important factor in our overall design. Rambusch Lighting was selected to help us reach our desired effect in creating a beautiful sanctuary. Currently, they are finishing up work on Sacred Heart Cathedral in Pensacola. We are confident they will do a great job for us here at St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral. You can find more about them on the link below.
Our General Contractor is NewSpace. Mr. Thomas Jordan has completed, with great satisfaction, many of our past projects, and we are happy to have him and his team return to assist us with our most prized project yet, the redesign and construction of our sanctuary. We’re very excited to have him with us.
Please find within this webpage and link, pictures from the day of the arson. Very soon you will see pictures of a design that will counter the horror of a sanctuary burning. While the principal design of our new sanctuary is close to being finished, the fine details are still being worked out and will be ready for you to see very soon. In the words of our first bishop, Rene Gracida, who redesigned our current sanctuary in 1976, “this is only temporary.” 44 years is a long time for something temporary, but perhaps providence has a hand in all of this. We look forward to the year ahead as the details will be hammered out and the making of the project a labor of love for all of us.
