St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘the small parish with a big heart’

Nestled in quaint and quiet city of Bartow, the parish is participating in Wave III of the Alive in Christ Capital and Endowment Campaign, which kicked off earlier this year.

TERESA LANTIGUA PETERSON | SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA CATHOLIC

Posted: 06.15.09

Members of St. Thomas Aquinas are used to working together as a family. When the church fell into disrepair in 2000, parish volunteers worked long and hard to rejuvenate their church.

Courtesy Photo
Members of St. Thomas Aquinas are used to working together as a family. When the church fell into disrepair in 2000, parish volunteers worked long and hard to rejuvenate their church.

BARTOW | Father Pete Mitchell doesn’t work in advertising, but the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish pastor came up with a fitting slogan: the small parish with a big heart.

Parishioners have proved time and again in 56 years that they are a giving and caring community.

Responding to the Alive in Christ Campaign, the parish has once again come together to accomplish something great.

“People really pitch in here. There is a strong sense of community. People are proud of their church,” said Father Mitchell.

ALIVE IN CHRIST

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish is participating in the Alive in Christ Capital and Endowment Campaign to fund the urgent needs of parishes and to fulfill the mission of the Diocese of Orlando that was identified during the 18-month synod listening sessions in 2005-06. The campaign invites all to grow in personal, living relationship with Christ, lead others to holiness and share God’s love by contributing time, talent and treasure.

St. Thomas Aquinas is participating in Wave III of the Alive in Christ Capital and Endowment Campaign, which kicked off earlier this year. The parish has met and exceeded its fundraising goals.

The campaign will pay for local parish needs such as an update and expansion of the current church, as well as diocesan needs such as providing more Catholic school tuition assistance and expanding Catholic Charities of Central Florida Inc.

“When we were first told of the Alive in Christ Campaign there was a lot of hesitation and even some resistance because of the economy. But we have been extremely successful. If anyone had told me that we would have done this well, I wouldn’t have believed them,” Father Mitchell said.

Parishioners Oziemar and Barbara Woodard chaired the Alive in Christ committee at St. Thomas Aquinas.

“When I found out we had exceeded our goal I was surprised and elated,” Oziemar Woodard said. “It has been a joy to serve in this capacity and make a difference. What we’re doing will affect many future generations, just like the sacrifices of those who came before us. This is our time.

“It has been fantastic to make a difference and to support the bishop and the goals of our diocese and to meet the needs of our local church,” he said.

This isn’t the first time the St. Thomas Aquinas community has helped its parish.

When Father Mitchell arrived in 2000, the church was in disrepair. Pews were falling over, the roof was rotting and paint was peeling. Weekend work crews were organized, and volunteers pitched in to paint the walls inside and out and make needed repairs.

Back in the 1950s, shortly after St. Thomas Aquinas had been established as a mission, the community gathered in a wooden structure that was in need of more than just a little tender loving care.

“The original church looked like an old Army barracks and it was so badly constructed we eventually had it condemned,” said Dr. Paul Coury.

Until a new church could be built, Mass was celebrated at the Bartow Civic Center, and each Sunday volunteers transformed the auditorium into a place of worship.

“We had to set up the altar and chairs each week but no one complained,” Coury said. “That shows how dedicated the people are. We will make sacrifices to help when needed.”

Peterson is the communications manager for the Diocese of Orlando.

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