St. Thomas Aquinas Parish: 'Now it's our church'

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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Fr. Fernando Velasco presides over the ceremonial 'burning of the mortgage' of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on Nov. 12.

HYDE PARK — In the bright Sunday morning sunshine, St. Thomas Aquinas parishioners gathered outside the church after Mass and cheered as Fr. Fernando Velasco ripped a piece of paper in two and handed the pieces over to be placed on a brazier. With the paper burning, children released colorful balloons to float heavenward as a symbol of the prayers of thanksgiving offered because the parish has paid off its mortgage.

“We celebrate an end to our bondage to debt,” Fr. Velasco said just before the balloons were released. “We move forward with joy and gratitude, maintaining our faith and the life of our parish in our new debt-free St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.”

The celebration acknowledged the time, talent and treasures that God has given the parishioners, he said as he offered prayers of thanksgiving.

“These gifts have brought us to this moment, when we have fulfilled our financial promises for the construction of this visible house dedicated to the name of your servant, St. Thomas Aquinas,” he prayed. “It is for us a house of peace, of community, of worship, of faith; a house built through the love and generosity of your servants. Continue to bless the living stones, the people, the life’s blood of this parish and the Church, who work to bring the message of redemption and salvation of your Son to our world. May this building and our growing campus be tangible reminders of your presence in our world as we serve one another as the body of Christ Jesus in whose name we make this prayer.”

The roots of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish go back to 1941, when the Diocese of Salt Lake City erected a building that served as a combined rectory, chapel and hall at 45 East 500 North, Logan. As the parish grew, it moved to larger quarters, a renovated house, in 1960. When Fr. Clarence Sandoval became pastor in 1995, he made a priority of building a new church that would serve the needs of his growing flock. After years of fundraising, on June 24, 2006 the church at 725 South 250 East in Hyde Park was dedicated. Eleven years later, on Nov. 12, 2017, the parishioners gathered for the “burn the mortgage” celebration.

“It was a huge thing to achieve,” Fr. Velasco said in an interview, adding that many people regularly contributed over the years to pay down the debt, but recently the parish received some significant donations that allowed the debt to be retired.

A mortgage is a big concern for pastors because they have to spend time and energy soliciting donations, he said. Now, “I feel like when you take off something that was very heavy on your shoulders,” he said, smiling and laughing. “Now it’s our church.”

With the mortgage paid off, he plans to turn his attention in other directions, such as the parish’s spiritual needs, he said.

Not having a parish mortgage payment “feels really good. It’s exciting because now we can look into the future,” said Carol Foht, grinning as she expressed her excitement for the day.

“It just shows that we have good people in our church,” added Foht, who serves as a greeter.

“Today is a beautiful day,” said Rogelio Gonzalez, who with other members of the parish’s Spanish community contributed to various fundraisers throughout the year to help pay down the debt. “We did this to help our community,” he said.

The parish’s Knights of Columbus hosted similar fundraising events, said Keith Koskan, Grand Knight of Council 12959. With the debt retired, “it’s great now to have that freedom” to dedicate more attention to efforts like the Coats for Kids and holiday baskets for those in need, he said.  

Having the parish debt paid off is “like a dream come true,” said Mary Kwiek, who at 95 may be the oldest parishioner. “I prayed that somehow the Lord would help us because we have good people, and loving people.”