St. Thomas More’s New Season: Capital Campaign Kickoff

Over the weekend, St. Thomas More Parish in Iowa City officially kicked off its capital campaign to build a new church in Coralville. Speakers at each weekend Mass discussed the plans for the new church and announced that the parish’s leadership has already secured over $650,000 in pledges toward the campaign.

The parish has been serving Iowa City area Catholics for over 60 years and is known for its religious education programs and high parishioner involvement in religious and social ministries.

In 2005 St. Thomas More was chosen out of the four parishes in Iowa City to relocate to the Coralville/North Liberty area. The flourishing Catholic community in the area known as the Northwest Corridor has been in need of a parish for many years and will join longtime St. Thomas More parishioners to form a community that will continue to grow in its mission. Since June of 2006 St. Thomas More has been ministering to the Northwest Corridor by celebrating a Mass every Sunday at 8:30 AM at the Brown Deer Golf Course Clubhouse and has seen its parishioner base grow substantially with Catholics in the area joining in anticipation of the move.

The goal of the St. Thomas More…A New Season capital campaign is to raise $2 to $2.5 million to complete Phase 1 of the parish’s Master Plan. Monies raised, combined with proceeds from the sale of the current church property, will be used to fund the project. Phase 1 will include a 500-seat sanctuary, a full basement which will serve as a social hall and space for religious education, administrative office space and a nursery. Subsequent additions include the conversion of the Phase 1 sanctuary to a narthex and the addition of a permanent 1000-seat sanctuary, religious education wing and social hall. (Artist’s sketches and a floor plan may be downloaded from the Master Plan page - click here.)

The building will be located at 12th Ave N and Dempster Drive in Coralville. The parish is seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, incorporating a “green” building design by leaving a compact footprint, avoiding wetlands and preserving the natural landscape of the site. The building will be constructed entirely of natural materials and natural light will be available throughout the entire complex. In addition to those features, the facility will be fully handicapped accessible and will include plenty of parking.

The campaign will be conducted from now until the beginning of November and will include a 5-year pledge period. Those who are planning to join the parish are encouraged to register with the parish now, and if possible, participate in the campaign by calling the St. Thomas More Parish Office at 337-2173.

Your comments and input are welcome. Please e-mail Steering Committee chair John LePeau.