Samantha Purdie – Winner in 5th – 6th grade
The St. Thomas Parish has been around for 50 years, and in the past years has made prodigious and welcoming changes. Over the next 50 years, the neighborhood will change and so will the parish. It will grow in parishioners and programs in the services for others. In 50 years, St. Thomas will be more of an inclusive, modern, and accessible parish.
St. Thomas has recently been making those much wanted and necessary changes to the church and parish area. Lately we put in a new piano improving the sound of our choir. Earlier this year, we put in the sound system. This helps people who are hard of hearing tremendously and makes sure that everyone can hear at all times. The parish has future plans for narthex renovations, making it a more modern room for the parish. In more future years the church will have more advanced technology, this may have us put in screens in the church so that everyone can see twenty-four seven. With STA making these changes and still more, the St. Thomas Parish will be very modern and kept up to date in the next 50 years.
For a while, our Parish has been constantly adding and improving more programs and clubs for the involvement of all parishioners. For example, the teen program is now more well-known and more teens are getting involved. We have guest speakers coming to the church to inform and get people involved in the problems of social justice. The kids that usually get bored in mass and start screaming now have an educational opportunity to learn about our faith, through children’s liturgy of the word. Alongside the changes that we have been making and expansions we have done in years past. In forthcoming years St. Thomas will probably add a cry room for the smaller kids who get bored in mass and need to be taken out of mass.With St. Thomas continually adding or improving clubs and programs STA will have incredible programs for the involvement of all.
People from all over the neighborhood are coming to mass, and we will always welcome them to worship with us. Every year St. Thomas welcomes more and more people to the parish. For instance, Sausage Fest, people from all over the neighborhood are coming Sausage Fest to raise funds for St. Thomas. We are reaching out to our neighbors at Butler University and interacting with them. Guest speakers will always be welcomed and respected. With St. Thomas welcoming more and more people there will probably be a program that has the students interacting and listening to guest speakers. St. Thomas keeps doing acts of good to make everyone feel welcome. This will grow tremendously over the next 50 years.
St. Thomas is a very welcoming parish that will never turn anyone away. We will always reach out and include people. The parish has been making changes in the service to others. St. Thomas keeps planning to make these additions and changes to the parish. So, in 50 years, St. Thomas will be an extremely modern, welcoming, and inviting parish.