PERIOD OF FOUNDING
St. Thomas More parish was created June 19, 1963 by John Cardinal Dearden, Archbishop of Detroit.  Approximately 350 families from neighboring parishes – Holy Name in Birmingham and St. Hugo of the Hills in Bloomfield Hills – became founding members.  The Reverend William L. Anderson was assigned by Cardinal Dearden to be the first pastor.



Founding members of the parish recall that they and Father Anderson wanted the parish to be dedicated to a lay saint, that is, a person who had not been an ordained priest, deacon, or vowed religious.  Rather they sought the patronage of an ordinary Catholic living an extraordinary life of holiness out in the world.  St. Thomas More--a devoted husband, father, and lawyer--was an excellent choice!
 
[See Thomas More’s biography here]

Early parish life was committed to active lay involvement, a commitment that has been renewed with vigor in recent years.  This initial recognition in the parish of the importance of the laity seemed to anticipate the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).  There the bishops of the whole Church emphasized the “Universal Call to Holiness” that had sounded so clearly in the Gospels.  The bishops taught the importance, and value, of each member of the laity to the Church’s mission of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the world.  For example, in the words of Pope St. Paul VI in The Dogmatic Constitution of the Church (1965):     

“The laity are gathered together in the People of God and make up the Body of Christ under one head.  Whoever they are they are called upon, as living members, to expend all their energy for the growth of the Church and its continuous sanctification, since this very energy is a gift of the Creator and a blessing of the Redeemer” (Lumen Gentium ¶33).

“… All the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity; by this holiness as such a more human manner of living is promoted in this earthly society” (Lumen Gentium ¶40).

Father Anderson from the beginning stressed that every member of St. Thomas More parish had something of great value to offer in praise of God, and ought to do so. 

The first Masses of the parish were held at Eastover School in Bloomfield Township, and the parish offices, as well as early activities of parishioners were held in a farmhouse that was on the property on Adams Road in Troy.  The foundation of that original house is still visible just under the grass on the rise to the southwest of the main entrance to the church, and few remnant trees of an orchard are still on the east lawn.  A groundbreaking ceremony for a new church building took place on June 30, 1963.  When completed, St. Thomas More became the first Catholic Church in Troy.  The first structure was meant to be temporary and was intended to become a school, but plans for the school were set aside by 1970 and the “temporary” became “permanent.” 


Under Father Anderson, the parish grew gradually through the 1970s from the 350 original families to approximately 675 families by the early 1980’s when a third scheduled weekend Mass was added.  Father Anderson championed ongoing faith formation for both adults and children, and the parish continued to grow.
  

Beginning in 1978, the church building was renovated to add a narthex (a gathering area), and a community meeting room.  The parish continued to grow through the 1980s as more people, many moving from neighborhood parishes in Detroit, settled into land in Troy that was in some places still forest, orchards and farms.  Many new homes were built and the population of the city grew.


 
Tragically, Father Anderson was killed in an automobile accident on August 28, 1984.  At his funeral on September 1, 1984, the parish community mourned the loss of their founding pastor and leader, a priest who had instilled in his parishioners a deep sense of community and a high regard for families. 

A PERIOD OF RAPID GROWTH
Father Edward Belczak was appointed to the parish in October 1984 by His Eminence, Cardinal Edmund Szoka, Archbishop of Detroit.  Fr. Belczak was installed as pastor on November 3, 1984.  The charismatic Fr. Belczak led the parish though further growth following the recession of the early 1980’s.  Another surge in home building in Troy followed, accompanied by further increases in the number of families joining St. Thomas More.  By the time of the parish’s 25^th Anniversary Celebration in 1988, there were 1300 families.

 
It was apparent that the parish building again needed to be expanded.  In 1990 a 25,000-square-foot addition was built which included offices, classrooms, and the large social hall.  By 1990, the parish population had swelled to 1900 families and a fourth Sunday Mass was added to accommodate all the parishioners at worship.  Yet again in 1997, Fr. Belczak began another major renovation.  It took two and a half years to complete and addressed needs for a substantially renovated Sanctuary, reorganized office and meeting spaces, and improved lighting and sound systems.  During construction, Masses were celebrated in the social hall while the narthex, Sanctuary and worship spaces were renovated and expanded.  The roof and ceiling were raised about 15 feet, and a new Eucharistic Chapel, confessionals, sacristy, and nursery were added.  A series of colorful stained glass windows depicting the first six days of Creation from Genesis 1:1-31 were installed high on the south wall of the sanctuary.  Fifteen pieces of original painted-glass artwork depicting a Scriptural Stations-of-the-Cross by Pope St. John Paul the Great were commissioned and placed in the new Eucharistic chapel.  A new pipe organ was also installed at this time.  Under Fr. Ed Belczak’s leadership and reflecting the parishioners’ commitment to stewardship, these and other enhancements to the building were accomplished without a mortgage.  The renovated Sanctuary opened in November 1999, with a Mass of re-dedication concelebrated by Archbishop Adam Cardinal Maida, Fr. Ed Belczak, Fr. Tom Belczak, the pastor’s brother, and their close friend, Fr. Ed Prus.
 
   Gospel Messages in the Architecture

The newly renovated narthex and worship spaces were decorated to highlight the theme of Christ’s messages from the Gospels, and reflecting the Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.  The choice of stone and colors recalls first-century Jerusalem.  The walls of the narthex are inscribed with quotes from Jesus on living a holy life and love of neighbor.  Large palm fronds inscribed at the marble entrance into the Sanctuary represent Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  The dark marble of the passageway represents the Passion of Our Lord with His struggling footsteps on the way to Calvary illuminated on the floor.  The Baptismal font at the end of the Passion way represents how followers of Christ are “baptized into His death” (Rom 6:3).  Beyond the Baptismal font is the bright Sanctuary representing the Resurrection and where the Eucharistic Feast is celebrated:  We are “… raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, [that] we too might live in newness of life” (Rom 6:4).  In the early 2000’s, a bell tower and entrance canopy were added to the west Adams Road side of the Church, and the social hall, classrooms, and office spaces were renovated.


    
A PERIOD OF PAIN
A very sad and painful episode in the history of the parish was the shocking and sudden removal of Fr. Ed Belczak as pastor by Archbishop Allen Vigneron in January 2013 after questionable financial and liturgical practices were discovered by the Archdiocese.  Fr. Belczak was removed from active ministry.  Following an investigation by the FBI, Fr. Belczak and a former business manager, Janice Verschuran, were indicted in April 2014 on federal charges of embezzling almost $700,000 from the parish.  In September 2015, Fr. Belczak, pled guilty to misusing parish funds.  In February 2016, Ms. Verschuran pled guilty to misdemeanor fraud and received probation.  Fr. Belczak served 17 months in federal prison.  Both he and Ms. Verschuran paid restitution.
 
This episode damaged and in some ways divided the community for many years.  When Fr. Belczak initially denied wrongdoing, some parishioners did not believe the allegations.  There was distrust of the Archdiocese, police and FBI.  Naturally, people were deeply hurt by the betrayal of trust.  Many were frustrated when their questions went unanswered by diocesan or civil authorities who were prohibited from speaking about the case during confidential phases of the investigation in order to protect the rights of the accused.  The anguish felt by the community over the betrayal lead to disappointment, resentment, anger, and for some, a questioning of their faith.  Many families left the parish.  Fr. Belczak eventually wrote a letter to parishioners accepting responsibility.

A PERIOD OF RENEWAL
During this difficult time, the parish continued to pray for their former pastor and was blessed to have Msgr. John Zenz, Episcopal Vicar, appointed as the parish Administrator in January 2013.  Msgr. Zenz began striving to maintain and re-build confidence in the Church by re-engaging parishioners into active lay involvement, consistent with the parish’s founding principles.  Healing was slow but parishioners, led by Msgr. Zenz and dedicated parish Staff, continued to pray and worship and participate actively in the parish and in Christian Service, never neglecting our neighbors in need.
 
In 2013, parishioners gathered to pray for and work toward renewal of the parish.  Msgr. Zenz reorganized the parish Staff and added a Stewardship Commission.  Over 100 parishioners gathered themselves together during Lent that year for several lay-led sessions reflecting on re-discovering the Truth and Beauty of the Catholic faith, and maintaining their focus on Jesus Christ.  In mid-2013, Msgr. Zenz convened a meeting of all members of the Pastoral and Finance Councils, the Commissions, the Evangelization Committee, and parish Staff, to pray and reflect on the way forward for the parish and to help establish a draft set of priorities for re-invigorating the parish.

   Placing the Corpus of Jesus Christ above the Altar  
Out of these lay-led sessions, several parishioners raised the idea of placing a large Crucifix above the altar, a critical and necessary feature of the Sanctuary that was not included in prior renovations.  The parishioners concluded that it was very important for the parish to have an image of the Crucified Christ up front, showing the depth of His love for all, reminding everyone that they are members of Jesus’ Church, the Body of Christ, and to be reminded, also, how we are to love one another sacrificially.  This proposal from the parishioners was discussed in an open general parish meeting, endorsed by Msgr. Zenz, and approved by the Pastoral and Finance Councils. 

The unique Corpus of the “Dying and Rising Christ,” commissioned from Detroit-native sculptor Suzanne Young, was installed in the Fall of 2013.  Ms. Young's sculpture depicts a still-living Christ, His side not yet pierced by the lance.  Jesus is shown at the point when He may be saying, “I thirst”, or “Father, forgive them...”, expressing His and the Father's never-failing compassion and mercy for all His people.  The Corpus was dedicated at a celebration of the 50^th Anniversary of the parish with Mass presided by Archbishop Allen Vigneron.  In his homily, the Archbishop reminded everybody that this parish is the home of our faith community where for decades parishioners prayed and worshiped, were Baptized and Confirmed, received Mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, were joined in Marriage, and were mourned at funerals.  All those Graces, as well as the grace found within a faith community gathered in Jesus’ Holy Name remain, and will continue to bless the parish.


This sculpture of the "Dying and Rising Christ" was installed in November, 2013, in time for the 50th Anniversary of the parish.  Figure 1 shows the wall behind the altar before the installation.  Figure 2 shows Archbishop Vigneron dedicating and blessing the Corpus.
  


The 50^th Anniversary celebration included a gala dinner with music and dancing and fond reminiscences by long-time parishioners.  At that time in 2013, there were about 2000 families still officially registered in the parish, but the numbers were already trending downward.  In part, this was because of the people who left the parish after the scandal, but also because of shifting demographics of the worldwide Catholic Church and of the Troy community.  Today, there are about 1300 families, with new parishioners joining every month.

The Archdiocese’s search for a new pastor ended with much joy and anticipation on the part of parishioners in November 2014 when Msgr. Thomas Rice was assigned to the parish.  Msgr. Rice had been pastor of St. Louise de Marillac parish in Warren for 25 years and served as the long-time Editor-in-Chief of The Michigan Catholic diocesan newspaper.  Msgr. Rice said his first Mass at St. Thomas More on the First Sunday of Advent 2014, opening the new Liturgical year in his new parish home.  Msgr. Rice officially became the parish’s third pastor at a Mass of Installation celebrated by Archbishop Vigneron in February 2015.



A NEW PENTECOST
As St. Thomas More Parish was experiencing these changes, the Archdiocese of Detroit was beginning in-depth discussions with parishes and people throughout southeastern Michigan about the future of the Catholic Church in Detroit.  Beginning with a year of prayer for a new Pentecost, for a new out-pouring of the Holy Spirit, the Archdiocese engaged thousands of parishioners, including many at St. Thomas More, in evenings of reflection and discussion about how to redirect parishes from “maintenance” to “mission.”  Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Archbishop Vigneron called Synod 16, an extraordinary meeting of priests, religious and mostly the laity, including a member from St. Thomas More, in November, 2016. 

On Pentecost 2017, Archbishop Vigernon released his Pastoral Letter, Unleash the Gospel, the result of his discernment of the deliberations of Synod 16.  Unleash the Gospel set a direction for the Archdiocese, parishes, schools and families to lead all to deeper personal Encounter with Jesus Christ, to Grow in their faith, and to Witness courageously to the Truth of Gospel in their daily lives.  The unfolding of the Action Steps articulated in Unleash the Gospel continues today, aiming for all Catholics to be Sent on Mission.  Throughout 2020 and 2021, all parishes will be actively engaged in prayerfully discerning the form and function of Families of Parishes, building closer cooperative relationship with neighboring parishes.   At some point, these pastors and the parish leadership teams will do Missionary Strategic Planning, deciding exactly how the Gospel will be "unleashed" at STM and within the family of parishes.
    
Under the pastorship of Msgr. Thomas Rice, the parish is responding to these challenges of the day by embracing the Archdiocese-wide call for a new Pentecost and for a re-invigorization of the parish.  The parish Staff participated in an Amazing Parishes conferences in 2016 and were re-formed under that model as a Leadership Team serving the pastor.  Parishioners are responding to Unleash the Gospel, the Archbishop’s initiative of the new evangelization, by participating in programs by which they are Encountering Christ anew, Growing in their faith, and preparing to be Witnesses to the saving Christ and the love and mercy of the Father.  The prayer and devotional life of the parish continues to deepen, for example, with the formation of a parish intercessory prayer team and groups that regularly pray the Rosary together.  Faith Formation programs at all levels are being re-vitalized and oriented to the needs of families. 

Opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration with Benediction are now scheduled regularly.  New groups have been formed for men and for women to accompany each other in their faith lives.  And the life of the parish is focused on the celebration of the Mass, the Eucharist, and reverant worship of God, in whose hands our future lies.