“...let us keep our Parish’s church project in our daily prayers. Let us build our Church as an offering of praise to God, honoring our past and building our future on our true foundation, Jesus Christ.”

— Very Rev. Joseph Barranger, O.P.

“If Mass is where Heaven meets earth, then a church should communicate the glory and beauty of God and His dwelling place. It excites me to know that the new church will do just that.”
— Elizabeth Hofer, Chair of the Student Leadership Team, 2017-2018

“We are #Catholichoos, and this is our church, a beacon for evangelization and service to the entire University Community.”
— Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress, O.P., Catholic Chaplain to the University of Virginia

“My confidence in our construction budget accuracy is high. The process we are using for the Church Project Design and Construction has been time tested at UVA where from 1999 until my retirement in 2012, I served as Director of Design and Construction at UVA responsible for all capital projects. In this position over $1.5 Billion of construction was completed. This process was also used on the Priory which was finished below budget. Our current construction cost estimate is based on a design that is over 50% complete and has involved our Construction Manager and numerous competing trade contractors. Finally we have also included a 10% contingency in our budget.”
— Sack Johannesmeyer, Project Manager

“I am excited to have a beautiful church to help students lift their hearts, thoughts, and prayers to the Lord when they come to pray!”
— Keith O’Connor, Chair of the Student Leadership Team, 2016–2017.

“This new building represents a thrilling catechetical opportunity. How powerfully the very stones will speak to children, inviting them into intimate communion with God and His Church!”
— Eleanor Nicholson, Director of Religious Education.

“When a Catholic community builds a church designed to last for more than a century, they build it not just for themselves, the living. Rather, they build it for unborn generations of Catholics to come. In 2117, the parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas will still be benefiting from the sacrificial gifts we make today.”
— Jason W. Trujillo, Parishioner.
“It’s time to make new memories in a beautiful church that will serve our needs now, and for generations to come. . .  All of us--University faculty, students, alumni, and community families-- will be able to worship Our Lord in a sacred space befitting the glory of the One we adore. . . . Yes, I know that we’ve been doing a lot of fundraising in the past decades.  We’ve built the Hall and classrooms, we’ve built the Priory, and now asked to help with a new Church.   There have been incredibly generous donors who have been able to give large amounts to help make these projects a reality, and we are thankful for them.  But do you know what? This won’t happen without the support of all the parishioners, of those who can give a lot, and of those who can only donate a little, when all do it from their hearts. Each of us has our own part, and the final project depends on each of us to do what we can. This parish has been asked to do a lot, to be sure.  I believe that’s because we’ve been given a lot as well.  We have a diverse community of so many faithful Catholics, so many ministries to reach both within and outside the parish to show Christ’s love in a visible way.  We share the fruits of our contemplation in these ministries.  Our Church is the place where we draw the strength to do this outreach, grounding ourselves in the graces only the Sacraments can give.”
— Karen Poehailos, MD, NFP Coordinator, Parishioner.

“One of the primary reasons I support this campaign is thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for here at St. Thomas Aquinas; a superb group of loving, merciful, and dedicated Dominican Priests, an incomparable music program, vibrant youth programs and religious education. We have over 50 ministries doing everything from taking the Eucharist to the sick, to serving our sister parish in Saltadare Haiti, bible studies, Adoration and the list goes on and on. Jesus famously told his parents; “Didn’t you know I must be in my Father’s house”. This is our house, all of us here, everyone who participates in the sacraments, everyone who is nourished by the preaching of our Dominican Friars, everyone who is reconciled to God through confession. It is everyone’s house and I hope we all find a way to participate in our campaign to build a grace-filled testament to God’s love and our wonderful community here at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.
 — Matthew Hantzmon, Parishioner.