From the Desk of Fr. Thomas - July 2026 Newsletter
- Pompeii Rising
- Aug 1
- 5 min read
Dear Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii,
As the month of July draws to a close, we should appreciate more and more the price for our salvation – the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1,19). As we are in the remote preparations for the consecration of Our Lady of Pompeii, I can’t help but anticipate ascending the altar for the first time and venerating the newly placed relics of the martyrs within the sepulcher of the mensa: “We pray Thee, O Lord, by the merits of Thy saints whose relics are here, and of all Thy saints, that Thou would deign to pardon me all of my sins.”
Before I provide exciting construction updates, I’d like to dedicate this newsletter to Fr. Vernoy, whom we can thank for the Society of St. Pius X’s continuous presence in both Jacksonville and Florida. In 2010, Fr. Vernoy became the founding Prior of SSPX Florida. In 2017, he was overjoyed to finally have enough priests to make St. Michael the Archangel an SSPX mission - a long time desire of the parishioners of Jacksonville.
Fr. Vernoy has received his new assignment after a 16 year tenure in the Sunshine State, and will be ministering to the faithful in Brisbane, Australia. A true missionary, Father has been stationed all over the world, including India, the Philippines and Africa.
A few days ago, I was able to give Father a tour of the church, future rectory and discuss the vision of the SSPX in Jacksonville. He told me that Our Lady of Pompeii will easily be the most beautiful Society church in the entire US District. I couldn’t ask for a better complement. In the near future, Father predicts great success, full pews, multiple Sunday Masses and transformative faith for the people of Our Lady of Pompeii. He hopes that we establish a school in the not too distant future.
With your prayers, Father, we hope to do just that. Travel with the angels, and come back to see Our Lady of Pompeii fully restored.
In the Precious Blood,
Fr. Thomas
In March's newsletter, we featured a compromised truss which put the whole ceiling structure at risk of failure within 5 years. I'm pleased to present the same beam, now fortified with extra support to bear the load. All of the "blonde" wood is new and will extend the life of the ceiling indefinitely.
It's a shame that the incredible amount of engineering that went into this ceiling design will be covered up, but we will always remember the unique craftsmanship that safely keeps a ceiling over our head.
The finished cruciform-like catwalk spans both dimensions of our church allowing us to perform annual inspection and maintenance. This, too, will be out of sight.
By next month, we should see the finishing touches added to a completed ceiling. The modern material will receive a Level 5 Finish, which will set us up for future beautification efforts and give the entire church a clean crip sheen.
The construction fencing has been taken down which really opens up the campus. The pavers have been installed creating a very handsome plaza. More work to come.
Farewell, Fr. Vernoy
There is no good way to take a picture of the engraving, but the parishioners gave Father farewell gift: a pocket watch that reads “To the very dear Fr. Marc Vernoy, with gratitude” and on the inside continues “Our Lady of Pompeii, Jacksonville, Florida 2026.”
Fr. Vernoy has been supportive of our expansion efforts since 2020 when we first explored what it would take to expand the church.
Thank you to all of those who signed Fr. Prior’s card. He was very touched.
This month’s mailbag comes from future parishioners of Our Lady of Pompeii, Cameron and his wife Emily, who paint the picture of what it was like to attend the Consecrations in person.
Dear Father,
From the start, we knew this was going to be the most beautiful and momentous trip we were ever going to make. I awoke to a view of paradise out the plane window, only to find that my wife was already awake. We arrived in Zurich and travelled to Zug for the Latin Mass at the local parish. It was refreshing to find Our Lord waiting for us, even in Switzerland. We visited many beautiful and awe-inspiring places on our trip to Econe: from Mt. Pilatus, to the castle at Speiz, to the St. Beatus Caves, and even the beautiful little town of Demitigen. However, nothing could truly prepare our souls for the consecrations.
It is difficult to put that day into a coherent sentence. There were numerous young families, elderly men and women, youth in their Sunday best, and religious; all reverent, all respectful, all jubilant. There was an entire valley (and much of the hillsides surrounding it) filled with Catholics. The Mass was beautiful; the men's Schola was heavenly, the ceremony was perfect, and the reverential silence among so many people was incredible to witness.
The most memorable part for me however, was the thunderstorm. The downpour began, and no one moved. After several minutes of torrential rain, and blusterous winds a few families took shelter under some tents a little ways off, but everyone else stayed put. Did my wife want to text her mother her last will and testament? Absolutely. Did I let her? Absolutely not. Kneeling, huddling together under raincoats, ponchos, and upturned umbrellas, we sang the Rosary. Hearing everyone sing together, in one voice, to Our Blessed Mother, it truly felt as if the whole Church was praying with us.
The camaraderie my wife and I both felt was truly a gift. Here we are, not knowing a single soul around us, and yet we felt like we were all family. It was refreshing to realize we aren't raising our children alone. We aren't walking the path to Heaven by ourselves. There's a real love for tradition and truth that extends beyond our little community back home.
Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, kept all of us safe through that storm, as she will continue to keep us safe through the spiritual storm we are weathering now.
-Cameron and Emily
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