From the Desk of Fr. Thomas - May 2026 Newsletter
- Pompeii Rising
- Jun 2
- 6 min read
Hail, Virgin, dearest Mary. Our lovely Queen of May!
Dear Friends of Our Lady of Pompeii,
Writing to you from Saint Marys, KS to spend a little time with my mother. In the last few hours of this special month dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, let us rejoice that we all have a Mother who loves us and always directs us to her Divine Son.
It feels like just yesterday we had our First Annual Feast of Our Lady of Pompeii. For many, it was an introduction to the sacred image of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii. Even though it was two years ago, I still can remember the audible gasps when the curtain was removed.
May 8, 2024
(Click the arrow to unveil the Sacred Image)
May 8, 2025
I blinked, and it was already time for our Second Annual Feast. With spade in hand, we ceremoniously broke ground on what would be the start of a momentous year.
It's hard to believe, but a full liturgical year has come and gone. In this month of Mary, accompanied by 200 faithful from Florida, Georgia, and beyond, we had our first neighborhood procession around the church and made some major announcements. For full details and some amazing pictures of the evening that you won't find anywhere else, check out the write-up by our Communications Director, Alex, called "100% Chance of Rain."
One big announcement was the launch of our new fundraising campaign. Starting the month off at $6.25M, I'd like to see if we could get to $7M by August 15th. So with confidence, we put this in the pierced hands of Our Lord.
May has also been a month dedicated to progress. The StormTec system is being installed. Pictured below, many cubic yards of dirt are removed, and a series of drainage ducts are placed below a layer of pervious stone. This will conduct vast amounts of water away from our property.
Another big announcement was the acquisition of a rectory. The home is being renovated, and from this picture taken from the new sacristy door, we see just how close the new rectory will be!
The entire alley is now paved.
Insulation in the attic has been applied. This will help regulate the temperature.
I've said it before, May has done it again! When a month is so dear to Our Lady, it is dear to Our Lord, and He never ceases to amaze me.
Keep saying your Memoraries,
Fr. Thomas
I'd be remiss not to mention that the names of the new bishops-elect have been released. It just so happens my friend and classmate Fr. Michael Goldade was selected by our General Superior to take up the cross of the episcopate. Father shared his support of our project in December. We look forward to soon-to-be Bp. Goldade's continued prayers.
This time next month, I'll be flying to Switzerland to attend the consecrations on July 1st and will take your intentions with me. Please continue to pray for the four priests that they be guided by the Paraclete.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Almighty and Eternal God, Who willest that all men should come to salvation and to the knowledge of the truth, Thou Whose Spirit sanctifieth and governeth the whole Body of the Church, we humbly beseech Thee, through the intercession of Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces, to provide for the needs of Thy Church by pouring out upon Thy elect the abundance of Thy grace. May there shine forth in them the steadfastness of faith, the purity of charity, and the sincerity of peace. May their speech and their preaching rest, not upon the persuasive language of human wisdom, but upon the Spirit and the power of God. Tireless in external labour, may they preserve within themselves the fervour of the Spirit; may they hate pride, may they love humility and truth, never betraying it under the pressure of praise or of fear. May they not make of darkness light, nor of light darkness; may they not call good evil, nor evil good. May they be at the service of the wise as of the foolish, of the learned as of the ignorant, that they may gather the fruit of the progress of all. Multiply upon them Thy blessing and Thy grace, so that, filled with godliness by Thy gift, they may at all times fruitfully implore Thy divine mercy.
Through Our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
℟. Saint Pius X.
℣. Pray for us.
Mother's Day May Crowning and procession.
Community News!
Yesterday was the SPAR Cleanup where we put our faith into action. A wonderful turnout of 30+ parishioners keeping our new neighborhood tidy.
Last Saturday was the Springfield 5K. The church is one of the last few landmarks before the finish line. A few parishioners cheer on those who run the race.
Lots of content this month. I didn't want the mailbag to not show up, so here is Part II. This month’s write-in comes to us from a young lady named Meghan from my home town of Saint Marys, KS who not only stumbled upon our project, but a prayer card and a new devotion.
Hi Fr. Thomas,
I never heard of Our Lady of Pompeii until I saw the SSPX Sacred Restorations Pompeii Rising video and loved the story about how everything is coming together for the restoration, the story of St. Bartolo Longo and his devotion to Our Lady. It's such an amazing story!
The day I watched the video and donated just so happened to be St Bartolo Longo's birthday (February 10th) which I thought was a neat coincidence. Immediately after, I donated to help the restoration project. Later that same week I made a visit to the Immaculata in St Mary's KS.
While I was there, I decided to go to the Our Lady of Guadalupe side chapel, knelt down and noticed there was a holy card on the floor. I picked it up and it was of Our Lady of Pompeii! I was kind of shocked to be honest. After that I knew I needed to be praying to Her! I still have the holy card. I even went to the Immaculata Bookstore also in St Mary's and looked to see if that was something they sell normally and they don't.
Just a couple other things, I also have devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe as my birthday is December 12th (Her feast day) then I received Fr Thomas email newsletter talking about embedding the original altar stone in the foundation on December 12th, which I thought was amazing. May 8th has also always been a special day for me as well as it's my Confirmation anniversary. So I will also celebrate Our Lady of Pompeii's feast day too!
People could say that it's all just coincidence, but to me It's like Our Lady of Pompeii has been waiting for us to pray to Her! I have since been continuing to keep your parish and restoration project in my prayers. I have been praying to Our Lady of Pompeii for a lot of things, but specifically for my 14-year-old nephew that is currently battling leukemia. He has been through a lot, but he has been improving, so we are hopeful for him to get better.
Although I have never been to the Jacksonville , I just might need to make a trip!
Comments