St. Thomas More Catholic School is one of the oldest Catholic schools in the heart of one of the oldest neighborhoods in Saint Paul, Minnesota, having first opened in 1904. In our 116 year history the name of our school has changed, as has the makeup of our faculty, our curriculum, and composition of our student body, but the thing that has remained constant is our foundation of faith and the ongoing commitment to work in partnership with parents to form and transform the hearts and minds of children. At St. Thomas More, we support, we teach, and most of all we inspire all children to be their best in all they do.
Since 1991, the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) have served our parish and school and during this twenty-nine year history, our school has fully embraced what it means to be a Jesuit school. Cura Personalis is a Jesuit-inspired Latin phrase that means care for the human person, and this belief is at the center of all that we do at St. Thomas More. By getting to know and caring for each student, we hope that each of them will grow up to be adults who are loving, open to growth, committed to excellence, religious, and committed to justice.
In order to accomplish these transformational human qualities, we focus on educating the whole person: spiritually, intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally. Through daily prayer, attending Mass, as well as rigorous study, our students become global citizens who are people of faith, hope, and love who are committed to a life of service, the ongoing pursuit of educational excellence, and the promotion of justice. At St. Thomas More, young people learn what it means to stand for and with others, particularly the poor and marginalized.
Graduates of St. Thomas More are confident, joy-filled, and committed to making a difference in our world. As a school in the Jesuit tradition, we accomplish these outcomes by teaching our students to find God in all things by experiencing, reflecting, and acting in ways that support all of God’s creation. Ultimately, we want young people at our school to recognize they are truly blessed and have a responsibility to carry on the traditions of our faith and the Society of Jesus by using their God-given gifts for the benefit of others.
- Pat Lofton, Principal
COMMUNICATING WITH OUR FRIENDS IN OUR SISTER PARISH
[Since December 12 families from Saint Thomas More have been paired with 12 families from Saint Francis Xavier, and are exchanging messages via email and WhatsApp. Here is a reflection on this process by one of our parishioners involved in the exchange.] Since early December, my wife Milagros Santiago and I have been communicating with our partner family at St Francis Xavier in Umbir India. They are Gracy, John, and Cecilia (their daughter) Lyngdoh. Gracy serves on the Parish Council and works for the postal service. I met Gracy in person when Dan Sullivan and I visited their community last year and it’s a treat to reconnect with her and her family.
Our messages covered topics like the weather (their winter is like our late spring) and Christmas traditions. I described our traditional Puerto Rican Christmas meal which includes roast pork with rice and chick peas. Their Christmas meal was a cherrapunjee chicken fare with local herbs. The Lyngdoh’s also sent us a New Year’s greeting and blessing. Garcy also reported the Council is busy preparing for the Parish’s Golden Jubilee.
Umbir is in Northeast India which is the scene of unrest and protests over a recently passed citizenship law. To quell the protests, the government shut down the internet and forbid groups from gathering. These actions affected our ability to communicate with the Lyngdoh’s for part of the past two months. Life in the region seems to have settled down so we look forward to another exchange of messages soon.
- Steve Thomas
GO BACK