The history of our parish is a record of remarkable accomplishment. It begins in the early 1960's, and is a story of recognizing a need, organizing people, acquiring land, raising funds, building and dedicating. It is, however, really a story of the people of God building faith and "a house of prayer for all peoples" (Isaiah 56,7).
NEW PARISH ESTABLISHED
St. Thomas More Parish was established in 1962, during the Second Vatican Council, amidst the stirring and excitement in the world-wide Catholic Church. It was in an atmosphere of renewal and hope that Father Joseph Doogan, at the request of Archbishop Thomas Connolly, came to Lynnwood to start a new parish. The Archbishop and the pastors of the existing parishes in the area recognized the need of the new parish, because of the exceptional population growth in the Lynnwood area. The parish was established on October 2, 1962 by a decree from the Archbishop. The formal document which established the boundaries is dated March 15, 1963.
SITE ACQUISITION
Shortly after Father Doogan was named pastor, he and Jack Fairbank, a long-time resident of the area, and a group of parishioners began a search for a suitable site for the parish facilities. Four sites were considered, and with the concurrence of the Archbishop, the Pennock property, located at 176th SW and 64th W was decided upon. Negotiations took from October 1962 to March 1963, and finally on Friday, March 15, 1963, the property was paid for and the deed turned over to the Archdiocese. The parish had a plot of ground it could call its own.
FIRST MASS
Arrangements were made with the Edmonds School District for the use of Lynnwood Junior High School (now Scriber Lake High School) for Sunday and Holy Day Masses. The first Masses in the parish were offered on Sunday, March 24, 1963, in the cafeteria, with a total attendance of 866 parishioners. Because of the overflow crowds the first Sunday, the next Sunday Mass was offered in the gymnasium. People attending Mass there became familiar with the idea of picking up a piece of carpet to kneel on as they entered the gym on Sunday mornings. Four hundred chairs were setup before the 7:30 AM Mass. These were taken down immediately after the eleven o'clock Mass.
A house which bordered the eastern edge of the property was purchased for use as the rectory. Daily Mass was celebrated in the parlor of the rectory until the two-car garage could be converted to a chapel. The chapel was used for confessions and baptisms as well. It was a mobile church in which the pastor's slogan became: "Have altar, will travel."
GETTING ORGANIZED
The work of organizing the parish began. A Men's Club was formed, which assisted the pastor in both business and pastoral affairs, and functioned very much like a parish council, with elected leaders and formal meetings. The first ushers meetings was held on March 26, 1963. The first of many Women's Guild meetings was held two days later. Founding parishioner Bill Farrell attributes the greatest success of the early organizational efforts to the Men's Club and the Guilds.
CCD classes for first through six grades began on April 20, 1963 at St. Pius X in Mountlake Terrace, where Father Laurence O'Learey, pastor, allowed temporary use of the school facilities to the new parish. Through the courtesy of Father McMahon, pastor of Holy Rosary Church, Edmonds, grades seven through twelve attended CCD classes there.
On April 27, 1963, a work crew with Bob Bostick and his bulldozer, knocked down the trees on the parish property. The buildings on the property, with the exception of the original Pennock home, were burned by the local fire department. The Pennock house was converted into "The Parish Center" for meetings. In September of 1963, all twelve grades of CCD began meeting at St. Pius X School. By this time over six hundreds children were enrolled in the program. A census of the parish was taken in September, 1963, and in October a fund drive was initiated for the parish building program. A total of $170,000 was pledged by over 300 families.
An architect started work on the building plans, and after a number of revisions, the plans went to bid. Pioneer Development Corporation of Burien came in with the low bid of $465,558 and was awarded the contract in August of 1965 for the church, school, and Sisters' convent. The ground-breaking ceremony took place on Sunday afternoon, September 5, 1965. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who had agreed to staff the parish school, joined the parishioners who were in attendance.
THE NEW FACILITIES
The first Mass in the new parish church was celebrated on July 31, 1966. The Sisters took up residence in the convent during the month of August. Classes at St. Thomas More School began after Labor Day in September for grades one, two, and three. The four sisters in full habit met 120 students in full uniform: boys in salt and pepper cords, green sweaters, white shirts, and girls in blouses, sweaters and green plaid skirts. CCD classes for grades one through twelve were held in the new school building. The entire program was organized and staffed by a group of hard working volunteers. The number of students enrolled in the Religious Education Program continued to grow. In 1971, the first full-time Director of Religious Education was hired to coordinate all the parish programs. Interest in bible study flourished, and weekly scripture classes were begun. The interest in the study of scripture has continued to the present time.
Father Joseph Doogan, First Pastor 1962-1978
During the fifteen years of Father Doogan's pastorate, the seeds were sown to grow a strong community of the faithful. The movements within the faithful. The movements within the church, Marriage Encounter and Charismatic Renewal were encouraged. All the parish organizations, the Guilds, the Legion of Mary, the Knights of Columbus, the Parish Auction, the weekly bingo, and the Parish Council (replacing the Men's Club) were organized and the parish began to grow through the generosity and faith of many. As the pastoral demands of the growing parish increased, a lay Pastoral Assistant was hired. This was possible because the financial health of the parish was good and debt was almost paid off.
When the parish buildings were finished and in use, landscaping of the property was begun. Work parties were formed to clean up the property. Hundreds of hours were spent raking rocks, moving dirt, planting shrubs, rolling sod and all the other work needed to make barren ground into lovely gardens. In the words of one of our founding parishioners, Chuck Sohnly, "All this couldn't have been done without the leadership of our pastor, Father Doogan, who provided lunch (McDonalds) and refreshments. Lasting friendships were formed by these young families from all over the country."
Father Peter Duggan, Second Pastor 1978-1984
Father Duggan was assigned as pastor during the summer of 1978. One of his first projects was to remodel the rectory, part of which had been used for parish offices. The convent, which has been vacated by the sisters who had been assigned elsewhere, was renamed the Parish Office, the center of all parish business. The parish school had expanded to eight grades and a kindergarten. The Parish Council continued as a vital force in the parish, a Parish Renewal program was initiated, the duties of the Youth Minister were expanded, and the School Board was organized. In addition, the youth organize RAW, a Run and Walk-a-thon fund raiser, and the Fall Fest began its yearly celebration. During that time, Terry Marcell the first permanent Deacon was ordained, the RCIA program was begun, and Baptism by immersion was introduced.
Father John Renggli, Third Pastor 1984-1997
Father John arrived in July of 1984. His first efforts were to establish a finance cabinet and work with the school board, school staff, and the Parent Teacher Association in promoting the school. Shortly after his arrival, Father was notified that because of the shortage of priests, he should not expect the appointment of an associate pastor in the foreseeable future. Undaunted by this development, Father John organized a Youth Choir, which presented special concerts in the Fall and at Christmas, initiated parish picnics at Lynndale Park, the Renew Program, Feed My Sheep, and organized the Young Marrieds' Group. In addition, the Grief Ministry, the Mothers' Support Group, and the Young Adults Groups were organized.
Father John would often telephone parishioners in late evening asking them to serve on a committee or perform special tasks for the parish. As a result, many of the activities were enthusiastically carried out by inspired, dedicated, parishioners on an "asked for" volunteer basis. The addition of a lay Pastoral Associate Kathleen Kichline in 1987 aided immensely in coordinating these groups.
By the Spring of 1990, the parish had grown to include over 1500 families, which put a strain on the available facilities. Father John formed an Ad Hoc Committee to meet with all parish organization to study space requirements and future needs. After identifying needs, and various alternatives to meet these needs, a questionnaire was prepared and distributed to the parish for a vote. The overwhelming consensus was to build a multipurpose facility, which would provide additional space for meetings, parish organizations, and the school. A fund raising campaign was conducted, and after sufficient funds were pledged, a steering committee was formed to begin the long, tedious process of planning a facility to meet all the space requirements identified. The architect and general contractor were named, and the building process begun. The new building would include meeting rooms for parish organizations, a library, science classroom, and computer classroom for the school a nursery, music room, and a large multipurpose meeting room. Ground breaking took place May 2, 1994 with Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy officiating, Father John Renggli and Joseph Doogan assisting, and a large assembly of parishioners present to turn a shovelful of gravel. The new 12,500 square square foot building, constructed at a cost of $1,680,000, was named the St. Thomas More Community Center by a vote of the parishioners, and dedicated on January 8, 1995 by Archbishop Murphy.
Father James Dalton, Fourth Pastor 1997-2004
Father Jim was named Pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in July 1997. He immediately began a series of listening sessions with various parish groups to become familiar with the needs and expectations of parishioners. In conjunction with the archdiocesan "Wind and Fire" program, Father Jim and the members of The Pastoral Council initiated a review of the role of the council and the other parish committees and boards. The purpose was to define the mission of St. Thomas More parish, and to streamline the decision making process in the parish by establishing a commission structure, and granting more autonomy to the commission than had been inherent in the then existing committees and boards. After studying similar programs at other parishes and serious discussion within the council, Father Jim convened a "Leadership Meeting" in January 1998. At this meeting the parish administrative staff, members of the pastoral council, finance cabinet, school board, and maintenance staff (30 people in all) concurred in the establishment of the commission structure, which was carefully implemented over the following year.
In September, 1998, survey questionnaires were distributed to all parishioners for use "in establishing plans and priorities for our community in the coming year, and as background for preparing a five year-plan for the future development of our parish," The results of the survey were tabulated and summarized, and presented to parishioners in a series of "Town Hall" meetings, at which further input was solicited. A follow up survey was distributed in early December 1998 to gain further information on parish demographics and priorities, and to help in establishing short term and long term goals.
Father Robert Camuso, Fifth Pastor 2005-2008
Father Bob was named Pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in July 2005. He was born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont in 1946. He has three brothers, one older and two younger. The oldest brother lives in Sequim, Washington. When Father was 3 years old, his parents moved the family to Fresno, California and then later to Stockton, California. When Father turned 18, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served for 3 years in San Diego and Port Hueneme, California.
Father then attended Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles where he received a B.A. degree in Advertising Design. He lived in New York City for 5 years where he worked for Ogilvy & Mather Advertising. In 1977 he moved to Seattle and worked for two advertising agencies before starting his own company with a partner in 1981. In 1986 they sold the buisness and Father took a year off to travel before entering the seminary. He attended seminary at Theological College in Washington, D.C. where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Seattle in 1992 by Archbishop Thomas Murphy.
Father served as a priest at the following parishes: Holy Family Parish in Kirkland as parochial vicar with Father Jim Dalton as pastor; St. Andrew Parish in Sumner as parochial vicar with Father Tom Belleque as pastor; and St. Anne and St. Margaret parishes in Seattle as pastor for nine years.
Father is host of a one-hour radio program, Conversations with Father Bob, which now airs on seven radio stations in Seattle, Louisiana, Texas and Toronto, Canada.
Father Maurice Mamba, Sixth Pastor, 2008-2010
In July 2008 Father Maurice Mamba became St. Thomas More's Priest Administrator. He is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is in the center of the continent of Africa. He has 5 sisters and 1 brother and a host of nieces and nephews. His parents are deceased.
Father attended seminary in his country and was ordained a priest in July of 1998, for the Archdiocese of Kananga. He was appointed Diocesan Chancellor/Administrative Assistant and private secretary to the Archbishop. In 2002 his Archbishop asked him to come to the U.S. for pastoral experience and further studies in management.
From August 2002-May 2005, Father served as associate pastor for Our Lady Help of Christians, St. Angela and St. Martin De Porres on the West Side of Chicago, and from May 2005-January 2006, at St. Matthew Parish in Schaumburg, Illinois.
In February of 2006, Father left Chicago to come to Seattle to begin a new missionary experience. The Archdiocese of the Kananga and the Archdiocese of Seattle are sister Dioceses. Once in Seattle Father became parochial vicar at St. Monica Parish on Mercer Island. He then was appointed Priest Administrator here at St. Thomas More.
He will continue his studies at Seattle University where he will graduate with an MBA degree. Father Maurice is helped out by Father Ward Oakshott who serves as sacramental minister. Father Ward was ordained a Priest in November 1977 here at St. Thomas More.
Father Francis Thumbi, Seventh Pastor, 2010-Present
Fr. Thumbi is the 2nd child of thirteen with 7 surviving brothers and 3 sisters. He was born in Kenya, but he spent a part of his childhood in the neighboring country of Tanzania. Feeling called to the priesthood he joined St. Peter's junior Seminary in Kakamega in western Kenya. After completing his junior seminary, he proceeded for Priestly studies and attended St. Augustine Major Seminary studying philosophy, and St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Nairobi for Theological Studies.
He was ordained Dec. 5, 1987. His first assignment was as a Parochial Vicar at St. Joseph's Pro-Cathedral in Ngong, Kenya. While serving at the Cathedral, he was assigned another role as a Diocesan Youth Chaplain and Coordinator. After completing three years of service at the Cathedral, his bishop appointed him as his Secretary and Personal Assistant. In 1994, he was appointed as Pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Parish in Kiserian and also as Bishop's Vicar for Relgious. After rendering his service for a number of years, his bishop sent him for further studies in Vienna in Austria. While there, he served as a Parochial Vicar at Holy Family Parish for three years. He received a Master's Degree in Pastoral Theology from the State University of Vienna. In preparation for his doctoral studies, his bishop named him as Pastor at St. Luke's Parish in Oloitokitok, Kenya: where he served for three years, after which, his bishop sent him back to work in the Archdiocese of Vienna at the request of the Archbishop. While there he assisted at St. Stephen's Cathedral and later at two other parishes as Priest Administrator (Pastor). Among them was Laxenburg which was the former summer residence of the Emperor. He then assisted in the Parish of St. Francis in Caen, France. In December 2003, Fr. Thumbi was sent to work in the diocese of Hexham and New Castle in the UK and served as Priest Administrator (Pastor) of St. Hilda's Parish. He returned to Kenya and was appointed Pastor of St. Mark in Lemek in the famous Maasai Mara National Game Reserve until 2007.
His bishop then requested that he move to America and serve in the Archdiocese of Seattle, and help to liaise and coordinate Mission Appeals for his diocese back home in Kenya. He has served as a Parochial Vicar at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Everett and St. John Mission in Mukilteo for two years. He became the Priest Administrator at St. Thomas More in July 2010.