Parish History

St. Thomas More Parish is one of 87 parishes in the Diocese of Bridgeport. It was carved out of St. John's Parish on September 16, 1966, by Bishop Walter W. Curtis. It is the part of Darien north of the railroad tracks. Originally the home of St. John's Parochial School, the property which included the school, a rectory, and convent, became the new parish. Monsignor Edward J. Howley was the founding pastor.

In 1968, Father Howley started a Children's Mass on Sunday, which continues to this day. Young children are involved through simple music, serving as altar boys and girls and readers, a Q&A homily, bringing up toys at the Offertory, and singing Happy Birthday at the end of Mass. It has always been a popular Mass for parishioners, some from surrounding towns.

Mass initially was held in the School Hall, but the parish enentually decided to build a proper Church. A fund-raising campaign to construct a church building was begun in 1971. Chairman of the Building Fund was Jackson E. Spears. Chairman of the Building Committee was Philip F. Sparton. Through the dedication and generosity of hundreds of people, a new church building became a reality and was dedicated on October 27, 1973.

In 1974, the Happiness Preschool has started to meet the needs of the preschool aged child.

In 1981 Barbara Donalds became the Choir Director at St. Thomas More Church. She conducted the Children’s Choir, the Youth Group, and an all volunteer Adult Choir for 20 years. In 1982 she became an active member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, and was a founder of the local chapter in the Bridgeport Diocese. She served on their board for 27 years, four of them as Chapter Director. In 1996 and again in 2006 she was the local coordinator for the NPM regional conventions held in Stamford. Barbara received a BA in music from the College of St. Catherine in 1956. She continued her studies at Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University, receiving a Master of Music degree in Voice in 1959.

The November 1984 Dialogue included a request from Father Howley for parishioners to become involved in a new organization provided for in Vaticann II called Rite of Chiristian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

That issue also announced the assignment of Father Robert Post as Resident Priest at Saint Thomas More. Father continued in that capacity until 1987. In 1999, he returned to Saint Thomas More as Parochial Vicar. In 2008, Father Post celebrated 50 years as a Christian Brother and Diocesan Priest.

In June 1986, the Youth Group at St. Thomas More made its first annual trip to Appalachia to build a home for a needy family. Sister Nancy Sutton of the Good Shepherd Mission in Whitley City, McCreary County, Kentucky, provides the Parish with the name of a family in need. The pastor accompanied the Youth Group along with several adult chaperones.

In October 1986, a Visser Rowland pipe organ was installed in the Church. A booklet was published for the Mass of Dedication.

Iin 1988, Pope John Paul II accepted the retirement of Bishop Curtis and replaced him with Edward M. Egan, the third Bishop of Bridgeport.

In 1991, the parish celebrated its 25th Anniversary. Bishop Edward M. Egan celebrated Mass with Father Howley and parishioners. A 25th Anniversary booklet was published outlining the history of the parish. Bishop Egan noted that Saint Thomas More was the first parish in the Diocese of Bridgeport to have a Parish Advisory Council after the Second Vatican Council. He also noted that the parish was a leader in evangelization, in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and in "outreach" to parishes and institutions of the Diocese which serve those most in need.

The year 1997 was a significant year for the founding pastor Father Howley. On April 26, he was made a Monsignor. On May 15, he celebrated his Golden Anniverary of 50 years as a priest. On October 13, he celebrated his 75th birthday and retired.

On January 2, 1998, Rev. J. Barry Furey was appointed second pastor. Father Furey, who was ordained by Bishop Walter Curtis on May 15, 1971, continued the Children's Mass, the Appalacia Project, and encouraged even further participation on the part of parishiioners.

In 2006, the Parish celebrated its 40th Anniversary. A Mass was celebrated at Saint Thomas More Church by Bishop Lori with Father Furey and Father Post. Monsignor Howley was the homilist. Following the Mass, Monsignor Howley sat in the front of Church and greeted parishioners.

On April 27, 2008, Rev. Robert J. Post, Ph.D., Parochial Vicar, celebrated his Golden Anniversary of service to the Church: 1957-1982 as a Christian Brother and 1982-2007 as a Diocesan Priest. The entire Parish Community of Saint Thomas More was invited to participate at 11:30 am Mass, followed by a reception in the Parish Hall.

On June 7, 2008, Samuel Fuller, OFM Cap, was the first person to become a priest from our young parish. Father Sam was ordained by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap, at Sacred Heart Parish in Yonkers, New York. Brother Sam was raised in New Canaan and is the son of Ernest and Dorothy Fuller. He received the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation at Saint Aloysius and was educated in the public schools of New Canaan through his sophomore year of high school. His parents joined the parish of Saint Thomas More of Darien in the mid-1970’s. Father Sam celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving at Saint Thomas More Church on June 15.

Earlier History

St. John's Parish, out of which Saint Thomas More Parish was formed in 1966, was dedicated as a mission church on December 15, 1889. It was founded as an independent church in 1895.

Prior to 1889, Catholics of Darien worshipped at Saint John the Evangelist Church in Stamford, the first Roman Catholic Church to be established in the Greenwich-Stamford-Darien area. Saint John the Evangelist was founded as a mission church in 1847 and an independent church in 1854. It is the "Mother Church of Stamford."

Saint Mary’s Church in Norwalk is the "Mother Church of Norwalk" and the second oldest parish in the Diocese of Bridgeport. It was founded by the Irish in 1848, and its first church was dedicated in 1851.