St. Thomas More Parish - Kansas City

Every weekday morning, volunteers gather at the Catholic Center in downtown Kansas City to serve a warm breakfast to our unhoused brothers and sisters, offering not just a meal but dignity, kindness, and the real presence of Christ.
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Earlier this year, our parishioners were featured in The Catholic Key. The Morning Glory Ministry is a powerful witness to what it looks like to walk with the Lord through service.
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Whether you have an hour to spare or are looking for a regular volunteer home, Morning Glory needs you. You can guarantee, you will receive far more than you give.
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https://bit.ly/morning-glory26

When God Says Go: How One Mother’s Yes Is Shaping a Generation
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How Tori Colombatto stepped up to lead Vacation Bible School and why her gift matters to every family in our community.
Every parish has people who quietly say “yes” when God calls. They may not seek recognition, but their willingness to serve leaves a lasting impact on the lives of others. At St. Thomas More, one of those people is Tori Colombatto.
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What began as volunteering at Vacation Bible School (VBS) has grown into a leadership role that is helping shape the faith experiences of children. Through her dedication, creativity, and love for our parish community, Tori has become a guiding force behind one of the most anticipated weeks of the summer.
For Tori, serving at VBS is about much more than organizing activities or coordinating volunteers. It is an opportunity to help children encounter God in a way that is joyful, memorable, and meaningful.
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As a mom, she understands the importance of creating moments that help children grow in their faith. Whether through music, crafts, scripture lessons, or simply building friendships rooted in Christ, Tori believes these experiences can have a lifelong impact.
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“I hope my children know that they can always talk to God and also be still and listen for God as He speaks to our hearts,” says Tori Colombatto.
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Leading Vacation Bible School requires countless hours of planning, recruiting volunteers, coordinating activities, and ensuring every detail supports the mission of helping children grow in faith. It is a significant undertaking, yet Tori approaches it with enthusiasm and trust in God’s guidance. Her leadership reminds us that ministry is often built with people offering their gifts in extraordinary ways.
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The impact of Tori’s service will reach far beyond a single week in the summer. Every child who learns a new prayer, every family that feels connected to the parish, and every volunteer who discovers a passion for ministry becomes part of a ripple effect that continues long after VBS ends.
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By saying “yes” to God’s invitation to serve, Tori is helping plant seeds of faith that will continue to grow for years to come. Her example challenges all of us to consider where God may be calling us to step forward and share our gifts with others. We are grateful for leaders like Tori whose faith and willingness to serve are helping shape the next generation of parishoners.
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Sometimes, all it takes is one person saying “yes” for God to do something remarkable. Are you willing to answer the call with your “yes?”
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If you're 16 or older and feel called to serve in a role that involves working with, volunteering with, or supervising youth, we require that you complete the Child Protection (Virtus) training. It's an essential step in keeping our community safe for everyone.
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Join us on Monday, June 15 at 6 pm. Register by going to https://bit.ly/4on4zUZ. There are only 9 remaining seats available.

Faith conversations can feel intimidating in a world full of tough questions and strong opinions. But meaningful dialogue starts with understanding, curiosity, and confidence in what you believe.
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This week’s article from Axis explores how parents can help teens thoughtfully engage with questions about faith, atheism, and belief without fear or defensiveness.
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Whether your teen is asking big questions or preparing for conversations they may face in college and beyond, this is a valuable resource for growing deeper in faith together.
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Read more here: The Greatest Debate: A Simple Defense Against Atheism

Join us on Tuesday, June 16 at 2 pm in More Hall for our upcoming Blood Drive. To sign up, visit savealifenow.org and use sponsor code 3D, or contact Linda Heiman at [email protected] with questions.
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Walk-ins are welcome. Please bring a valid photo ID.

Taylor Swift is more than a pop star to many teens and tweens, she’s a cultural influence shaping conversations around relationships, identity, friendship, heartbreak, ambition, and belonging.
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Whether you’re a Swiftie yourself or simply trying to understand why her music resonates so deeply with young people, this Parent Guide from Axis.org offers helpful insight into her influence and the messages kids may be absorbing through her music and online presence.
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The article explores:
🎵 Why Taylor Swift connects so strongly with Gen Z
💬 Themes found throughout her music and storytelling
📱 The impact of fandom and social media culture
❤️ How parents can use music as a starting point for deeper conversations with their kids
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Rather than simply dismissing pop culture, this guide encourages parents to engage thoughtfully and stay connected to what matters to their children.
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Check here to learn more: https://axis.org/resource/parent-guide-taylor-swift/

Rooted in Faith | STM Booster Club, also known as “da best club”
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There is a saying that goes, "When you answer the call, God multiplies the effort." That is exactly the story of the St. Thomas More Booster Club. What started as a desire to support our student athletes has grown into something far greater, a movement rooted in faith, fellowship, and selfless service. This past year alone, our Booster Club raised over $70,000, pouring those resources back into the hearts and hands of our kids. New uniforms. Upgraded facilities. Teacher bonuses. Field Day. Tournaments. And so much more. But numbers only tell part of the story.
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The real story is in the people who showed up, Saturday after Saturday, event after event not because they had to, but because they felt called to. And no one embodies that calling more than Ray Clarke and Mindy Brown Clarke.
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For years, Ray and Mindy have been the heartbeat of the STM Booster Club. While most families were traveling to the games, Ray and MIndy were already there. Setting up, coaching, running concessions, and making sure every child, every athlete, and every family felt valued. It is quite possible Ray and/or Mindy was at STM every single Saturday this year. Not for recognition. Not for applause. But because that is simply who they are, faithful parishoners who answered the call and never looked back.
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Under Ray's leadership, the Booster Club became a self-sustaining club, returning over $200,000 back into STM, touching not just athletics, but classrooms, arts, theater, and the teachers who show up every day for our students. Ray leaned into the greater Kansas City community, building meaningful sponsorships that allowed the Booster Club to dream bigger and reach further than ever before. He understood that fellowship is not just a word, it is the foundation of everything St. Thomas More stands for.
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As Ray steps back from the forefront of Booster Club leadership, we do not say goodbye, we say thank you. Thank you for the countless nights and weekends you gave freely. Thank you for investing in our children the way you would your own. Thank you for showing our kids what it looks like to live your faith out loud, in the gym, on the field, and in the community.
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Ray and Mindy Clarke, you answered the call, and STM is forever better for it. To our Booster Club families, sponsors, and every parent who showed up this year, you are the reason this community is so special. Keep showing up. Keep building. Keep believing. Because when we are rooted in faith there is no limit to what God can do through us.
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Grief can feel overwhelming, but you do not have to walk through it alone.
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Join our Grief Support Group every first Wednesday of the month at 4:00 PM. This is a space to find comfort, prayer, understanding, and community among others who know the pain of losing someone they love.
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Whether your loss is recent or years old, you are welcome here. We would be honored to support you on your journey of healing.
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Some people serve a parish with their time. Bob Sandford served St. Thomas More Parish with an unshakeable belief that art can be one pathway to bring a person closer to God. For 26 years, Bob showed up with his hands, his ears, and his eyes to create a welcoming and loving place of worship.
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The cross at the entrance of the sanctuary was carefully crafted. If you look closely at the cross he carved, and you'll find an entire theology in the woodgrain. The nail holes are there, but so is the triumph. The Crown of Thorns has become a crown of victory. The label once nailed above Christ in mockery King of the Jews is reimagined as what it always truly was: a declaration of his reign over heaven. Bob didn't carve suffering alone. He carved the full arc of redemption, because he understood that Christ went to the cross not in defeat, but with intention. Every line of that piece reflects that understanding.
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And then there's the adjustable cantor stand in the sanctuary, which Bob built himself. (You may not have even noticed the switch of furniture because it looks exactly the same!) This stationery mic was too short for tall people. He didn't wait for someone else to solve it; he went to his workshop and made one that worked. That, too, is Bob: practical, generous, quietly solving problems so that others can do what they're called to do.
For his final three years at St. Thomas More, Bob served as Music Director, and he brought to that role the same vision he brought to his carpentry. He understood music not as a performance inserted into the Mass, but as the Mass itself taking audible form. "It is the auditory experience of what it means to be the body of Christ," he said, "the rhythm that unites a parish the way a heartbeat unites a body, the ebb and flow of a hymn that mirrors the movement of grace itself." He chose music the way he chose his wood: for what it could carry, for the truth it could hold, for the way it might open something in a person that a sermon alone could not reach.
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What Bob Sandford leaves behind as a staff member and brings forward to his next endeavor is not a simple list of accomplishments. It is a church that looks, sounds, and feels different because he was here. It is wood shaped by hands that prayed while they worked. It is music chosen by someone who believed that a parish lifted in song is a parish lifted toward God. It is photographs that caught the light exactly when it fell just right because someone was paying attention.
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That is who Bob is. A man who notices. A man who creates. A man who takes the gifts God gave him and offers them back. Thank you, Bob! We are wishing you the best of luck on your next endeavor.

Attached to this post, you will find photographs taken by Bob. You can find more of his photographs on bobsandford.net.
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Pope Leo XIV's Magnifica Humanitas calls on us as parents to become more digital aware. This Family Friday focuses on Snapchat. Snapchat may seem harmless with disappearing messages and funny filters, but for many parents, it can feel like a completely different world.
From Snap Maps and streaks to privacy settings and hidden risks, understanding how teens use Snapchat is an important step in helping them navigate social media safely and wisely.
This Parent Guide from Axis breaks down:
📱 Why teens love Snapchat
📍 What parents should know about Snap Maps
⚠️ Potential dangers and online safety concerns
💬 How to start meaningful conversations with your child
❤️ Ways to guide instead of just monitor
Technology changes quickly, but our kids still need connection, guidance, and honest conversations.
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Curious to learn more? Check out this article: https://axis.org/resource/a-parent-guide-to-snapchat/