St. Thomas Aquinas Parish History
St. Thomas Aquinas parish began serving the Catholic community of UNC Charlotte and the surrounding areas of northeast Mecklenburg and southern Cabarrus counties in 1978. In June of the same year, ground was broken for the building of the church complex. Our first church building was an anonymous gift to the parish.
In 1984, the parish had grown to 150 families, and permission was granted to build a new church. The new church building (Aquinas Hall) was dedicated in 1985, and had a seating capacity of 350. It also included a chapel for daily Mass and prayer. This building now serves the parish as Aquinas Hall.
By the late 1980’s St. Thomas Aquinas had grown to nearly 1000 families and planning for a new church building had begun. In 1995 the Capuchin Franciscan friars accepted the invitation of Bishop William Curlin to come to St. Thomas Aquinas parish. Construction of the new church (original seating capacity – 1,100) was already underway when the friars arrived, and on November 25th it was consecrated by Bishop Curlin. By this time the parish had grown to 1,300 families.
In early 1997, Bishop Curlin blessed the new Family Life Center and its 16 classrooms, offices and regulation size gym. In 1999, the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena came to the parish, and they continue to assist with the religious education of the youth. The Family Life Center is currently leased to United Community School, which is a charter school focusing on the arts.
In 2015, the new parish center was completed, with new office space, conference rooms, and classrooms. The original office building was then converted, and in 2016, along with space for storage and a choir room, the parish was able to welcome Catholic Campus Ministry for UNC Charlotte to the space. They continue to hold weekly gatherings there, and are becoming more of visible sight on our church campus, which is wonderful!
There are more than 2,300 families registered at St. Thomas Aquinas, and we are still growing. It is through the grace of God and the sacrifices of those who came before us that our parish is what it is today. May we always be open to God’s grace and be willing to make our own sacrifices so that St. Thomas Aquinas parish may continue to bear witness to the Kingdom of God!
