Please Help Our HISTORIC Rectory From Demolition

CBS News Report on Rectory For St. Thomas The Apostle

Hello, Everyone! We hope your Summer is off to a good start. Tonight (6/16/23) the 6:00pm CBS Evening News just aired a brief report on the on-going crusade to save the St. Thomas Rectory. We’d like to Thank Joe Holden for taking the time to get out an speak with the Parishioners. We've spoken with Attorneys, the EPA, the Chester Heights Boro and many of you have signed this Petition. The report was somewhat incorrect. They reported that the Archdiocese says the funds to maintain the "old" rectory will keep them from doing other things in the Parish, but that is incorrect. The FOST Group (Friends of Old St. Thomas) have been the ones to raise all the money to rehab, restore and maintain the Historic Buildings. The Parish has not had to spend anything. However, with the tear down, they will be spending over $50,000.00 of Parish Funds!! Funds that could be used for "those other things". Father Shott disavowed FOST and continues to ignore the pleas to keep the Rectory intact, especially since it's only 25 feet away from the Chapel and it provides the only restrooms for events held in the Chapel. Over 700 people have signed this Petition already. We need to make our voices louder!!! We've started to put signs up in yards around the Parish and we could use everyone calling the Archdiocese again and writing to Father Shott. 

Even if you are not a parishioner of St. Thomas the Apostle parish, your voice is important. We need your help IMMEDIATELY and THANK YOU for your willingness to assist us in preserving the 1874 rectory and our parish history. 

Father Steven Shott OSFS: pastor@staglenmills.org

Father Michael Vannicola OSFS: mvannicola@oblates.org

Archbishop Perez: dhuddell@archphila.org

Bishop McIntyre: jmcintyre@archphila.org

Monsignor Matz (Dean assigned to parish issues): frmatz@sjnparish.org

Public Vigil Request

Hello, Again. We are sending out a reminder for the Vigil. During the Revolutionary War Washington and his men trekked across our Historical area in the cold, for days on end. It's very likely that Benjamin Franklin got the paper for the Constitution in Chester Heights, too. While it's a little brisk out today, we really need your support at this Vigil. Freedom doesn't come free. You need to fight for the things in which you believe. We all believe this Rectory is a Historic piece of our local History and we need your support in person, too. We hope you can spare an hour of your time this afternoon. The chapel will be open. We hope to see you today 2/5/23 at 2:45pm. We appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

FOST (Friends of Old St. Thomas)    

Public Vigil--Attendance Needed

Hello Everyone. We Thank You all for signing the Petition. You are truly remarkable!! We're approaching 700 signatures. Many have been working hard to stop this demolition from taking place. It's been a uphill battle and we've decided to put together a Vigil in front of the Rectory and at the Chapel on Sunday, Feb. 5th. at 3:00pm. We're asking everyone to try to be there by 2:45pm. We hope and pray everyone that signed this Petition can come out in force to show Frs. Steve & Joe that we are against this unilateral decision. All are welcome. Please invite others to come and continue to circulate the petition. We'll have updates at the Vigil on Sunday and will pray things can turn around. Please join us!

Thank you!

FOST (Friends of Old St. Thomas)

Share this petition

Help this petition to reach more signatures.

How to promote a petition?

• Share the petition on your Facebook wall and in groups related to the topic of your petition.
• Contact your friends
  1. Write a message where you explain why you have signed this petition, since people are more likely to sign it if they understand how important the topic is.
  2. Copy and paste the web address of the petition into your message.
  3. Send the message using email, SMS, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Skype, Instagram and LinkedIn.