​Help Support St. Thomas More with a Christmas Gift
Dominican friars and Newman staff ask that God’s abundant love shines down upon you and your family during this Advent season, that may He be in your heart and in your thoughts.  Advent is a very special time in our Holy Church, a time of preparation as our anticipation builds with excitement and joy at the birth of our Savior.  It is also a time in which we prepare to celebrate Christmas.  Last year’s Christmas Gift Appeal raised over $90,000.  Your generosity afforded us the luxury of not needing to ask for a spring appeal as we closed our yearly budget.  Another year of COVID and we are still reliant on your generosity.  Since the beginning of COVID, 23% of our parish families have stopped supporting Newman, resulting in an almost 30% drop in non-electronic offertory giving to Newman last year. 
This special appeal helps support the operational costs of keeping St. Thomas More vibrant and alive.  We want to be known as the parish that asks for help when we need it, and not to have fundraisers year after year because of tradition.  We envision, with your help, another successful Christmas appeal, allowing us to have a “spring celebration” versus a “spring fundraiser.”  
We pray that this year’s Christmas appeal is as fruitful as last year’s.  As this year closes, we humbly ask that you prayerfully consider repeating last year’s gift or making a new "Christmas Gift" to Newman.
Mass and Adoration
We have been blessed to be able to open the doors at St. Thomas More during COVID and offer Mass and Adoration to our community.  It was difficult at first with size limitations and sign ups.  Currently, the only State COVID requirement is to wear a mask.  For everyone’s safety we have adopted and mirrored the University of Oregon’s safety protocols; you can find these on our website.  We have also created a guide for visiting priests to follow, being that they might have different guidelines at their home parish.  For those who are not ready to return to Mass in person during COVID, we will continue to live stream the Mass.  We eagerly await your return and to welcome you back to Newman. We have taken these steps to keep everyone safe and allow access to your church for spiritual nourishment.
The expense of keeping our doors open during COVID is about the same as any other year.  Heating, air conditioning, candles, and lighting are just a few of the costs that we continue to incur regardless of how many people attend Mass.  Your support will help bring the light of Jesus Christ to all who enter our church.
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Campus Ministry and RCIA
When it comes to keeping Catholics in the Church, one of the most important battlegrounds is the college campus.  Our Newman Center plays an active role in building the Church of tomorrow.  The last year has certainly held challenges for campus ministry.  However, despite the COVID restrictions of the academic year 2020-2021, our Newman Center leadership found creative ways to reach out to our student community.  We forged ahead, and were blessed to share the Good News of the Gospel with many students through retreats, Wednesday night gatherings, socials and bible studies. Six students entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.
We are excited to share that our fall term 2021 is off to a great start!  We take joy in the fact that our student ministry is flourishing!  Our student leadership team meets and prays together on a weekly basis. The fruits of their labor have resulted in a fall term where many students have gathered safely in  community, learning about their faith and the love that God has for them. We held a successful fall retreat in late October and a good number of students are attending our weekly “Newman Nights.”  The RCIA program has 11 young adults investigating the Catholic faith.
There is no doubt that your support has, and will continue to help guide and build the community of faithful. Your Christmas Gift will help us continue to empower our students to be the future leaders of our Church.
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FOCUS
Our FOCUS missionaries continue to evangelize the word of God on and off campus.  We have all been working together to make the best engaging events for our students.  Their small group bible studies have had an incredible impact teaching the foundational pillars of the Gospel message.  This fall, they are leading several bible studies with over 40 students, including outreach to the Greek society on campus! 
Our students are looking forward to attending the SEEK conference in Seattle this February.  We will team with the University of Washington for this conference.  They will travel to our sister Newman Center for this three-day conference that will introduce them to powerful Catholic speakers from around the country.  We plan on sending up to 40 students to this event.  Once there, they will participate in small group discussions, Adoration, prayer, confession, praise and worship, and daily Mass during the conference.  Partner with us to help with registration and the underlying costs of sending our students to join with U.W. in growing their relationship with Jesus Christ.
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Buildings and Grounds
We are continuously working on improving our buildings and grounds here at Newman.  In the last year we extended our security cameras around the property.  This past summer, we gathered a painting crew and painted the inside of the center for the first time in nearly 20 years.  As we move toward 2022, we hope to take advantage of the Archdiocese’s Safety Grant that provides 50% of the costs of any qualifying project.  We are examining the possibility of putting an ADA Accessible automatic door opener to the center below. Your help and support will continue to improve our buildings and grounds for everyone’s enjoyment and make Newman welcoming to all who visit.  
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We are all called to this community for one reason or another.  Maybe it was for school, or to receive one of the Holy Sacraments, or you found Newman to be your spiritual home.  We believe that the Newman Center holds a special place in all our hearts. 
 
We are most grateful for the support you have given to the Newman Center over the years. Thank you! 
We are asking that you prayerfully consider supporting your spiritual community with a special Christmas gift this year.

We wish you and your family a wonderful Advent and Christmas Season.  May you experience the joyful hope of knowing God seeks to bless you abundantly with His presence and love!

Yours in Jesus Christ,
Your support makes this critical ministry possible.  
All donations will go into the general operating fund to support the above-mentioned needs