Our Church Building
A Church that Evangelizes
Our patron, St. Thomas Aquinas, recognized that man’s mind is raised to contemplation through material objects, especially sacred objects and sacred architecture. By expressing beauty, permanence, and transcendence, a church building can teach all who see it what it means to be Catholic. For all of these reasons, our new church is a catalyst for a deeper commitment to our Faith, among both regular and occasional participants in the Eucharist and other liturgies, as well as a compelling invitation to all, especially the 4,000+ University of Virginia undergraduates who self-identify as Catholic, and whom we are dedicated to serve in a particular way.
Features of our new church
- Romanesque design (simple nobility, symmetry, thickness, stability, and round arches)
- Greek Cross (maximizing use of parish land)
- Ceremonial entrance on Alderman Road with ornamental tympanum (depicting Our Lord as a pilgrim, meeting St.Dominic and St. Thomas Aquinas) by renowned classical sculptor and long-time parishioner Thomas Marsh.
- Spacious sanctuary area (accommodating celebrants, concelebrants, and altar servers)
- Increased seating, with the altar as the unobstructed focal point from every pew.
- An azure-blue dome, filled with golden stars (representing the union of the Mass to the eternal Wedding Feast in Heaven), with a cupola.
- White marble from Carrara, Italy (in the floor, altar, albo, and baptismal font).
- A pelican on the front of the marble altar, symbolizing Our Lord in the Eucharist.
- Relics in the altar: St. Maria Goretti (martyr), St. Dominic, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Martin De Porres, St. Agnes of Montepulciano, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
- Marian & St. Joseph shrines in the transepts
- Sacristy & Vestry
- 4 Confessionals
- Stained glass, stations, and central crucifix by world-renowned Netherlands-born artist Sylvia Nicolas.
- A custom hybrid organ from Whitesel Church Organs.
Church Tour
In 2023, Fr. Walter initiated a Church Tour series, showing how our church can teach us to pray.
Memorial Gifts
Remaining Memorial Gift Opportunities
- Sacristy—$125,000
- Main Crucifix—$75,000
- Sanctuary Flooring—$75,000
- Stone Paneling on Apse—$50,000
- Sanctuary Paneling—$50,000
- 76 Long Pews—$5,000 each (13 ft to 25 ft) (46 PLEDGED)
- 18 Shorter Pews—$4,000 each (4 ft to 12 ft) (10 PLEDGED)
- 22 Choir Chairs—$500 each (14 PLEDGED; 8 AVAILABLE)
(E.g. Over 5 years, a short pew comes to under $16/week)
