History

Research by Linda Shah

Founded in 1950, Saint Thomas More Parish began with a temporary store front church on 19th Avenue. Our first pastor, Rev. John J. Scanlan, resided on Randolph Street.

Within two years, a church and rectory were built on land purchased from the San Francisco Golf Club. The Reverend John Scanlan also began building the school while he served as the first pastor.

In 1954, Monsignor Vincent Carroll succeeded Fr. Scanlan, who had just been named Bishop of Hawaii. Msgr. Carroll, who served as pastor from 1954 until 1985, oversaw the opening of the school in 1954.

In 1965, plans were undertaken to build a larger church. The original church building was moved to its present location next to the school. It was renamed Carroll Hall after our second pastor, Monsignor Vincent I. Carroll.

Our present church was dedicated by Archbishop McGucken on April 23, 1967.

Fr. John Ring succeeded Msgr. Carroll and served as the third pastor of the parish until 1993.

Under Archbishop John Quinn and as part of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Plan announced in 1993, St. Thomas More Parish was suppressed, closing in June of 1994. Fr. Donald S. D’Angelo served as the last pastor of the parish from early 1993 until its closure.

Archbishop William Levada, who succeeded Archbishop Quinn in 1995, reopened St. Thomas More Church in 1996 as a campus ministry center for San Francisco State University and to assume the pastoral responsibility for St. Thomas More School. Fr. Jerome Foley was then named as campus minister and head of the pastoral center of St. Thomas More Church. In 1998, Archbishop Levada announced that he was raising the status of St. Thomas More to a University Parish.

July 1st 2002, Monsignor Labib Kobti was welcomed as pastor of STM Church where he served until 2015. During his tenure, Monsignor Labib continued his ministry to Arab-American Catholics in Northern California. STM Church serves the San Francisco State University community through the Newman Club, and St. Thomas More Church is the spiritual home to people of all ages from several ethnic communities. The Eucharist is celebrated in English, Arabic, Portuguese, Burmese, and Tagalog.

Administrative Succession   

The Reverend John J. Scanlan, 1950-1954

The Reverend Monsignor Vincent I. Carroll, 1954-1985

The Reverend John M. Ring, 1985-1993

The Reverend Donald S. D’Angelo, 1993-1994

The Reverend Jerome P. Foley, 1996-2002

The Reverend Monsignor Labib Kobti, 2002-2015

The Reverend Marvin-Paul Felipe 2015-2021

The Reverend Richard Van De Water (Administrator) 2021 –