Interior shot of St. Thomas More Church

St. Thomas More Church

The St. John's University Community welcomes you to St. Thomas More Church, our free standing church on the Queens Campus.

This church is the center of the Queens campus and our mission. What happens here nourishes what happens in all of the classrooms and labs, and on all of the campuses and playing fields, preparing our students to go forth in love and service.

We come here with gratitude to so many alumni and friends, in particular to John '63C, '66L, '93HON and Anita Brennan, whose extraordinary generosity made St. Thomas More Church possible.

Check out St. Thomas More Church featured on NETtv's City of Churches:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V261sE_y5-Y

 

Contact Us

Tom Donoghue
St. Thomas More Church
Campus Ministry Office
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11439
718-990-1849
[email protected]

Mass, Liturgy, and Sacraments

Daily Mass

Monday–Friday
8:00 a.m. (Not during Christmas Break Dec 23 - Jan 1. Resumes Jan 3)

12:15 p.m.*

Sundays

11:00 a.m. (Continues all year)

5:30 p.m. (Student Mass) *

*Only during fall and spring semesters

Christmas Eve Mass - Dec 24th 9:00 p.m.

No Christmas Day Mass 

FYI to Attend Mass

• Take your temperature at home before coming to Mass

• Hand Sanitizer will be available when entering and exiting the Church

Sacraments at St. Thomas More Church
St. Thomas More Church is the campus church for those who belong to St. John's University Community. With regard to the celebration of Baptisms, St. Thomas More Church is open to students, staff, faculty, administrators, and alumni of St. John's University. For more information, please refer to the Sacrament of Baptism brochure link provided. 

With regard to the celebration of Weddings, St. Thomas More Church is open to students, staff, faculty, administrators, and alumni. For more information, please refer to the Sacrament of Marriage brochure link provided. 

Reconciliation Schedule

Monday–Friday
11:50 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.*

Sunday
4:50 p.m.*

*Only during fall and spring semesters

Please call 718-990-1849 for additional information.

Special programs and Reconciliation services are offered during Advent and Lent.

Miraculous Medal Novena

Mondays before 8 a.m. Mass and after 12:15 p.m. Mass

Prayer Requests  

If you have a specific intention or prayer request, please call or email us at

Queens Campus
718-990-1849 

Staten Island Campus
718-990-4475
[email protected]

At every Mass, we pray for these intentions during the Universal Prayer.  Names can be freely written into our Book of Prayer in the Narthex of St. Thomas More Church for those loved ones to be remembered at our daily liturgies. 

Daily Readings Link

A great way to prepare for liturgy is to read daily or Sunday readings before you attend Mass. Find the readings for every day on the homepage at usccb.org.

More Great Links

The Vatican
Archdiocese of New York
Diocese of Brooklyn
Diocese of Rockville Centre
FAMVIN
The Vincentian Center for Church and Society

 

To schedule a meeting with a Campus Minister,

please click here to set-up a call or video meeting.

 

History

St. Thomas More Church is the spiritual sanctuary of St. John’s University. Named after St. Thomas More (1478-1535), knight, lawyer and author who was appointed Lord Chancellor of England during the 16th century, it is the University’s first freestanding church located on the Queens campus. The church is the embodiment of the spiritual identity of the University and represents peace and refuge for the entire St. John’s community. 

Since its move to the Queens campus in 1955, St. John’s University had intended to build a freestanding church that would function as a house of worship on campus, but due to the difficulty of funding such an expensive project, the plan was put on hold. It was through the generous support of St. John’s alumnus John ’63C, ’66L, ’93HON and his wife Anita Brennan, that the University’s dream of its very own church was realized. John and Anita Brennan’s kind and thoughtful donation totaling $10 million, was the catalyst to build a space where “students can embrace their relationship with God” and be called forth to service. The church opened its doors to the University community on September 27, 2004.

The church stands at the heart of the Queens campus, centrally located between the Residence Village and south-eastern corner of the University’s Great Lawn, with its front entrance facing St. John Hall, home to St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The walls of the church are adorned with vibrant hand-crafted mosaics and stained-glass windows imported from Italy that depict scenes of Vincentian history including the founding of St. John’s University.

Also located inside the church is the 9/11 shrine which serves as a space for reflection and prayer for members of the University who have lost family and friends during the events of 9/11.

St. Thomas More Church is open to the public and student and community masses are held weekly. Prayer services and vigils are held inside the church several times throughout the year. The church also serves as a meeting place for religious organizations such as Campus Ministry.