Dear Parishioners,
We would like to provide an update on our Facilities Study Initiative as of February 2026.
St. Vincent de Paul Renovations
Planning for the renovations at St. Vincent de Paul is well underway. Project personnel have reviewed a draft plan that outlines how parish and user needs will be accommodated in the renewed space. Feedback has been provided, and an updated version of the plan is expected shortly. This revised plan will form the basis of an updated Class “D” cost estimate, which will be included in our submission to the Archbishop.
W. M. Fares Group is serving as the lead architectural and engineering consultant and will coordinate a full team across the required disciplines. In addition, Grey Cardinal, a project management firm based in Dartmouth, has been engaged to support the parish with budget oversight and scheduling throughout the project.
Below is the updated renovation schedule for St. Vincent de Paul. Please note that these dates may shift as planning continues and information is finalized.
| Milestone | Projected Date |
| Class “D” estimate finalized | March 2026 |
| Submission for Archbishop’s review | March 2026 |
| Presentation to Parishioners | May 2026 |
| Archbishop approval | June 2026 |
| Design completion | August 2026 |
| Construction start | December 2026 |
| Project completion | December 2027 |
St. Thomas More Property Disposition
The St. Thomas More Property site will be subdivided eventually into five lots. Four of the lots will potentially be listed for sale. Timing as to when the properties will be listed for sale is dependent on final project approval.
St. Thomas More Proposed Ministry Outreach Centre
In January, the parish was successful in entering into an agreement with the School of Health and Performance (Health Promotion Program), Dalhousie University for a clinical/fieldwork internship. Dylan Hickey has been working with our Ministry Outreach Committee since January 2nd and will be with us until April 10th of 2026.
Dylan’s work with us is mainly concentrated on conducting a Community assessment in East Dartmouth by way of an online survey circulated to various Nonprofit agencies and groups currently serving the community. This survey will be used to help determine how a Ministry Outreach Centre can best support the needs of this community.
To date, 15 surveys have been completed. We anticipate receiving an additional 3–5 responses by the end of this week and over the weekend. With approximately 20+ surveys distributed overall, the response rate and the quality of feedback have been positive and encouraging. The assessment is now nearing completion, with this week marking the final phase of surveying.
Beginning Monday March 2nd, recommendations for the Ministry Outreach Centre’s potential services will be drafted, reviewed, and refined in collaboration with our Ministry Outreach sub-committee and presented to the Facilities Study Committee in late March to early April.
We would like to thank the members of both the User Needs Assessment and the Ministry Outreach Centre Committees for their continued involvement and input into this process. We appreciate the many hours you have dedicated to date.
We ask all parishioners to continue to pray for the process; for all those involved and for all of those parishioners most impacted by the decisions being made. We acknowledge the significant emotional attachment to St Thomas More and we do not take this lightly.
We are guided by our parish vision and the need to ensure we are making the best use of the resources God has given us for the future sustainment and growth of our Parish so that all will Come Encounter Christ, Joyfully Share His Love and Go Make Disciples.
For any questions relative to this update or the Facilities Study process, please contact the Facilities Study Committee at facilitiesstudy@ctkdartmouth.com
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