When was it founded: 1968
Where is it located: 1321 Burning Bush Lane
Has it moved: Yes
History and interesting stories about the church:
On May 15, 1968, Father Frank E. Wachowski was appointed to establish a new parish. Despite having some initial difficulties in finding an appropriate site for a church, Father Wachowski eventually acquired some land and proceeded to organize a parish. Within the first month, over 247 families were registered as members. Because of the congregation’s high concentration of families, the church’s first organization was a CCD program–a religious education course for children. In December of that year, Cardinal Cody approved the name of “Saint Thomas Becket” for the church.
Although the garage of the parish center–purchased in 1970–had been converted into a chapel, the developing congregation experienced growing pains and needed more room to stretch. As a result, in 1975, plans were finalized for the construction of a new church, meeting hall, and rectory. Even though construction was not completed until 1979, the church held services as early as December 1978. Father Wachowski was fortunate enough to live to see the completion of Saint Thomas Becket’s expansion as well as the official dedication ceremony in 1980. Later that year, the Father passed away and was replaced by Father Ralph Mollan.