Pierson Street Church work began in February 2000; the work began on the upper floor with plaster repair and painting. The scope of the work included new paint, minor repairs to the mechanical equipment, new carpet and furnishings. The stained glass windows received minor repairs. The statuary and Stations of the Cross remained. The stairwell and foyer were resurfaced and painted. New exit doors and locks were installed on the front of the church. The 75 year old light fixture in the foyer will remain. Following the work upstairs, work began on the basement. Some demolition work in order to expose all of the condition and determine the best solution to the problems uncovered began. The finished basement included an area retained for the maintenance staff offices and shop, six meeting rooms, common space that can be expanded by movable partitions around 2 of the meeting rooms; a kitchenette and several storage spaces along with the restrooms were remodeled; all and all space could hold 120 people.
 

In January of 2001, Rev. Wirth started construction on a new Baptismal pool to replace the small font that was located just behind the ambo on the altar. Construction began on the new baptismal pool in the rear of the church. The pool was octagonal shape, one of the ancient designs for baptismal pools. There was an upper font for infants and a lower pool for adults. The water flowed from the upper to the lower. This was ready for Easter April 2001.
Assisting Rev. Wirth were:
Rev. Andrew Wisdom 88-1989;
Rev. Joseph Schlade 1988-1989;
Rev James Swarthout 1989-1992;
Rev. Joseph Kaiser 1989-1991;
Rev. Walter Johnson (hispanic ministry);
Rev. David Huber 1992-1995; 1997-1998;1/1999-9/1999;
Rev. Robert Jones 1992-1995;
Rev. Timothy Seigel 1995-1997;
Rev. William Schuessler ( in residence);
Rev. Ephrem Karwowski ( in residence);
Rev. Aaron Brodeski 1998-2000; Rev. Mr. Michael Black (summer) 1999;
Rev. Leonardo Maldonado3/2000-10/2000;
Rev. Keith Roscoe 2000-2002;
Rev. Mark Campobello 2000-2001;
Rev. Ken Stachyra 2001-2003;
Deacon Ralph Statter 2001-2015.
 

In the summer of 2003 the boiler at Pierson Street needed to be replaced because it died for a cost of $22,000.00 and new windows on the north side of the Lake Street School were replaced for $27,000.00. A new roof also was needed on the rectory with volunteers doing most of the work.

In 2004, the old roof on the original “house section” of the Pastoral Center was replaced. The price tag for the new roof was $7,091.20. Tuck pointing of the most badly needed areas and replacing of bricks that were in danger of falling out at Pierson Street Church took place in the summer 2004 at a cost of $12,300.00. New carpeting was installed in the school rooms in the Lake Street building at a cost of $19,000.00. Liners in several of the chimneys were installed at a cost of $9,050.00. Two parking lots near the Pierson Street campus, were paved, another seal coated and a fourth was totally redone. The parking lots were about $60,000.00 when completed. Two new furnaces were installed at the rectory, as both were rusted out and dying, at a cost of $5,600.00.  Tuck pointing of the problem areas of the oldest section of the Lake Street School was undertaken for a cost of $8,220.00. The parking lot next to the Lake Street School was totally replaced including new courses of gravel, limestone and asphalt for a cost of $23,250.00. A new 28 space parking lot at the Oak Street Church campus by the back storage area was added to insure no one had to park on Route 176, the second part of that project was the re-surfacing of the western part of the lot. The cost was $37,500.00 for the new lot and $48,454.00 for re-surfacing.  Windows at the parish center were replaced because they could not be fully closed and were very old, the cost was $24,002.95. The parking lot next to the King Street School building had to be taken down to the gravel and completely redone for a cost of $23, 258.75. New carpeting was installed in the community center at Oak Street Church, along with painting which totalled $20,000.00. The parish paid only $2,800.00 of the total cost of that project thanks to the generous donations from the St. Thomas Women’s Club, Funeral Luncheons and Mrs. Leona Rinn.
 

In 2006 major repairs and replacements took place at all St. Thomas properties. A new air conditioner compressor at Oak Street church was installed for $8,000.00. The bricks on the Parish Center were tuckpointed and two chimneys on the King Street School were rebuilt for $11,000.00. Multiple parking lots were resealed for $15,644.00. Two new chapel furnaces, that heated the chapel behind the altar at Oak, were installed for $6,900.00. Roofing projects were undertaken, included the remainder of the Parish Center, the area over the maintenance shop, and the upper part of the rectory at a cost of $105,000.00. A new air conditioner was purchased for $5,400.00 for Pierson Street. In December 2006, after many faithful years of service, the Bells at Oak Street Church “died”.  New ones were purchased and installed from the Schulmerich Bells Company. The Bells not only called the beginning of mass but chimed the Angelus at noon and 6pm daily.

In 2007 necessary repairs on the elderly building were still ongoing as new basement windows were installed at the Pierson Street Church for $17,600.00. Condensation holding tanks were added to the bolier for $3,660.00. The roof was completely replaced on the King Street School for $128,600.00. This included removal of 3 additional roofs and adding new drains. A fund drive began for upgrading the pipe organ to digital technology after the estimate to make the upgrade came in at $105,000.00.

The year 2008 brought exciting news that St. Thomas would open a pre-school for the school year 2008-09. The pre-school was located at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Crystal Lake until 2016 when it moved to the new "Little Saints" pre-school building in 2016. In the aging building projects, the original windows circa 1958 at the rectory were replaced for $33,500.00.  With four permanent priests, seminarians and transitional deacons all living in the rectory, a "wonderful" problem arose, so an addition was added to enlarge the common space by adding a 4 seasons room off the kitchen. The projected cost was between $25,000.00 and $30,000.00 and was underwritten by anonymous donors. The work on the heating units at the Oak Street church continued with replacement of the duct work with a projected cost of $32,900.00.


 

Some of the features of the Chapel include three beautiful wooden beams made of walnut accenting the ceiling to help draw your attention forward to Jesus and the Monstrance.  The monstrance rests atop a pedestal that sits on a marble floor with steps. The marble altar that holds the monstrance was refashioned from the altar located in the Bishop’s private chapel at the residence in Rockford, IL.  That altar was used by the first six Bishops of the Rockford Diocese. The monstrance itself is a highly decorated, traditional monstrance patterned after German models from the turn of the 19th and 20^th centuries. A multi-layered glory comprises gold plated sunburst and elaborate in design silver plated wreath with amethysts. Gold plated design with blue and purple stone around the ciborium. Entirety is topped by the gold-plated cross. Both the node and the base are richly adorned with the stones and enamel ornaments. On the base there are enamel medallions featuring the Holy Family and St. John the Evangelist. The round dome in the chapel, located behind the Monstrance, is all one piece and had to be fabricated and brought inside the building before the walls went up. Since once the walls were in place, there was no opening large enough to accommodate the entry of the dome into the chapel. The chapel has two adorning angels painted on the dome above the monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament. One of the angel's face is that of Pauline Hermes, Msgr. Daniel Hermes Mother.  There are two arches over the special alcoves for statues.  The one on the right holds a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, patron of the Eucharist Adoration Chapel. On the left, there is a statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  The title being a devotional name which refers above all to her love for God the Father, her motherly love for her Son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all.  These two statues stand on either side of the monstrance. There is carpeting under the pews but the center aisle is a beautiful terrazzo embedded with crosses, surrounded by a circle,  at three different intervals.
 

There a six stained glass windows designed and fabricatedby Daparto Rigali Studios.  In the Narthex of the chapel there are 3 statues: St. Tarcisius, the young boy who was martyred in the early days of the Church in Rome while bringing the Eucharist to the homebound; St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who brought the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to the world; and St. Jude, the Patron Saint of hopeless cases, a beloved Saint to many.

In 2014, a house between the St. Thomas School gymnasium and the playground was purchased for $120,000.00. The cost of the house was taken from the savings account that had been set aside for this purpose. The hope was to tear down the house and build a Pre-school and meeting room on the site. A low key fund drive was put into place.
The old house was torn down in July 2015 and building commenced. On April 6, 2016 a ribbon cutting to open the new Pre-school occurred and classes started in September 2016. The student population consisted of 52 students, ages 3 & 4 year olds, at that time the pre-school consisted of 2 classrooms, a multi-purpose room, and their own playground in a fenced area. The following year, pre-school enrollment increased to 78 students. The multi-purpose was converted into a 3^rd classroom. The pre-school increased from 1 -four year old class and 2 -three year old classes to  3- four year old classes and 4 -three year old classes and a toddler playgroup for 2 year olds and a stay and play group to extend their day.

 

In 2017 a Hearing T-Loop system was installed in the Oak Street Church and the community center with a low key fund drive to offset the cost which was $7,379.00 for the Church and $3,162.00 for the community room. The system was installed under the main church and enabled those with hearing aids to hear through the microphones directly and not through the system that goes out into the church.