Meet Parishioner Tom Torrese: A Life of Stewardship and Active Discipleship

Everyone at St. Philip Neri Parish knows Tom. Some even think he lives at the parish.

“They kiddingly ask me if I have a cot here,” he says, with a laugh. “I do not.”

No, Tom Torrese does not live at our parish. But it sure seems like he does.

That’s because the longtime parishioner is always here. He seems to be involved in every ministry and event at St. Philip Neri. And in many ways, he is. Some would say he is the definition of stewardship in action.

“I consider St. Philip Neri my second home,” Tom says. “I am here at the campus every day, sometimes twice or three times. I only live a 10-minute drive away in good driving conditions. I enjoy all I do here at St. Philip Neri. Everything I do, I do because God allows me the time to do it.”

The stewardship story of Tom Torrese began in 2013 when the parish moved from the old church — now the Parish Center — to the beautiful new church we know today. At a ministry fair, Tom signed up to be an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and a lector, and he also signed up for adoration on Saturday mornings from 4 to 5 a.m.

That was just the beginning of the journey at St. Philip Neri for Tom. His involvement continued to grow over the years, and he hasn’t looked back. He has made this parish his home away from home.

“As far as stewardship is concerned, yes, I am involved in parish life,” Tom says. “I encourage everyone to get involved in parish life. If everyone would get involved with their time and talents, it would make it easier on everyone who serves in our church.”

A native of Philadelphia, Tom grew up with a large extended family, attended Catholic schools with his sister, and regularly attended Mass with his family. After graduating high school, he attended a technical school and eventually moved to the Baltimore area, where he worked for Westinghouse and later Northrop Grumman for 30 years. When he first started his career at Westinghouse, Tom admits he was busy and sometimes would not make it to Sunday Mass. But he felt that void and said he had a spiritual awakening when he was introduced to the Catholic charismatic movement as a young man in the 1970s.

“I met some Pentecostal Christians (at Westinghouse) and because of their faith, I started going to evening Mass at St. Rose of Lima and was introduced to this movement,” he says. “I had a hunger to know all I could about the Lord and the Holy Spirit, so I started attending Catholic charismatic conferences in Atlantic City before it became (a gambling town), and at the University of Notre Dame for the big yearly Catholic charismatic conference. That changed my life.”

At St. Rose of Lima in Baltimore, Tom got involved in parish service for the first time in his life when he signed up to be an usher at Mass. He then met Mary,

the woman who would eventually become his wife, and they began attending Mass at the renowned Manresa Jesuit Retreat House in Annapolis, Md., and together they served as lectors and Extraordinary Ministers. Mary worked as the Chief of Chaplains' secretary at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.

After a failed first marriage, Mary was truly the soulmate that God had promised. Marrying Mary gave Tom an instant family with three of her children. Son, Doyle, at the time, was 12, and daughters Susan and Jennifer were 10 and 8, respectively. When Mary’s children graduated high school in Maryland, they eventually moved to Summerville, S.C. Eventually, Susan and her husband moved to Fort Mill and became St. Philip Neri parishioners, and soon after, Tom and Mary also moved to Fort Mill.

Unfortunately, Mary’s health issues were worsening a few years after moving to the area, and she passed away in 2007. Tom also suffered the loss of several other close family members around the same time, and as always, he turned to the Lord to pull him through his darkest days.

Since then, Tom’s involvement in the parish has grown exponentially. Adding to his service as an Extraordinary Minister, lector, and adoration nighttime attendant, Tom also serves as an usher and became involved with the Sound and Video Board Ministry after the pandemic created a need for online streaming of Masses.

“The audio/visual work I do keeps me involved in the Mass,” Tom says.

But of all the different service and liturgical ministries in which he is involved, adoration and serving as an Extraordinary Minister are what mean the most to Tom.

“As a Eucharistic Minister, I count it as a privilege to distribute the Body and Blood of Jesus to our parish community,” Tom says. “We are so blessed to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus whenever we attend Mass or a Communion service. And with adoration, I love my time spent before the Good Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. It’s not easy getting up at 2 a.m., but the time spent with my best friend is well worth it. It helps to spend quiet time before our Lord and Savior.”

From our Pastor, Fr. Fabio, to members of our parish staff to the many parishioners whose lives Tom has touched, everyone at St. Philip Neri would say that the parish would be lost and would not keep on running without the selfless stewardship of Tom Torrese.

But Tom would tell you it’s the other way around.

“One of my favorite Scriptures is Philippians 4:13, which says, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ and I try to always ask God for His assistance, then after, thank Him for His help,” Tom says. “Everything I do is in service to Him and His Church. I am so blessed to do what I do for our wonderful parish. To me, we seem like a big family with love and concern for one another, not just parishioners who don’t care about you and your family.”

Tom Torrese (seated) with Fr. Fabio, and Audio/Visual Ministry members Sabina Fernandez and Joe Donnelly

Tom Torrese and his beloved late wife, Mary, who passed away in 2007