Welcome to the parishes of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Columban! Founded in 1905 the church has been our faith home for more than 100 years and is a testament to the faith of the proud, resilient and independent people who first settled in our area.
Please explore our website for information about the Catholic faith, parish events, our publications, and much more! We encourage visitors and new parishioners to become involved in our parish community and the many events and programs we offer to grow in faith.
Mission Statement
Mission Statement of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish
Love God. Love our neighbor. Seek the lost. Make disciples.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)
“For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). |
St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Columban
We are blessed with amazing patrons at St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Columban parishes.
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was an Itali
an Dominican friar and a Catholic priest. His “introduction” to our faith is a five-volume work entitled Summa Theologica. He is a doctor of the Church and famous for his brilliant writings in philosophy and theology. It has been said that he would dictate up to five different works at the same time with his scribes! At the end of his life, Jesus appeared to Thomas and said, “Well have you written of me, Thomas, what shall be your reward?” Famously, Thomas replied, “Only you, Lord.” The feast day for St. Thomas Aquinas and our parish is January 28th. He is the patron saint of Catholic schools, colleges, schools and students.
St. Columban (559-615) had a heart for monasticism and missionary work. After fleeing Ireland to avoid temptations of lust, Columban entered a cloistered monastery and eventually worked with his companions throughout Europe to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. He was known for his discipline, especially in his rule of life and spiritual practices. His personal holiness, toughness, witness to marriage and fidelity to the pope continue to inspire us today. The feast day for St. Columban and our parish is November 23rd.
Mass Times
St. Thomas
- Saturday- 5:00 pm
- Sunday- 10:30 am
- Monday- 8:30 am
- Tuesday- 8:30 am
- Wednesday- 8:30 am & 3:30 pm (Falls Care Center every other week)
- Thursday- 8:30 am & 1:00 pm (Littlefork Care Center same week as Falls Care Center)
- Friday- NO MASS
St. Columban in Littlefork
- Sunday- 8:30 am
Confessions
4:00pm on Saturday at St. Thomas and 30 minutes before every Mass
Office Hours
Friday: 8 am - 1 pm
Staff
- Fr. Ben Hadrich, Pastor
- Fran Zaren, Deacon
- Les Hendrickson, Parish Secretary
- Patty Crane, Bookkeeper
- Jean Johnson, Faith Formation
- Sabrina Etienne, Coordinator of Faith Formation
Mass Readings
Weekly reading
Readings for the Week of September 25, 2016
- Sunday: Am 6:1a, 4-7 / Ps 146:7-10 / 1 Tm 6:11-16 / Lk 16:19-31
- Monday: Jb 1:6-22 / Ps 17:1-3, 6-7 / Lk 9:46-50
- Tuesday: Jb 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23 / Ps 88:2-8 / Lk 9:51-56
- Wednesday: Jb 9:1-12, 14-16 / Ps 88:10-15 / Lk 9:57-62
- Thursday: Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 or Rv 12:7-12a / Ps 138:1-5 / Jn 1:47-51
- Friday: Jb 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5 / Ps 139:1-3, 7-10, 13-14 / Lk 10:13-16
- Saturday: Jb 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17 / Ps 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130 / Lk 10:17-24
- Next Sunday: Hb 1:2-3; 2:2-4 / Ps 95:1-2, 6-9 / 2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14 / Lk 17:5-10
Fr. Ben's Biblical Blog
Fr. Ben's Podcasts
Motto for Jesus’ Mission?: Tuesday, September 27th, 2016
09/27/16 2:59 pm
Read the book of Job: Monday, September 26th, 2016
09/27/16 2:55 pm
“One More” to serve the poor: 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time
09/25/16 8:07 pm
Eucharistic Adoration
Click here to listen to Fr. Drew Braun 40 Hour Devotion Talk:
http://bhadrich.podbean.com/e/the-power-of-eucharistic-adoration-fr-drew-brauns-talk-at-40-hour-devotion/
Click here to listen to the Theology of the Body talk by Kevin Pelon:
http://bhadrich.podbean.com/e/kevin-pilons-40-hours-theology-of-the-body-talk/
Donut Sunday
Everyone loves Donut Sunday!
Held every Sunday in the gathering space after the 10:30am Mass
Please stay and linger after Mass to visit with friends, meet new parishioners, and of course,
enjoy a delicious fresh baked donut!
Volunteer now for your chance to be the most popular person at Mass on Sunday.
It's a great way to serve others.
There are no donuts to buy and everything is provided.
It's easy and fun, even children can help
Volunteer as an individual, couple, with a few friends or as a family.
Call the parish office at 283-3293
or email
Volunteer at St. Thomas
We are welcoming parish and encourage all members to become active in a ministry or volunteer in an area where your gifts and talents will best serve the church.
The following is our list of ministries we currently have available for all to join. If you are interested in learning more about a specific ministry please contact the parish office for further information.
Altar Server
Sacristan
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
Funeral Lunch Committee
Homebound Ministry
Faith Formation (Children and Adult)
Tabernacle Society
Welcome Ministry
Usher
Music Ministry
Lector
Knights of Columbus
Catholic Daughters
Diocese News
Kyle Eller: Struggle with anxiety? Olympic athletes had a faith lesson for you
09/23/16 9:49 am
You would not know it to look at me today, but when I was younger, I was a pretty decent athlete. I matured physically at a young age and excelled in track and field through about middle school. Even after my classmates caught up, as a young man I could grab the rim on a regulation basketball hoop, even though I’m a touch under six feet tall.
I was a decent athlete, that is, when I was not in front of people. I didn’t have much stage fright when it came to things like music, but for whatever reason, that did not carry over into sports. I could routinely drill three-pointers on the playground, but in a real game, I was more likely to airball a free throw.
Read MoreLiz Hoefferle: Evangelization takes place on a person-to-person basis
09/23/16 9:48 am
Have you ever wondered how missionaries of the past were so successful in spreading Christianity throughout the world? How did St. Paul inspire persons from such diverse places as Antioch, Athens and Rome? What led to St. Francis Xavier performing so many baptisms in a day that he would become physically exhausted? How did Ven. Bishop Frederic Baraga connect with natives of this land when he was not even able to speak their language at first?
While most of us will not be called to the foreign missions, there are many things we can learn from these and other successful missionaries about sharing the Good News. Not only did these people have a heroic love for Jesus, a heart open to the workings of the Holy Spirit and incredible resilience in the face of difficulties, but they also made great effort to know the people they encountered and to understand the culture in which the people lived.
Read MoreYou can still register for the Called To Be One retreat Sept. 24
09/20/16 11:48 am
A planning process for the future of Catholic education in the Duluth area and beyond launched last month, as the Called To Be One planning group unveiled a public survey on the schools and asked those interested in Catholic education to fill it out. The first of two retreats designed to process that input and use it to shape a plan for the schools will take place this Saturday at St. James School. There is still time to register. You can do so here.
At the Sept. 24 retreat, results from those surveys will be presented and discussed in small groups. With the input gathered at this retreat, a draft of a plan will be formulated that would unify the four Duluth Area Catholic Schools into one school with multiple campuses and expand offerings to pre-Kindergarten through grade 12. This draft plan will also be presented for public input as the process goes forward, with a subsequent retreat planned for Nov. 12.
Read More