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
- Tuesday- 8:30 am
- Wednesday- 6:00 pm
- Thursday- 8:30 am
- Friday- 8:30 am
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
- Fr. Thomas Galarneault, Administrator
- Fran Zaren, Deacon
- Les Hendrickson, Parish Secretary
- Sabrina Etienne, Coordinator of Faith Formation
Online Stewardship
Mass Readings
Weekly reading
Readings for the week of January 17, 2021
- Sunday: 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19 / Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10 [8a, 9a] / 1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20 / http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011721.cfm
- Jn 1: 35-42
- Monday: Heb 5:1-10 / Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4 [4b] / Mk 2:18-22
- Tuesday: Heb 6:10-20 / Ps 111:1-2, 4-5, 9 and 10c [5] / Mk 2:23-28
- Wednesday: Heb 7:1-3, 15-17 / Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4 [4b] / Mk 3:1-6
- Thursday: Heb 7:25—8:6 / Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17 [8a and 9a] / Mk 3:7-12
- Friday: Heb 8:6-13 / Ps 85:8 and 10, 11-12, 13-14 [11a] / Mk 3:13-19
- Saturday: Heb 9:2-3, 11-14 / Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 [6] / Mk 3:20-21
- Next Sunday: Jon 3:1-5, 10 / Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 [4a] / 1 Cor 7:29-31 / Mk 1:14-20
Fr. Ben's Biblical Blog
Fr. Ben's Podcasts
Praise God for St. Peter Claver who served of slaves in Columbia: Wednesday, September 9th, 2020 (St. Peter Claver)
09/10/20 2:26 am
Happy Birthday, Mother Mary! And, could you imagine holding Mary or Jesus? Tuesday, September 8th, 2020
09/10/20 2:24 am
Fraternity Correction: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
09/10/20 2:21 am
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/
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
Editorial: Seeing past the 50-50 split
12/11/20 1:15 pm
The results of the election verified something that has been increasingly clear over a number of recent election cycles: politically, anyway, we’re divided just about in half.
Nationally, in terms of popular vote, out of all those tens of millions of votes cast, the margin was less than 5%, just like it’s been the last three presidential elections. In fact, in the 21st century, five of the six presidential elections have ended up that way.
Read MoreDeacon Kyle Eller: How can we handle the ‘perpetual outrage machine’ as Catholics?
12/11/20 1:10 pm
It’s always interesting when very great and holy saints and even doctors of the church seem to give conflicting advice — like St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Francis de Sales do on the timely and important topic of anger.
Deacon Kyle Eller
Read MoreFather Richard Kunst: Apparent ‘contradiction’ in the Gospel sheds light on being a living witness
12/07/20 2:34 pm
The seminary I went to had a heavy emphasis on writing papers, whereas other seminaries might put more focus on test-taking. Mine was one in which I felt like it was a continuous stream of producing papers that no one would ever read except for the professor.
Father Richard Kunst
Read More