St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church
We, the parish family of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, proclaim our belief in the message and mission of Jesus Christ. We are committed to sharing our time, talent and treasure through worship, spiritual formation and outreach.
Weekly Online Liturgy
In-Person Mass Guidelines
New Learn About Online Giving
Church Calendar
Faith Formation Registration and Classes
After prayerful consideration, St. Thomas Parish has decided to offer Faith Formation for the Fall Semester as an “at home” experience. We do this with great sadness, as we believe that in-person classes offer many benefits. However, a major concern of the parish is the health and safety of our students and catechists. We hope that we will be able to offer in-person classes next semester. St. Thomas will provide materials for home study that are grade appropriate. The materials will be from Pflaum Publishing.
- St. Thomas will provide hard copies of the materials as well as the opportunity to access the materials on-line.
- The details of the hard copy distribution are still in progress.
- Registration is still required. Registration is available on-line or by telephone. There will not be any in-person registration. Registration forms are available in English and in Spanish on the parish website.
- Telephone calls are welcome to the Parish Office during regular business hours.
- There will not be any fees for Faith Formation this semester.
We appreciate your understanding of this decision. The Coronavirus Pandemic is a very serious health concern, and a top priority of the parish in this regard is the safety and health of all concerned.
Blessings,
Fr. Ray
Registro y Clases de Formación de Fe
Después de la consideración orante, la Parroquia de Santo Tomás ha decidido ofrecer la Formación de Fe para el Semestre de Otoño como una experiencia “en casa”. Hacemos esto con gran tristeza, ya que creemos que las clases presenciales ofrecen muchos beneficios. Sin embargo, una de las principales preocupaciones de la parroquia es la salud y la seguridad de nuestros estudiantes y catequistas. Esperamos poder ofrecer clases presenciales el próximo semestre. Santo Tomás proporcionará materiales para el estudio en el hogar que sean apropiados para el grado. Los materiales serán de Pflaum Publishing.
- Santo Tomás proporcionará copias impresas de los materiales, así como la oportunidad de acceder a los materiales en línea.
- Los detalles de la distribución de copia impresa todavía están en curso. El registro sigue siendo obligatorio.
- El registro está disponible en línea o por teléfono. No habrá ningún registro en persona. Los formularios de inscripción están disponibles en inglés y en español en el sitio web de la parroquia.
- Las llamadas telefónicas son bienvenidas a la Oficina Parroquial durante el horario comercial regular.
- No habrá ningún cargo por la Formación de Fe este semestre.
Agradecemos su comprensión de esta decisión. La pandemia de coronavirus es un problema de salud muy grave, y una prioridad de la parroquia en este sentido es la seguridad y la salud de todos los interesados.
Bendiciones,
Padre Ray
Special Announcements
Christmas Plans
The Coronavirus Pandemic continues in our world. Christmas will be different this year. St. Thomas has a wonderful tradition of having one Christmas Eve Mass with a focus on children, and one Christmas Eve Mass with an Adult Choir. Unfortunately we will not be able to continue those traditions this year due to safety concerns caused by the pandemic.
You are not required to attend Mass on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day by virtue of the dispensation offered by Bishop Raica.
For reasons of safety, many parishioners may decide to participate on line. St. Thomas will live stream Christmas Eve Mass at 5:00 PM. That Mass will be put on the website that night for possible later viewing.
The Christmas Schedule for Masses will be as follows: 3:00PM Christmas Eve Mass 5:00PM Christmas Eve Mass 9:00PM Christmas Eve Mass
10:00AM Christmas Day Mass (Bilingual)
Safe Environment 2020-2021
In this time of transition, while we are adopting new safe environment training materials for minors, it has been decided that the deadline for returning report forms be moved to Monday, February 1, 2021. It is our hope this will be good for our students who will receive training earlier, and should help leaders to get the information turned in to our office without too many reminders. This will also help our offices collect this information earlier for the diocesan audit. The link to the safe environment information on the ORE website is below https://bhmciorg.wixsite.com/bhm-ore/safe-environment.
Interested In Becoming Catholic
You may have been coming to Catholic Church for a long time with a family member or with a friend, but you had not thought about the possibility of becoming Catholic.
Are you interested in possibly becoming Catholic?
Would you consider that possibility now?
Would you like to learn more about the Catholic Church to consider your decision?
If you would like to know more about the RCIA, please call Father Ray or Jackie Lampton at 663-3936. RCIA Sessions begin on Sunday, September 13th.
Clases de RCIA Para Adultos 9/13
La Parroquia de Santo Tomás comenzará las sesiones el domingo 13 de septiembre para aquellos que estén interesados en recibir sacramentos de iniciación. El proceso se llama el rito de la iniciación cristiana. Este proceso de la RCIA es para personas que no han sido bautizadas, personas que han sido bautizadas en otra tradición cristiana que desean convertirse en católicas, y católicos adultos que han sido bautizados, pero que no han sido confirmados. La RCIA será la única sesión presencia en persona que se ofrece en Santo Tomás este primer semestre. Las sesiones serán los domingos de 9:30 AM a 10:45 AM. Las sesiones en inglés se reunirán en el Salón Parroquial, y las sesiones en español se reunirán en la Sala de San José. Debido a la necesidad de distanciamiento social, las únicas personas que podrán asistir a estas sesiones serán los candidatos, sus cónyuges y sus padrinos.
Message from Father Ray
November 17, 2020
Dear Parishioners,
I remember each of you in my prayers every day during this very difficult time as we deal with the Coronavirus. Many of you are hurting in various ways due to the pandemic. I pray that God will watch over and care for each of you.
St. Thomas has begun public Masses again. We have Masses at our regularly scheduled times on the weekdays and on the weekends.
We are following social distancing procedures, so we have limited seating. On Sundays, we have the opportunity for overflow crowds to use the courtyard. We have face masks available, and all who attend Mass are required to use a face mask. We are disinfecting the Church after the Masses.
You are not required to attend Mass. Bishop Racia has offered a dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass to all Catholics in the diocese due to the pandemic.
This dispensation is granted recognizing that those in high risk categories may have concerns and fears about returning to public worship. The dispensation extends until January 10th.
St. Thomas will live-stream Mass each Saturday at 5:30 PM on the St. Thomas Facebook Page. That Mass will be posted on the St. Thomas Website on Sunday mornings. We hope that you will use this virtual liturgy for your family worship each weekend.
Thank you for your very generous support of our parish. Many parishioners have continued to give financially to the parish. I invite you to mail your contributions to St. Thomas. St. Thomas also offers an opportunity of electronic giving through Faith Direct, which has a link on our website. In this time of the restrictions from the Coronavirus Pandemic, the parish income is down 12.5%.
For me personally, I am very grateful for all your prayers and support. I pray that God will protect you and your family from the Coronavirus and every other illness.
Blessings,
Father Ray
Weekday Mass Cancellation Process
We had some dangerous weather in our area recently and the decision about whether there would be weekday Mass arose. After much thought and prayerful consideration of the safety needs of the parish, St Thomas will approach the decision about weekday Mass in this way. During the school year, if Alabaster Schools cancel school due to issues regarding the weather, there will NOT be Mass that morning. This approach will be followed to ensure the safety of all. During the summer and on weekends, if Mass is to be canceled, it will be posted on the parish website. Thank you for your understanding with regard this policy
Ministry Locations
Directions to Main Church
80 St. Thomas Way
Montevallo, AL 35115
Office (205) 663-3936
Fax (205) 663-0657
Direction to Campus Ministry
1251 Highland Street
Montevallo, AL 35115
(205) 665-7379