Fr. Adam's Five for February 5- February 11:
1) Ash Wednesday is February 18, 2025. Masses will be 7a and 7p at St. Thomas Aquinas, and noon at Simpson. Put your palm branches in the box in the gathering space no later than February 15 so that we can burn them.
2) We have a TON of Lenten activities planned. CGS is having a pancake dinner in anticipation of Lent and an open house on Feb 14 and 15 with Lenten activities to take home. Creation Care is hosting a 3-part series and encourages you to sign up. Social Concerns is co-hosting a fund drive to relieve medical debt. The Knights of Columbus are doing fish fries. There will be stations of the cross led by the clergy team. And more! Please check the bulletin, the kiosks, and the signs posted for more information.
3) Our ChristLife retreat is coming up- please keep our ChristLife participants in prayer.
4) Thank you everyone who participated in the 2025 ADA! We CRUSHED our goal, and will be receiving a sizeable refund from the Diocese. The 2025 ADA will wrap up this month. There were 180 households supporting this initiative.
5) I have another prayer request. Our leadership teams are discerning next steps for us, and it'd be good to lay the foundation in prayer. Please say a prayer or two for our leadership as you go about your day.
2) We have a TON of Lenten activities planned. CGS is having a pancake dinner in anticipation of Lent and an open house on Feb 14 and 15 with Lenten activities to take home. Creation Care is hosting a 3-part series and encourages you to sign up. Social Concerns is co-hosting a fund drive to relieve medical debt. The Knights of Columbus are doing fish fries. There will be stations of the cross led by the clergy team. And more! Please check the bulletin, the kiosks, and the signs posted for more information.
3) Our ChristLife retreat is coming up- please keep our ChristLife participants in prayer.
4) Thank you everyone who participated in the 2025 ADA! We CRUSHED our goal, and will be receiving a sizeable refund from the Diocese. The 2025 ADA will wrap up this month. There were 180 households supporting this initiative.
5) I have another prayer request. Our leadership teams are discerning next steps for us, and it'd be good to lay the foundation in prayer. Please say a prayer or two for our leadership as you go about your day.
Fr. Adam's Five for January 29- February 4:
1) End-of-year giving letters will be available after Masses at St. Thomas this weekend, and at the office next week. Please stop by to pick yours up. They will be mailed Friday.
2) Thank you to Beth McGinnis, our new bookkeeper, who has caught us up on our bookkeeping. I am happy to report that year over year our operating fund has grown substantially. Our Finance Council voted to move a portion of our operating fund to a reserve in an effort to meet Diocesan guidelines. The Diocese recommends each parish hold in reserve an amount equivelant to 6 months worth of operating expenses.
3) I have an exciting announcement to make! At our last Parish Council meeting, the council voted unanimously to pursue a relationship with FOCUS to bring parish missionaries to St. Thomas Aquinas. Currently, only 25 parishes across the country have FOCUS parish missionaries. The next step for us is to make sure we have adequate funding for this initiative. I'm working on a grant application that should cover a signicant portion of the cost. Say a prayer or two for this initiative, if you wouldn't mind.
4) Ash Wednesday is February 18, 2025. Masses will be 7a and 7p at St. Thomas Aquinas, and noon at Simpson. Please bring in your Palm Sunday palms to be burned and used for Ash Wednesday.
5) It is that time of year again- all groups are asked to submit their budget for FY27. Please email them to bookkeeper@mysta.org.
2) Thank you to Beth McGinnis, our new bookkeeper, who has caught us up on our bookkeeping. I am happy to report that year over year our operating fund has grown substantially. Our Finance Council voted to move a portion of our operating fund to a reserve in an effort to meet Diocesan guidelines. The Diocese recommends each parish hold in reserve an amount equivelant to 6 months worth of operating expenses.
3) I have an exciting announcement to make! At our last Parish Council meeting, the council voted unanimously to pursue a relationship with FOCUS to bring parish missionaries to St. Thomas Aquinas. Currently, only 25 parishes across the country have FOCUS parish missionaries. The next step for us is to make sure we have adequate funding for this initiative. I'm working on a grant application that should cover a signicant portion of the cost. Say a prayer or two for this initiative, if you wouldn't mind.
4) Ash Wednesday is February 18, 2025. Masses will be 7a and 7p at St. Thomas Aquinas, and noon at Simpson. Please bring in your Palm Sunday palms to be burned and used for Ash Wednesday.
5) It is that time of year again- all groups are asked to submit their budget for FY27. Please email them to bookkeeper@mysta.org.
Fr. Adam's Five for January 22- January 28:
1) An update on the directory: please send any group pictures to Brenna at bblong@mysta.org. We need these pictures by the end of January. We hope to finalize the directory in February.
2) We are working on finalizing the year-end giving letters. They are not ready yet, but will be soon. We will let you know when they are available for pickup.
3) Ash Wednesday is February 18, 2025. Masses will be 7a and 7p at St. Thomas Aquinas, and noon at Simpson. Beginning Monday, please bring in your Palm Sunday palms to be burned and used for Ash Wednesday.
4) The Diocese of Des Moines is forming another cohort of men interested in the permanent diaconate. If you are interested, please go to dmdiocese.org/diaconate for more information.
5) If you'd like to see (and hear) Emma Lynch playing music, please go to https://www.facebook.com/reel/1341878597249758. She will be joining us in June as our Director of Music Ministry.
2) We are working on finalizing the year-end giving letters. They are not ready yet, but will be soon. We will let you know when they are available for pickup.
3) Ash Wednesday is February 18, 2025. Masses will be 7a and 7p at St. Thomas Aquinas, and noon at Simpson. Beginning Monday, please bring in your Palm Sunday palms to be burned and used for Ash Wednesday.
4) The Diocese of Des Moines is forming another cohort of men interested in the permanent diaconate. If you are interested, please go to dmdiocese.org/diaconate for more information.
5) If you'd like to see (and hear) Emma Lynch playing music, please go to https://www.facebook.com/reel/1341878597249758. She will be joining us in June as our Director of Music Ministry.
Fr. Adam's Five for January 15- January 21:
This week, I'm asking everyone to pray.
1) Please pray for those who are in hospitals, in care facilities, or those who are homebound. Pary for those who minister to them. With the recent outbreak of Flu, I've been called to the bedside of the dying more frequently in the last few weeks than any other time in my ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas.
In addition, we are working on getting monthly masses said in each of our care facilities, and currently we are saying Mass in Good Samaritan and Westview.
2) Please pray for those considering joining the church. Last weekend, after the Sunday Mass, 5 adults approached me about joining and have started the OCIA process. Currently we have over 20 Adults looking to join the Catholic Church.
3) Please pray for ChristLife, for the participants, leaders, and helpers. We have around 140 people in the ChristLife process at the moment.
4) Please pray for our Parish Council and Finance Council as we meet this week to discuss significant ministry possibilities at St. Thomas Aquinas.
5) Please pray for all our ministries at St. Thomas Aquinas. As our parish grows, pray that our minsitries may grow to meet our needs.
Thank you all!
In addition, we are working on getting monthly masses said in each of our care facilities, and currently we are saying Mass in Good Samaritan and Westview.
2) Please pray for those considering joining the church. Last weekend, after the Sunday Mass, 5 adults approached me about joining and have started the OCIA process. Currently we have over 20 Adults looking to join the Catholic Church.
3) Please pray for ChristLife, for the participants, leaders, and helpers. We have around 140 people in the ChristLife process at the moment.
4) Please pray for our Parish Council and Finance Council as we meet this week to discuss significant ministry possibilities at St. Thomas Aquinas.
5) Please pray for all our ministries at St. Thomas Aquinas. As our parish grows, pray that our minsitries may grow to meet our needs.
Thank you all!
Fr. Adam's Five for January 8- January 14:
1) ChristLife starts January 14! Please remember to sign up if you plan on attending. We will have childcare available. ChristLife's first module, Discovering Christ, may be found here: https://dc.mysta.org. If you have already been through Discovering Christ, please check your e-mail for an invite to Following/Sharing Christ.
2) I'd like to extend a special welcome to Beth McGinnis, who is joining our team to help with our bookkeeping. Beth will be starting on Monday. Thank you to Johna and Deb who filled in temporarily to make sure we could pay our bills. I appreciate you!
3) At this point in time, every open staff position at St. Thomas Aquinas has been filled. Our Parish Council is currently considering some future growth opportunities, and our Finance Council is weighing what our current level of support allows. Please pray for us! We have some really exciting opportunities in the near future.
4) We are hoping to move our Thursday Masses to the various care facilities in Indianola. Thursday, January 15 (and every following 3rd Thursday of the month) the Mass will be at Westview care center. The time and room are TBD, although it will be in the morning.
5) On January 19th STARS is hosting a movie night as a thank you to everyone who helped make the Cookie Walk this year a resounding success. This is open to our entire community. For more information, please see this weekend's bulletin.
2) I'd like to extend a special welcome to Beth McGinnis, who is joining our team to help with our bookkeeping. Beth will be starting on Monday. Thank you to Johna and Deb who filled in temporarily to make sure we could pay our bills. I appreciate you!
3) At this point in time, every open staff position at St. Thomas Aquinas has been filled. Our Parish Council is currently considering some future growth opportunities, and our Finance Council is weighing what our current level of support allows. Please pray for us! We have some really exciting opportunities in the near future.
4) We are hoping to move our Thursday Masses to the various care facilities in Indianola. Thursday, January 15 (and every following 3rd Thursday of the month) the Mass will be at Westview care center. The time and room are TBD, although it will be in the morning.
5) On January 19th STARS is hosting a movie night as a thank you to everyone who helped make the Cookie Walk this year a resounding success. This is open to our entire community. For more information, please see this weekend's bulletin.
Fr. Adam's Five for January 1- January 7:
1) Thank you to everyone who made the liturgies over Christmas so beautiful! We have a truly amazing community and I'm honored to be a part of it. It was a great joy celebrating the coming of Christ with you all.
2) I'm grateful for everyone who sent me a card for Christmas. I put them up on my door and pray for you when I walk through, and I don't take them down until Advent.
3) Please pray for our college students and chaperones going to SEEK in Columbus January 1-5.
4) ChristLife starts January 14. Please go to https://dc.mysta.org to signup for Discovering Christ. If you've already been through Discovering Christ, please check your e-mail for the signup links for Following Christ/ Sharing Christ.
5) I know I have spoken often these last three years of our financial need, and I want to thank everyone who helped our parish with increased tithing, donations to the Annual Diocesan Appeal, and/or a year-end contribution. We are in a much better place financially now.
Because of your generosity, it is safe to say we are emerging from the financial situation of 2 years ago, when our Operating Fund had just over one month's worth of a reserve and our expenses exceeded our tithing revenue by a wide margin (see my December 2023 letter).
Initial estimates show significant growth in our 2025 Operating Fund compared to this time last year. I'll provide a more detailed update mid to late January after our bookkeeping team has a chance to process end of year gifts. Thank you for making what we do here possible!
2) I'm grateful for everyone who sent me a card for Christmas. I put them up on my door and pray for you when I walk through, and I don't take them down until Advent.
3) Please pray for our college students and chaperones going to SEEK in Columbus January 1-5.
4) ChristLife starts January 14. Please go to https://dc.mysta.org to signup for Discovering Christ. If you've already been through Discovering Christ, please check your e-mail for the signup links for Following Christ/ Sharing Christ.
5) I know I have spoken often these last three years of our financial need, and I want to thank everyone who helped our parish with increased tithing, donations to the Annual Diocesan Appeal, and/or a year-end contribution. We are in a much better place financially now.
Because of your generosity, it is safe to say we are emerging from the financial situation of 2 years ago, when our Operating Fund had just over one month's worth of a reserve and our expenses exceeded our tithing revenue by a wide margin (see my December 2023 letter).
Initial estimates show significant growth in our 2025 Operating Fund compared to this time last year. I'll provide a more detailed update mid to late January after our bookkeeping team has a chance to process end of year gifts. Thank you for making what we do here possible!
Fr. Adam's Five for December 25- December 31:
1) Merry Christmas Everyone! As we continue the 12 days of Christmas, we treat each day like Christmas. Merry Christmas!
2) Mass time for the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God will be January 1 at 9 a.m. This is a Holy Day of Obligation.
3) Currently we are building up our OPERATING FUND so that we have the neccesary funds to cover 6 months worth of operating expenses. We need your help!
Please consider making a year-end gift to our tithing fund at give.mysta.org.
For more information on year-end giving, please go to yearend.mysta.org.
For more information about what we have planned for future growth, please go to vision.mysta.org
4) Starting in January, we are launching our next run of ChristLife. There is a free meal, prayer, fellowship, and teaching, and we provide childcare! Please signup by going to dc.mysta.org, or by checking your e-mail if you've already attending Discovering Christ or Following Christ.
5) Please pray for our Simpson ministry team and our college students who are going to SEEK in Columbus January 1-5.
2) Mass time for the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God will be January 1 at 9 a.m. This is a Holy Day of Obligation.
3) Currently we are building up our OPERATING FUND so that we have the neccesary funds to cover 6 months worth of operating expenses. We need your help!
Please consider making a year-end gift to our tithing fund at give.mysta.org.
For more information on year-end giving, please go to yearend.mysta.org.
For more information about what we have planned for future growth, please go to vision.mysta.org
4) Starting in January, we are launching our next run of ChristLife. There is a free meal, prayer, fellowship, and teaching, and we provide childcare! Please signup by going to dc.mysta.org, or by checking your e-mail if you've already attending Discovering Christ or Following Christ.
5) Please pray for our Simpson ministry team and our college students who are going to SEEK in Columbus January 1-5.
Fr. Adam's Five for Christmas:
1) Merry Christmas Everyone! I wish you all the best this Christmas season, and I want to express my gratitude to you all. Please see my letter in the Christmas bulletin.
2) "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear." -Buddy
Please join us in singing our Lord's praises during our liturgies this Christmas season.
3) We have books available for you as a present for the Christmas season. Please take one home with you.
4) Starting in January, we are launching our next run of ChristLife. There is a free meal, prayer, fellowship, and teaching, and we provide childcare! Please signup by going to dc.mysta.org, or by checking your e-mail if you've already attending Discovering Christ or Following Christ.
5) We are looking to expand our ministry offerings in 2026, but need to be sure the parish supports our growth. Your year-end gifts help us to plan for the future. Please consider making a year-end gift to our tithing fund at give.mysta.org.
For more information on year-end giving, please go to yearend.mysta.org.
For more information about what we have planned for future growth, please go to vision.mysta.org
2) "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear." -Buddy
Please join us in singing our Lord's praises during our liturgies this Christmas season.
3) We have books available for you as a present for the Christmas season. Please take one home with you.
4) Starting in January, we are launching our next run of ChristLife. There is a free meal, prayer, fellowship, and teaching, and we provide childcare! Please signup by going to dc.mysta.org, or by checking your e-mail if you've already attending Discovering Christ or Following Christ.
5) We are looking to expand our ministry offerings in 2026, but need to be sure the parish supports our growth. Your year-end gifts help us to plan for the future. Please consider making a year-end gift to our tithing fund at give.mysta.org.
For more information on year-end giving, please go to yearend.mysta.org.
For more information about what we have planned for future growth, please go to vision.mysta.org
Fr. Adam's Five for December 18- December 24:
1) A reminder: Christmas Masses are 4 and 6:30 on Christmas Eve, and 9:30 on Christmas Day. We look forward to welcoming you and your families!
2) We made a change to our digital presence. Now, when you go to mysta.org, it displays our website. We needed to do this so we could qualify for a google for non-profits account. To find the app homepage, you can go to mysta.org and then click "My Church Center" to the right. You can also go to me.mysta.org.
3) We will be rolling out new e-mails for all our staff in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned for the shift- we will be going to @mysta.org for all of our e-mail addresses.
4) Signups for ChristLife are NOW OPEN. Please go to dc.mysta.org to begin your ChristLife journey. This is also the process for people entering the Catholic Church, and for those who are new to the parish to get connected more intimately.
If you've already completed Discovering Christ, please check your e-mail or church center announcements for how to join Following Christ or Sharing Christ.
5) We are looking to expand our ministry offerings in 2026, but need to be sure the parish supports our growth. Your year-end gifts help us to plan for the future. Please consider making a year-end gift to our tithing fund at give.mysta.org.
If you'd like to gift stock, the transfer forms are on the Kiosk- please let the Diocese know that St. Thomas is to be the beneficiary of the donation.
If you'd like to gift grain, we also have an account set up with Heartland Co-op- 62951 is the account number.
End of Year Gifts must be post marked by the end of the year, or dropped off in the office by end of business on the 30th to count for 2025. You may donate online through the 31st.
Thank you for your help with St. Thomas Aquinas' future growth!
2) We made a change to our digital presence. Now, when you go to mysta.org, it displays our website. We needed to do this so we could qualify for a google for non-profits account. To find the app homepage, you can go to mysta.org and then click "My Church Center" to the right. You can also go to me.mysta.org.
3) We will be rolling out new e-mails for all our staff in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned for the shift- we will be going to @mysta.org for all of our e-mail addresses.
4) Signups for ChristLife are NOW OPEN. Please go to dc.mysta.org to begin your ChristLife journey. This is also the process for people entering the Catholic Church, and for those who are new to the parish to get connected more intimately.
If you've already completed Discovering Christ, please check your e-mail or church center announcements for how to join Following Christ or Sharing Christ.
5) We are looking to expand our ministry offerings in 2026, but need to be sure the parish supports our growth. Your year-end gifts help us to plan for the future. Please consider making a year-end gift to our tithing fund at give.mysta.org.
If you'd like to gift stock, the transfer forms are on the Kiosk- please let the Diocese know that St. Thomas is to be the beneficiary of the donation.
If you'd like to gift grain, we also have an account set up with Heartland Co-op- 62951 is the account number.
End of Year Gifts must be post marked by the end of the year, or dropped off in the office by end of business on the 30th to count for 2025. You may donate online through the 31st.
Thank you for your help with St. Thomas Aquinas' future growth!
Fr. Adam's Five for December 11- December 17:
1) We are excited to welcome Brenna Blong to the St. Thomas Aquinas office team as our new Administrative Assistant! She will be joining us the week after Christmas. More information will be available soon on the website under the "About" section. Please visit stthomasindianola.com to check for updates.
2) By the way, have you seen our new website? It is exceptional and really presents who we are to the digital world. Thank you to Gradient9 for the hard work and creative genius that brought this project to completion. Please go to stthomasindianola.com to check it out!
3) We are looking to expand our ministry offerings in 2026, but need to be sure the parish supports our growth. Your year-end gifts help us to plan for the future. Please consider making a year-end gift to our tithing fund at give.mysta.org.
If you'd like to gift stock, the transfer forms are on the Kiosk- please let the Diocese know that St. Thomas is to be the beneficiary of the donation.
If you'd like to gift grain, we also have an account set up with Heartland Co-op- 62951 is the account number.
Thank you for your help with St. Thomas Aquinas' future growth!
4) Signups for ChristLife are NOW OPEN. Please go to dc.mysta.org to begin your ChristLife journey. This is also the process for people entering the Catholic Church, and for those who are new to the parish to get connected more intimately.
If you've already completed Discovering Christ, please check your e-mail or church center announcements for how to join Following Christ or Sharing Christ.
5) Thank you to everyone who participated in the annual STARS Cookie Walk. There was Advent excitement in the air, and lots of people came out to support us.
2) By the way, have you seen our new website? It is exceptional and really presents who we are to the digital world. Thank you to Gradient9 for the hard work and creative genius that brought this project to completion. Please go to stthomasindianola.com to check it out!
3) We are looking to expand our ministry offerings in 2026, but need to be sure the parish supports our growth. Your year-end gifts help us to plan for the future. Please consider making a year-end gift to our tithing fund at give.mysta.org.
If you'd like to gift stock, the transfer forms are on the Kiosk- please let the Diocese know that St. Thomas is to be the beneficiary of the donation.
If you'd like to gift grain, we also have an account set up with Heartland Co-op- 62951 is the account number.
Thank you for your help with St. Thomas Aquinas' future growth!
4) Signups for ChristLife are NOW OPEN. Please go to dc.mysta.org to begin your ChristLife journey. This is also the process for people entering the Catholic Church, and for those who are new to the parish to get connected more intimately.
If you've already completed Discovering Christ, please check your e-mail or church center announcements for how to join Following Christ or Sharing Christ.
5) Thank you to everyone who participated in the annual STARS Cookie Walk. There was Advent excitement in the air, and lots of people came out to support us.
Fr. Adam's Five for December 4- December 10:
1) The STARS Cookie Walk and Vendor Fair is this weekend! Please come out on Saturday to support our STARS. The doors open at 8 a.m. and we'll wrap up the festivities at 11 a.m.
2) Last chance to be in our pictorial directory! Tuesday, December 9 is the last day for photos. So far 225 households have participated; we are hoping to get to 250 so we can get the nicer directory from the company. While the pictures will not be available by Christmas, they will be in the upcoming directory. Signup by going to schedule.ucdir.com, and entering church code: ia368 and password: photos or by calling the parish office. More info at pic.mysta.org.
3) Your generous gifts during December allow us to grow and to plan for ministry and facility needs in the new year.
Your generosity to the Operating Fund (Tithing) in 2024 allowed us to open the Director of Music Ministry position in 2025; thank you! We'd like to grow our team a bit more, but need to make sure the parish would like to see us grow. For year-end giving, please go to give.mysta.org. If your employer offers matching gifts, please consider us!
Our Building Fund remains strong, thanks to your generous support. We were able to install a brand new freezer/cooler, and do a number of minor projects around our facility. At this time, we have no major capital projects in the works, and there is $300,000 in our Building Fund.
4) Signups for ChristLife are NOW OPEN. Please go to dc.mysta.org to begin your ChristLife journey. This is also the process for people entering the Catholic Church, and for those who are new to the parish to get connected more intimately.
If you've already completed Discovering Christ, please check your e-mail or church center announcements for how to join Following Christ or Sharing Christ.
5) Christmas Masses will be December 24 at 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and December 25 at 9:30 a.m.
2) Last chance to be in our pictorial directory! Tuesday, December 9 is the last day for photos. So far 225 households have participated; we are hoping to get to 250 so we can get the nicer directory from the company. While the pictures will not be available by Christmas, they will be in the upcoming directory. Signup by going to schedule.ucdir.com, and entering church code: ia368 and password: photos or by calling the parish office. More info at pic.mysta.org.
3) Your generous gifts during December allow us to grow and to plan for ministry and facility needs in the new year.
Your generosity to the Operating Fund (Tithing) in 2024 allowed us to open the Director of Music Ministry position in 2025; thank you! We'd like to grow our team a bit more, but need to make sure the parish would like to see us grow. For year-end giving, please go to give.mysta.org. If your employer offers matching gifts, please consider us!
Our Building Fund remains strong, thanks to your generous support. We were able to install a brand new freezer/cooler, and do a number of minor projects around our facility. At this time, we have no major capital projects in the works, and there is $300,000 in our Building Fund.
4) Signups for ChristLife are NOW OPEN. Please go to dc.mysta.org to begin your ChristLife journey. This is also the process for people entering the Catholic Church, and for those who are new to the parish to get connected more intimately.
If you've already completed Discovering Christ, please check your e-mail or church center announcements for how to join Following Christ or Sharing Christ.
5) Christmas Masses will be December 24 at 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and December 25 at 9:30 a.m.
Fr. Adam's Five for November 27- December 3:
1) Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Thanksgiving Day Mass will be at 9:00 a.m. Please bring an item from your Thanksgiving table to have blessed. A food item, mind you, not a piece of the actual table. There will be no Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Friday after Thanksgiving.
2) Thank you for your prayers for the FOCUS visit this past week. We had two representatives from FOCUS present to our Staff, Simpson College Outreach, and Finance and Parish Councils. The meetings went well. Now we continue together the discernment process; please keep our leadership teams in prayer as we discern together this opportunity for our parish.
3) The STARS Cookie Walk is December 6. Please consider coming on by! We have around 40 vendors for you to visit, plus TONS of cookies and treats available for you. The money raised will support our Altar and Rosary Society and their initiatives.
4) The Knights of Columbus are hosting their annual Coats for Kids drive. In the last 5 years the Knights have supplied over 400 coats to needy children in Warren County. Please consider supporting the Knights of Columbus this weekend. You can find the link to give at give.mysta.org.
5) We have one more chance for you to participate in our photo directory! We will be having photos on Tuesday, December 9th. While the pictures will not be available by Christmas, they will be in the upcoming directory. Signup by going to schedule.ucdir.com, and entering church code: ia368 and password: photos or by calling the parish office. More info at pic.mysta.org.
2) Thank you for your prayers for the FOCUS visit this past week. We had two representatives from FOCUS present to our Staff, Simpson College Outreach, and Finance and Parish Councils. The meetings went well. Now we continue together the discernment process; please keep our leadership teams in prayer as we discern together this opportunity for our parish.
3) The STARS Cookie Walk is December 6. Please consider coming on by! We have around 40 vendors for you to visit, plus TONS of cookies and treats available for you. The money raised will support our Altar and Rosary Society and their initiatives.
4) The Knights of Columbus are hosting their annual Coats for Kids drive. In the last 5 years the Knights have supplied over 400 coats to needy children in Warren County. Please consider supporting the Knights of Columbus this weekend. You can find the link to give at give.mysta.org.
5) We have one more chance for you to participate in our photo directory! We will be having photos on Tuesday, December 9th. While the pictures will not be available by Christmas, they will be in the upcoming directory. Signup by going to schedule.ucdir.com, and entering church code: ia368 and password: photos or by calling the parish office. More info at pic.mysta.org.
Fr. Adam's Five for November 20- November 26:
1) Thank you all for the prayers while I was on vacation! I traveled north in hopes of finding snow; turns out I should have headed EAST! Oh well, I spent the week enjoying board games and watching movies with a priest friend.
2) Thanksgiving Day Mass will be at 9:00 a.m. Please bring an item from your Thanksgiving table to have blessed. A food item, mind you, not a piece of the actual table. There will be no Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Friday after Thanksgiving.
3) On November 20 and 21, St. Pius X and St. Thomas Aquinas will be hosting leadership from FOCUS Parish Missionaries. This visit is part of a discernment process for our parishes to see if we would be a good fit for two FOCUS Parish Missionaries. Please pray for this discernment.
4) For three 3 years, our leadership teams (Finance Council and Parish Council) have had numerous meetings discussing the best way to expand our staff with ministry in mind. If you'd like to see the most recent vision, please go to vision.mysta.org. With your support, we can provide new opportunities for ministry in our community.
5) Please remember St. Thomas Aquinas in your end-of-year giving. We are hoping to build a few new ministry positions in 2026 and your year-end giving is the foundation that allows us to grow. To give to St. Thomas Aquinas, please go to give.mysta.org. You can set up your own ACH transactions or donate by credit card. Your gifts are appreciated!
2) Thanksgiving Day Mass will be at 9:00 a.m. Please bring an item from your Thanksgiving table to have blessed. A food item, mind you, not a piece of the actual table. There will be no Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Friday after Thanksgiving.
3) On November 20 and 21, St. Pius X and St. Thomas Aquinas will be hosting leadership from FOCUS Parish Missionaries. This visit is part of a discernment process for our parishes to see if we would be a good fit for two FOCUS Parish Missionaries. Please pray for this discernment.
4) For three 3 years, our leadership teams (Finance Council and Parish Council) have had numerous meetings discussing the best way to expand our staff with ministry in mind. If you'd like to see the most recent vision, please go to vision.mysta.org. With your support, we can provide new opportunities for ministry in our community.
5) Please remember St. Thomas Aquinas in your end-of-year giving. We are hoping to build a few new ministry positions in 2026 and your year-end giving is the foundation that allows us to grow. To give to St. Thomas Aquinas, please go to give.mysta.org. You can set up your own ACH transactions or donate by credit card. Your gifts are appreciated!
Fr. Adam's Five for November 13- November 19:
1) I will be on vacation Through November 18. People asked me where I am going on vacation, and honestly I never really know until it comes. This time around I'm heading north in search of snow to bring back with me when I return. Pray for me, and know of my prayers for all of you!
2) I am excited to announce that Nicola Brummer has agreed to join our team and serve as St. Thomas Aquinas' Facility Rental Coordinator. She is completing the onboarding process now, and we hope to have her up and running in her new position Nov. 19. She will be reachable at nbrummer@stthomasindianola.com. Welcome, Nicola! Also, we have had some responses to our open positions at St. Thomas Aquinas, and will begin interviews when I return from vacation. If you are interested, please go to jobs.mysta.org.
3) On November 20 and 21, we will be hosting leadership from FOCUS Parish Missionaries at St. Thomas Aquinas to aid us as we discern whether or not St. Thomas Aquinas would be a good fit for two Parish Missionaries. Please pray for this discernment.
4) I made reference last week to a new website we are developing. My hope is that it will be ready to launch by Thanksgiving; there are still a few more things we want to do with it, however. In the meantime, you can see a few screen shots by following the link under the "links" button on the app or by going to mysta.org and clicking "links".
5) Please remember St. Thomas Aquinas in your end-of-year giving. We are hoping to build a few new ministry positions in 2026 and your year-end giving is the foundation that allows us to grow. To give to St. Thomas Aquinas, please go to give.mysta.org. You can set up your own ACH transactions or donate by credit card. Your gifts are appreciated!
2) I am excited to announce that Nicola Brummer has agreed to join our team and serve as St. Thomas Aquinas' Facility Rental Coordinator. She is completing the onboarding process now, and we hope to have her up and running in her new position Nov. 19. She will be reachable at nbrummer@stthomasindianola.com. Welcome, Nicola! Also, we have had some responses to our open positions at St. Thomas Aquinas, and will begin interviews when I return from vacation. If you are interested, please go to jobs.mysta.org.
3) On November 20 and 21, we will be hosting leadership from FOCUS Parish Missionaries at St. Thomas Aquinas to aid us as we discern whether or not St. Thomas Aquinas would be a good fit for two Parish Missionaries. Please pray for this discernment.
4) I made reference last week to a new website we are developing. My hope is that it will be ready to launch by Thanksgiving; there are still a few more things we want to do with it, however. In the meantime, you can see a few screen shots by following the link under the "links" button on the app or by going to mysta.org and clicking "links".
5) Please remember St. Thomas Aquinas in your end-of-year giving. We are hoping to build a few new ministry positions in 2026 and your year-end giving is the foundation that allows us to grow. To give to St. Thomas Aquinas, please go to give.mysta.org. You can set up your own ACH transactions or donate by credit card. Your gifts are appreciated!
Fr. Adam's Five for November 6- November 12:
1) We have several open jobs at St. Thomas Aquinas. We are in need of a part-time bookkeeper, a full-time administrative assistant, and a part-time facility maintenance person. We will begin interviews the week before Thanksgiving. If interested, or for more details, please go to jobs.mysta.org.
2) I'm super excited- I'd like to extend my personal welcome to the 4 families who asked to join our church! Thank you to our entire community for welcoming them! You all are amazing. If you, or someone you know, are interested in the Catholic faith at St. Thomas Aquinas, you can register at our parish by going to new.mysta.org.
3) On November 20 and 21, we will be hosting leadership from FOCUS Parish Missionaries at St. Thomas Aquinas to discern whether or not we would be a good fit for two Parish Missionaries. Please pray for this discernment.
4) I had a request to publish the names of our finance council and parish council members. I didn't realize they were not listed anywhere (including the website and app) but we are working on a new website and they will be there. In the meantime, you can go to our links page in the app and find a link to the finance and parish council rosters.
5) Please remember St. Thomas Aquinas in your end-of-year giving. We are hoping to build a few new ministry positions in 2026 and your year-end giving is the foundation that allows us to grow. To give to St. Thomas Aquinas, please go to give.mysta.org. You can set up your own ACH transactions or donate by credit card. Your gifts are appreciated!
2) I'm super excited- I'd like to extend my personal welcome to the 4 families who asked to join our church! Thank you to our entire community for welcoming them! You all are amazing. If you, or someone you know, are interested in the Catholic faith at St. Thomas Aquinas, you can register at our parish by going to new.mysta.org.
3) On November 20 and 21, we will be hosting leadership from FOCUS Parish Missionaries at St. Thomas Aquinas to discern whether or not we would be a good fit for two Parish Missionaries. Please pray for this discernment.
4) I had a request to publish the names of our finance council and parish council members. I didn't realize they were not listed anywhere (including the website and app) but we are working on a new website and they will be there. In the meantime, you can go to our links page in the app and find a link to the finance and parish council rosters.
5) Please remember St. Thomas Aquinas in your end-of-year giving. We are hoping to build a few new ministry positions in 2026 and your year-end giving is the foundation that allows us to grow. To give to St. Thomas Aquinas, please go to give.mysta.org. You can set up your own ACH transactions or donate by credit card. Your gifts are appreciated!
Fr. Adam's Five for October 30- November 5:
1) There will be a farewell reception for Leasa Garrett on Saturday, Nov 1 after the 4:30 Mass. Leasa has accepted the Business Manager position at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Thank you to Leasa for your dedicated service the last 10 years, we will miss you! Good Luck and Godspeed on the next steps of your career.
2) Thank you everyone for participating in the Novena to St. Cecilia for a new music director- our prayers were answered! Emma Lynch (formerly DeVries) will be our Director of Music Ministry beginning June 1, 2026. Please do keep Emma in your continued prayers.
3) We have made some modifications to the Administrative Assistant position. We are now making that position FULL TIME. It will include benefits such as paid vacation, holidays, sick leave, optional insurance, and paid maternity leave (after 9 months of employment). If interested, please go to jobs.mysta.org
4) I am working with our Trustees, the Parish Council, and the Finance Council to revamp some of our staffing structures. Please keep us in prayer as we discern together the best way to meet the needs of our growing community.
5) Please mark your calendars for the upcoming sessions of ChristLife- we are going to be running all three modules SIMULTANEOUSLY beginning Wednesdays in January.
2) Thank you everyone for participating in the Novena to St. Cecilia for a new music director- our prayers were answered! Emma Lynch (formerly DeVries) will be our Director of Music Ministry beginning June 1, 2026. Please do keep Emma in your continued prayers.
3) We have made some modifications to the Administrative Assistant position. We are now making that position FULL TIME. It will include benefits such as paid vacation, holidays, sick leave, optional insurance, and paid maternity leave (after 9 months of employment). If interested, please go to jobs.mysta.org
4) I am working with our Trustees, the Parish Council, and the Finance Council to revamp some of our staffing structures. Please keep us in prayer as we discern together the best way to meet the needs of our growing community.
5) Please mark your calendars for the upcoming sessions of ChristLife- we are going to be running all three modules SIMULTANEOUSLY beginning Wednesdays in January.