In 1924, the Herbstrith building was purchased as a place of worship. On August 19th, the People of God who were to form St. Thomas the Apostle Parish celebrated the first Mass.
In 1937, Fr. Bernard Rank, with 136 families in the parish, began raising $25,000 to construct our former church which seated 400. In 1942, the Dominican Sisters came to teach in a school housed in the old building. Due to rapid growth of the parish, the first gymnasium was constructed in 1945. In 1954, the present $200,000 St. Thomas School was dedicated by Bishop Cousins. Five new school classrooms were added in 1957 to accommodate a larger enrollment.
In 1961, the former rectory and convent were constructed. Discussions to renovate/expand the church/school were developed, and in 1993, a Capital Campaign entitled “I Make All Things New” was initiated.
Many areas of ministry had taken shape to serve the entire parish. In 1995, a school addition with cafeteria/gym, three classrooms, and a library was completed. The enrollment of the school was nearly 500 students. The following year the convent was renovated to accommodate parish offices.
Today our worship space is complete. The parish has grown from its original 136 households to over 1,700 households with 25 organizations working with the parish staff to bring the family of God’s People at St. Thomas together to glorify God