The Respect Life Committee

   The Respect Life Committee is responsible for passing on current information, updates and details of events concerning all aspects of the dignity of human life to the parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas Church. This is done primarily via the Sunday bulletin, the Summa and an email notification list.
    We also assist other pro-life groups within the Parish: We give support to the local 40 Days for Life Campaign each spring and fall. We assist with procuring items to give away, and the scheduling of people to cover shifts for the Knights of Columbus pro-life booth during Camas Days each July. 
   We occasionally co-host Sunday Coffee Hours and Lenten Soup Suppers with the Human Dignity Foundation. We are a resource for high school students in the parish doing research papers for school. We provide web-site addresses and other information to help students find the truth, which is difficult to find in our culture.  We provide information and resources concerning all stages of human life, from conception through natural death. Contact: parish office 834-2126

Homebound Ministers

Homebound Ministers are very proud of our dedicated volunteers who take Holy Communion to homebound members of our community. This is something our parishioners greatly value: a connection to the Church which they have been a member of usually for many decades, and the Sacraments of Life. If you are interested in becoming a Homebound Minister contact James Wurzer at jwurzer@protonmail.com.

Natural Family Planning

Christ and His Church call us to holiness in our everyday lives and in and through our vocations. In the Sacrament of Marriage, a particular kind of conjugal chastity is demanded by the nature of love and God’s order of Creation. In marriage, the two have become one and are called to continually make that gift of self-donation to the other as they strive to build up one another in faith and love. The two, in imitating the Trinity by their union and love, also share with the Trinity in the great work of co-creation. Part of this, of course, is the bearing and raising of children. Marriage in many ways is oriented towards children, which are always a great good.

The couple must remember God’s dominion over Creation as they remain open to life, and must not cut these off through contraception and sterilization. While these are illicit, the Church does allow spouses, with prayer and discernment, to plan their families in a natural way.

Contact Sofiya for more details: sofiya.ostap.nfp@gmail.com

AQUINAS GUILD

“The things that we love tell us what we are.” 
― St. Thomas Aquinas

The Aquinas Guild is a voluntary association for religious, social and benevolent purposes made up of all the women of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. No dues are collected. The Guild meets after mass the first Wednesday of each month in the Fireside Room. Our social hour starts at 9:00 and and the meeting begins at 9:30am.

We provide the funeral receptions for the families and friends of deceased members of St. Thomas. Many believe this is our finest service and is offered freely at a most difficult time. We do not charge for this service, but donations are accepted. We also sponsor the First Anniversary of Loss Mass program for our parish.

We host monthly coffee hours and other fellowship support to our St. Thomas Family. We embody Martha’s service with Mary’s spirit and hope you will join us. We welcome new active members with new ideas and energy. 

President Helen Gerde, call or text: 360-335-4527  

Circle of Love

Circle of Love is a charismatic prayer group following the guidelines of Western Washington Catholic Charismatic Renewal. At Tuesday evenings, approximately 7:00-8:30pm, in the Fireside Room we have a time of praise; a time of silence and listening; sometimes a teaching; and close with intercessory prayer. All are welcome. Contact: Claudia Heacock, 834-2126.

Catholic Daughters of the Americas

The purpose of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas is to participate in the religious, charitable, and educational apostolates of the Church. Our organization meets the first Monday of every month from September to June in the Fireside Room at 6:30pm. Our meetings begin with the Rosary and continue on to our business meeting. Questions? Contact Anne Guard 834-2126.

Church Angels

Church angels are members of the parish who clean the church every week on Friday morning between approximately 9:00-10:00am. There are six teams who rotate this job so that each person cleans only once every 6 weeks. Four persons per team are preferred but it is difficult to maintain this number on each team. The main cleaning tasks are vacuuming, dusting, arranging the missals and hymnals, filling holy water fonts, and replenishing the collection envelopes. Contact, Maryanne Stevan, 834-2126

Knights of Columbus

Knights of Columbus, is the largest Catholic men’s organization in the world, donating over 57 million annual volunteer hours that yield over $116 million given to a wide range of church, community and charitable activities and programs.  Here at St. Thomas Aquinas, Council 2999 is dedicated to the betterment of their parish and community. They support the parish at the annual picnic, the Corpus Christ procession, regular breakfasts and woodcuts, and many other parish events. Our Assembly, for Fourth Degree Knights, also provides Color Guard duties to add to the solemnity of church events.

We support pro-life activities by organizing and manning the pro-life booth at Camas Days, sponsoring pro-life poster and essay contests. We also strongly support Catholic education and the youth of our parish.

Contacts: Ted Meany at
ted@stthomascamas.org or CLICK HERE to visit their webpage.

Prayer Chain

email: stthomasprayers@stthomascamas.org

St. Thomas Catholic Students

look for ways to volunteer at our new Preschool by visiting their webpage

Serra Club

Group that works to promote religious vocations in our our area.  Contact: Allison Johnson (360) 256-5620

Consolation Ministry

Volunteers greet mourners at parish funerals offering the family any assistance needed. They offered Mass aides and invite people to sign the guest book. 
Contact:  Mike Hansen (503) 310-6584

Grief Recovery

Group meeting on Mondays at 9:30am in the Fireside Room. 
Contact:  Virginia Lowery g.s.lowery@gmail.com

Be Not Afraid prayer group
Contact:  Dan Duringer dnduringer@gmail.com