Georgia Bulletin

Alpharetta

• Parish Milestones: St. Thomas Aquinas Church celebrates 50 years 

  

  By SAMANTHA SMITH, Staff Writer
  Published July 7, 2022

  Parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas Church celebrated the community’s 50th anniversary on Pentecost weekend. Started as a mission, it was elevated to parish status in June 1972 by Archbishop Thomas Donnellan.

• St. Thomas Aquinas youth participate in Cardboard Campout

  

  Published May 25, 2018

  ALPHARETTA—On March 3-4, a group of middle school students at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Alpharetta, participated in a Cardboard Campout retreat to raise awareness about hunger and homelessness in the community, the country and around the world. The goal was multifaceted. Anne Renkes, middle school coordinator at St. Thomas Aquinas, said leaders wanted the students […] Full Story

• Thanksgiving service offers time for collective prayer

  

  Published November 27, 2017

  ALPHARETTA—St. Thomas Aquinas Church hosted the ninth annual Alpharetta Community Thanksgiving Service the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 14. Five other houses of worship participated in the night of prayer, music and messages of unity. Members of Alpharetta Presbyterian Church, St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, The Bahá’í Community of Alpharetta, the Islamic Center of North Fulton, and […] Full Story

• Founder of gang violence ministry to speak at St. Thomas Aquinas

  Published July 6, 2017

  ALPHARETTA—Jesuit Father Gregory J. Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, will speak at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, on Sunday, July 30, at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend. A native of Los Angeles, Father Boyle entered the Society of Jesus in 1972 and was ordained a priest in 1984. In 1986, he […] Full Story

• Lenten service provides a chance for outreach in schools

  

  By MSGR. DAN STACK, Special to the Bulletin
  Published March 23, 2017

  ALPHARETTA—Catholic and non-Catholic students, teachers and administrators began Lent March 1 at Cambridge and Milton High Schools in north Fulton County with a liturgy of the word and the imposition of ashes led by members of the youth leadership team from St. Thomas Aquinas Church. For the second year in a row student ministers prepared […] Full Story

• Sweet sounds adorn St. Thomas Aquinas’ Christmas vigil

  

  Published January 12, 2017

  ALPHARETTA—On Christmas Eve, eight students at St. Thomas Aquinas Church formed a brass ensemble and played Christmas carols for those gathering for the children’s vigil. Greer Blackmon, Ismar Miniel, Aileen Nicolas and Blake Hyman play in the University of Georgia’s Redcoat Band. Cole Barkelew, Chase Buckley and Drew Lang are musicians at nearby Milton High […] Full Story

• Parish class studies other faiths, tours synagogue, mosque

  

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, Staff Writer
  Published December 22, 2016

  ALPHARETTA—Kathy Hoffman, parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Alpharetta, uses her experiences as a theology teacher to help others better understand the faith of neighbors in the Jewish and Muslim communities. In September, Hoffman began teaching a weekly class on the Abrahamic religions at St. Thomas Aquinas. The classes neared conclusion Dec. 4 with […] Full Story

• Witness to executions, advocate for victims, Sister Prejean to speak May 9

  Published April 14, 2016

  ALPHARETTA—Sister Helen Prejean, known for sparking national dialogue on the death penalty, will speak at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Alpharetta on Monday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m. Sister Helen was born on April 21, 1939, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and joined the Congregation of St. Joseph in 1957. She spent her first years teaching […] Full Story

• Public school students lead Ash Wednesday services

  

  Published March 17, 2016

  ALPHARETTA—On Ash Wednesday, students at three public high schools attended by parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas Church could receive blessed ashes at a student-led prayer service. Some 40 students and parents participated in the services at Cambridge, Alpharetta and Milton high schools. The day began the season of Lent when Catholics observe a period of […] Full Story

• Knights offer white crosses to show support for Mideast Christians

  

  Published December 10, 2015

  ALPHARETTA—Moved by the plight of Christians in the Middle East, the Knights of Columbus at St. Thomas Aquinas Church are raising awareness in this northern suburb of Atlanta of the ongoing persecution of believers in Iraq and Syria. Pope Francis has recently said shedding of blood because of a shared Christian faith is uniting Catholics […] Full Story

• Msgr. Stack represents archdiocese at NFPC convocation

  Published May 1, 2015

  ALPHARETTA—Msgr. Dan Stack represented the Atlanta Archdiocese at the annual convocation of the National Federation of Priests’ Councils in Louisville, Kentucky, from April 20-23. He serves as the chairman of the Atlanta Council of Priests. The National Federation of Priests’ Councils grew out of the Second Vatican Council’s call for collaboration, the same call that […] Full Story

• Visiting priest from Mexico serves 22,000 Catholics

  Published March 20, 2015

  ALPHARETTA—Father Benigno Martinez, a priest of the Archdiocese of Tulancingo, State of Hidalgo, Mexico, came to St. Thomas Aquinas in January to baptize the infant son of his brother who lives in the parish. He also celebrated the Sunday Spanish Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas. Father Martinez, ordained five years ago, is the pastor and […] Full Story

• Trivia night helps raise mission trip funds

  Published February 19, 2015

  ALPHARETTA—Members of Knights of Columbus Council 6532, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, continued a 12-year tradition on Saturday, Jan. 31, by hosting a trivia night with Italian food at the Alpharetta parish. The proceeds fund an annual youth mission trip to serve in West Virginia. The kids and a group of adults spend the week […] Full Story

• St. Thomas Aquinas hosts royal feast

  

  Published January 8, 2015

  ALPHARETTA—St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Alpharetta celebrated Advent and Christmas with a medieval flourish. Hundreds of people sat down on the nights of Dec. 5 and 6 to enjoy a madrigal dinner. Traditional Christmas carols and Renaissance-style music were sung between servings of a four-course dinner. Guests were greeted with a royal welcome of trumpet […] Full Story

• St. Thomas Aquinas young adults help former school

  Published November 13, 2014

  ALPHARETTA—St. Thomas Aquinas Latino Young Adults group approached Mimosa Elementary School in Roswell to see if the school had any work they could do, as part of Alpharetta’s day of service. The school has had a large Latino population for decades. Among the young adult volunteers were Nadia Zúñiga, Anabella Zúñiga and Cinthya Rojo, who […] Full Story

• Knights support North Fulton Community Charities

  Published September 4, 2014

  ALPHARETTA—Knights of Columbus Council 6532, from St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Alpharetta, recently presented Barbara Duffy, executive director of North Fulton Community Charities, with a check for $1,000. The first principle of the Knights of Columbus is charity. Council 6532 Knights, over 200 members strong, are pleased to support this local community charity, in addition to […] Full Story

• Hispanic first-degree Knights make history

  Published March 7, 2014

  In news about the Knights of Columbus, a group of Hispanic men took their first steps as members of the religious fraternal organization. A Hispanic first degree was held at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, in Alpharetta, home of Council 6532 on Sunday, Feb. 9. This is the first Hispanic first degree in North Georgia, according […] Full Story

• Hispanic first-degree Knights make history

  Published March 6, 2014

  In news about the Knights of Columbus, a group of Hispanic men took their first steps as members of the religious fraternal organization. A Hispanic first degree was held at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, in Alpharetta, home of Council 6532 on Sunday, Feb. 9. This is the first Hispanic first degree in North Georgia, according […] Full Story

• 220 representing 26 local churches hear strategies of ‘Rebuilt’ Maryland parish

  By ERIKA ANDERSON Special to the Bulletin
  Published February 6, 2014

  ALPHARETTA—It was during a night called “Family Friendly Friday” that Father Michael White finally snapped. The Lenten event drew a crowd to his Maryland parish, like most of the activities that filled the Church of the Nativity’s calendar. But when one attendee complained to Father White about the free food he was receiving, Father White […] Full Story

• Father Austin remembered for tireless ministry in parishes, prisons

  

  By NICHOLE GOLDEN, ngolden@georgiabulletin.org
  Published February 6, 2014

  ALPHARETTA—Father Austin Fogarty, a son of Ireland, first began his service to the people of the Archdiocese of Atlanta as assistant pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas in Alpharetta in 1981. A devoted prison chaplain, and pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas, Father Fogarty, called Father Austin by those he ministered to, died Jan. 15 at Emory […] Full Story