Fall sessions begin September 15th

Are you grieving the loss of someone you love? You don’t have to go through this difficult time alone. We welcome anyone who has lost a spouse, a son, daughter, parent, or dear friend and needs to feel a sense of community with others in the same situation. Experience has shown that participation in small group sessions in which people share and learn with others is a way of coping with the crisis of death. Our St. Thomas the Apostle Bereavement Support Group.   

Meetings are held in St. Thomas Parish Center located under the church, it is handicapped accessible. 

Our Fall 2026 Sessions will be held

Tuesdays, September 15th through October 20th from 6:30pm - 8pm in the Parish Center

(located in lower level of Church)

Contact Human Services at (516) 538-7465 to register

"The Days After Nine-Eleven"
A prayer of hope and healing for our First Repsonders and their families

Twenty-five years since that horrific day - September 11, 2001

Twenty-five years, first responders at that terrible site have either succumbed as a result of toxic debris or are still feeling the effects, physically and emotionally, of that tragic event in our nation's history.

Many services will be held to commemorate those who have passed on 9-11.

We want to gather the "Day After" to pray for all fist responders, living and deceased, as well as their families.

Please join us in this prayer of hope and healing for all first responders and their families.

Saturday, September 12, 2026 - 11am at Saint Thomas the Apostle Church

Bingo is Back
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Parish Center of Saint Thomas Church
$35 per person
(includes 3 Bingo Cards, Free sandwiches chips and soft beverages)

Father Tony and Father Rick along with the members of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society invite you to join them in supporting this year's "Friends of the Poor Walk" - Saturday, September 26th at Heckscher State Park

Walk begins at 10am!

The Friends of the Poor Walk is a meaningful community event to raise awareness and support for neighbors facing hardship across Long Island. More than just a fundraiser, the walk brings people together in a spirit of compassion, service, and solidarity, helping  Saint Vincent de Paul Society of Long Island continue its mission of providing food, clothing, financial assistance, and hope to individuals and families in need. Every step taken helps strengthen the organization’s ability to serve the poor and vulnerable with dignity and care.

Father Tony and Father Rick along with other members of our parish Saint Vincent de Paul Society are participating in this Island-wide fundraiser with other conferences of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society of Saint Thomas the Apostle Church

Click here if you wish to sponsor Father Tony and Father Rick's Walk

Click her if you want to join us in the walk!

Farewell to Father Damian

The Vicar for Clergy Personnel of the Diocese informed us that our Father Damian will be assigned to parish ministry as the new Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in West Islip. The new assignment takes effect on October 1st of this year.
We are so grateful for these past eight years as Father Damian has been able to celebrate Masses for us at Saint Thomas on weekends and weekday mornings while still fulfilling his full-time ministry as chaplain to NYU Langone Hospital (Winthrop Hospital). 

Please join us for a Mass of Farewell and Hospitality to follow on Sunday, September 27th. Mass wil be the 10:30 Mass in the Upper Church and Hospitality in the Parish Center following the Mass. (By the way, September 27th is Father Damian's Birthday!!!

Here is a brief biography of Father Damian

THE PRIESTLY JOURNEY OF FR. DAMIAN UMEOKEKE

A Journey of Faith and Service

Fr. Damian Umeokeke was born on September 27, 1968, and raised in Azigbo Town, Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. His early life was shaped by faith, family, community, and the care of his grandmother, the late Mrs. Margaret Okodo. He began his primary education in Azigbo before entering St. Paul’s Seminary, Ukpor, and later All Hallows’ Seminary, Onitsha. From 1990 to 1998, he studied philosophy and theology at Seat of Wisdom Major Seminary, Ulakwo-Obube, Owerri, Imo State.

ORDINATION TO THE PRIESTHOOD

On July 25, 1998, Fr. Damian was ordained a Catholic priest at St. David’s Catholic Church, Azigbo, by the late Most Rev. Albert Kanenechukwu Obiefuna, then Archbishop of Onitsha.

His ordination began his lifelong service to God and His people.

EARLY PRIESTLY MINISTRY

After his ordination, Fr. Damian served in several parishes within the then Archdiocese of Onitsha.  He served as Assistant Priest at Queen of Heaven Catholic Church, Amichi, while also caring for St. James Catholic Church, Amichi. He later served as Assistant Priest at St. Charles Lwanga Catholic Church, New Haven, Onitsha. In 2001, he became Pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, Atani, where he served until 2002. 

RETURN TO THE DIOCESE OF NNEWI

In 2002, after the establishment of the Diocese of Nnewi, Fr. Damian returned to his home diocese. He became Pastor of St. Mary, Mother of the Church Catholic Parish, Ukpor Center, where he served the faithful and supported the growth of the new diocese. 

MINISTRY AND STUDIES IN THE UNITED STATES

In 2006, Fr. Damian traveled to the United States for further studies at St. John’s University. He earned a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Theology in 2008. While studying, he was also helping temporarily at Long Island Jewish Hospital. After completing his studies, he began serving as a hospital chaplain. 

HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY IN NEW YORK

Fr. Damian served with the Archdiocese of New York as a chaplain at Beth Israel Medical Center for approximately four years. He provided spiritual and pastoral care to patients and families during times of illness, suffering, recovery, and loss.

MINISTRY IN THE DIOCESE OF MANCHESTER

Fr. Damian later served in the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, at Elliot Hospital, Manchester. He worked there as a hospital chaplain for approximately six years, caring for patients, families, and healthcare workers. 

RETURN TO NEW YORK AND PRESENT MINISTRY

In 2018, Fr. Damian returned to New York and joined the Diocese of Rockville Centre. He was assigned to NYU Langone Hospital—Mineola, formerly known as Winthrop Hospital, where he continues to serve as a hospital chaplain. His ministry involves supporting patients, families, and healthcare workers during times of joy, anxiety, illness, recovery, and loss. He also participates in the life of the parish connected with his ministry.

28 YEARS OF PRIESTLY MINISTRY

On July 25, 2026, Fr. Damian Umeokeke celebrates 28 years of priesthood.  His journey has taken him from childhood in Azigbo to seminary formation, parish ministry in Nigeria, advanced studies in the United States, and many years of hospital chaplaincy.  Through every stage, his priesthood has remained focused on serving God and His people. 

A CONTINUING JOURNEY

Fr. Damian’s priestly journey continues to be shaped by faith, service, and dedication. From Azigbo to the seminary, from parish ministry to hospital chaplaincy, and from Nigeria to the United States, he has served wherever he has been called.

Basketball Clinics

1st and Second Grade Boys and Girls

$150 per child: (Dates to be determined)

Travel Basketball

3rd through 8th Grades

$250 per child

Boys' practices start October and continue through March
Girls' practices start late September and continue through January

Click here for Registration Form

One of the most pressing needs we now face is the replacement of the air conditioning system in the church. The present air conditioning system is more than sixty years old.  The present system is barely serviceable, it uses a non EPA compliant freon that is not easily found, and the actual method of cooling is potentially dangerous (Cooling water towers such as ours are where  legions of air diseases were attributed to have arisen). For many obvious reasons, WE CAN NOT HAVE THIS SYSTEM ANY LONGER!

About two years ago, we began looking seriously into what would be involved in replacing this outdated system. The project is not as simple as buying a new air conditioning unit and plugging it in. We need to purchase a new 60-ton chiller, using EPA- compliant refrigerant, and have the necessary engineering drawings prepared so that we can make the best possible decision regarding the size, location, and installation of the new equipment. 

Initially, we had hoped that the entire cost of the new system might be covered through anticipated funds from Employee Retention Credits, which were offered as a form of post-Covid relief. Unfortunately, delays occurred, both in regard to the availability and purchasing of the needed chiller units and, quite honestly, because we did not have the funds on hand to move forward with confidence.

In the near future, you will receive a letter inviting you to participate in a one-time campaign to help fund this project. This is not a luxury project. It is not about making the church more comfortable in some extravagant way. It is about replacing a system that has served this parish for more than six decades and is now beyond its reasonable life expectancy. It is about ensuring that the church can continue to be a welcoming and usable space during the warmer months of the year. It is about being responsible before the system fails entirely and leaves us with fewer options, greater inconvenience, and possibly even higher costs.

Please watch the bulletin and the website for further developments as we move forward with this project.

Welcome Father Rick Stelter!

Bishop Barres has appointed Father Rick Stelter as our new associate pastor to serve the needs of the people of Saint Thomas the Apostle Church. The assignment will take effect on Wednesday, June 24th. Father Rickwas ordained for the Diocese of Rockville Centre on March 15, 1980 (exactly one year after Father Tony’s ordination). Father Rick and Father Tony share a lot of connections. In his early priesthood, Father Rick served the people of Westbury at Saint Brigid’s Church (Father Tony’s last pastorate) as well as serving the people of Saint Barnabas in Bellmore (Father Tony’s home parish). Both Father Tony and Father Rick went to Saint Pius X High School seminary, Cathedral College and the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception; both also pursued post graduate work at Fordham University. And finally, both are Met fans!

For the past twenty-four years, Father Rick has been pastor of Saint Martin of Tours in Amityville and Our Lady of Peace in Lynbrook. As he has finished his second term as pastor of Our Lady of Peace, Father Rick was generous enough to stay active in ministry and make himself available for priestly service in the Diocese. And so, the Bishop has assigned him to work with us here at Saint Thomas.

We look forward to offering a warm welcome to Father Rick as he begins this new chapter in his priestly life.

Father Tony and Father Charles Mangano invite you to join them in a nine-day long pilgrimage to Medjugorje this summer August 8 - 16

During the time of our pilgrimage, we will be staying in the house of Ivan Dragicevic, one of the six visionaries who allegedly have received these apparitions from our Lady since 1981. During our time together we will participate in daily Mass and spiritual activities, united with pilgrims around the world to visit the sites of the apparition and to listen to Ivan tell his own story of those early days of Medjugorje. 

The all-inclusive price of $3,843 per person includes: 

• Round-trip Airfare from New York, All Airport Taxes & Fuel Surcharges,
• 7 Nights: Dragicevic Family Home with Private Baths,
• Breakfast and Dinner Daily, Wine with Dinners, 
• Transfers by Private Motor Coach, 
• Escorted by Professional Local Christian Guides, 
• Sightseeing and Spiritual Activities, 
• Mass Daily & Spiritual Activities, 
• Special Times of Prayer and Group Meetings,
• Unlimited Use of the Private Home Chapel Books and Tapes, 
• Luggage Handling (1 Piece per Person)
• Air Conditioning in Double Occupancy Only (No Single Rooms).

You will need to make your reservations soon since these trips are booking fast!

Visit us on Sundays  from 8am to 1pm
Saint Thomas the Apostle Chapel
Lower Level

Our Thrift Shop is moving to a new location (BIGGER and BETTER)

All sales benefit our Parish, so please stop by and support STA!

We welcome donations that are new or in excellent condition.  Please drop off at the rectory.

Can you volunteer to help us at the Thrift Shop? If so, leave a message for Ana at 516-817-1960.

The history of the U.S. Catholic Church, like the history of the United States itself, is very much intertwined with the phenomenon of migration. The first American citizen to be canonized a saint, Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, was the embodiment of this. An immigrant from Italy, she adopted this country as her own. While often facing discrimination and seemingly impossible odds, she never succumbed to hopelessness. With relentless faith, she accompanied her fellow immigrants and others living on the margins of society with a great missionary zeal. 

But Mother Cabrini’s challenges, and the challenges of those she served, are not unique among the generations of Catholics and immigrants in general who have come to this land. This is not just a matter of history. It is a present reality in the life of our Church and nation. 

As Catholics, we are called to recognize the face of Christ in each person we encounter, especially the poor and vulnerable. Jesus tells us in his own words: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:35). The Gospel and the social teaching of the Church continually affirm the equal dignity of every person, irrespective of race, nationality, or immigration status.

The Cabrini Pledge is both a reminder of our immigrant heritage and a call to deeper engagement with our faith in response to current events. At a time when our culture is dominated by deep political divisions and reasonable disagreements about immigration policy, progress can feel impossible. But by witnessing to the God-given dignity of every person, including the migrants and refugees in our midst, we pave the way for an approach rooted in mercy, justice, and the common good. And together, like Mother Cabrini, we can be keepers of hop

Click here to take the pledge

Click here to read the New York Catholic Bishop's Statement

Click here to read the Statement of the US Conference of Bishop's

Join Father Tony each Thursday morning at 8:30am in the Sienna Center of Saint Catherine of Sienna Church for a weekly Bible study program, "Sunday to Sunday"

Beginning Thursday, October 2 and every Thursday thereafter, Father Tony will explore the upcoming Sunday's Gospel (and perhaps the first reading as well) offering an exegesis (study) of the passage, its context and meaning within the bible. Following the teaching, there will be an opportunity for prayerful sharing on the passage as time allows.

The sessions will take place at the Sienna Center of Saint Catherine of Sienna Church. All are welcome!

Hours of operation-
First Saturday of each month, 11am - 2pm
Other Saturdays of the month: 10AM - 1pm

Located in the former library of the Parish Center
A great opportunity each week to find treasures at a low low price. . .

Donations for the Thrift store are accepted through the rectory office! Please call 516-489-8585 for more information!

An interesting debate

In the light of the recent tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk, there have been many videos and remembrances of this heroic and challenging voice defending the moral teachings of Jesus Christ as found in the gospels. 

With the deepest respect for this honorable man of faith and conviction, we post this particular debate between Michael Knowles, a conservative political commentator, and Charlie Kirk on some of the major differences between  Catholics and Protestants.  The video is about eight months old (during the pontificate of Pope Francis), and perhaps since then there may be evidence that Charlie Kirk was becoming more sympathetic to the Catholic Church than is perhaps reflected n this video. 

The video is posted with deepest respect for Charlie Kirk but also with deepest respect to the fullness of the teaching of the Catholic Church. In light of the popularity of Charlie Kirk, most especially after his assassination, this video may help us understand more clearly what Catholics believe and what we embrace as the fullness of the truth of our faith.

From Human Services Director Gail Miller. . .

"I am always amazed by the generosity of our Parishioners, but this year’s school supplies drive leaves me speechless! (which, our volunteers will tell you, is rare) We received close to 3700 individual items, including…

36 children in 17 families were sponsored! Parents received gift cards from Target or Walmart to purchase shoes, clothing, or whatever else was needed for the start of the school year. One donor saved a mom some time & shopped for clothing for a family!

Sharing the Good News of Saint Thomas the Apostle Human Services

Take some time to look at these great video presentations of the wonderful work that is done right here at Saint Thomas the Apostle Church through our parish Human Services

 A brief reflection on "Why we Minster" here at STA Human Services

 

 A look at our Parish Food Pantry

Take a glance at our Crochet and Knitting Ministry 

 

And don't forget our special Holiday projects -- and Birthday Blessings! 

Human Services of Saint Thomas Helping the Homeless
(and what you can do to help!)

Some of the angels & stars on our Giving Trees request basic warm clothing which we give to our transient clients to help them through the cold winter months. Many of these clients face unstable housing situations which could lead to homelessness, adding to the danger of cold weather.

A CODE BLUE Emergency is triggered when the temperature drops to 32 degrees or below, including wind-chill between 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.  Department of Social Services policies are relaxed to ensure anyone homeless is warm and safe. Drop-in centers are required to take as many clients as possible, within occupancy restrictions. Single adult or family shelters are not required to undergo typical intake and eligibility procedures for that night and clients can access any shelter that night. 

If you know or see someone needing shelter on a CODE BLUE night, the Nassau County Winter Homeless Hotline is 1-866 WARMBED (866-927-6233).  Additional resources are the Coalition for the Homeless Street Outreach team 631-464-4314 ext. 118; the Department of Veterans Affairs 877- 4AID-VET; the Nassau County -Salvation Army 800-728-7825 and Family & Children Association Emergency Housing Assistance 516-221-1310.  

After only four votes among the cardinal electors, Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A. was selected to be the successor of Peter, taking the name Pope Leo XIV on the afternoon (12:27pm EDT) of May 8th. Cardinal Cupich, Cardinal of the archdiocese of Chicago stated that the qualities that the cardinals saw , , ,  that were important in determining if he would be the right person. First of all, he’s a hard worker. He’s multilingual. He understands different cultures. He’s lived on three different continents. He’s a pastor, and he has a very strong record of administration, as he had as prior general of the Augustinians.  But it was also very clear that we wanted somebody who was going to continue the work of Pope Francis. There was no interest at all in diverting attention away from that or moving in a different direction. There was a real fondness for Pope Francis that people carried into our discussions."

A brief bio of Pope Leo XIV

Full text of his first address to the world (Urbi et Orbi)

Hope is here.
If you or someone you know needs assistance  with an unexpected or difficult pregnancy, help is available:
Call 631-476-LOVE (5683) any day, any time (24/7).
All conversations are safe and confidential
Sponsored by Catholic Health Services

Click here for more information