About

Our Church History

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholics were present in Cache Valley as early as 1872, but the first mass was celebrated on September 19, 1918 by Fr. Thomas N. Stanton.


The first St. Thomas Aquinas Church was at 45 East 500 North in Logan. Dominicans Fathers Joseph Valine and Colin McEachen arrived in Logan and had the first Mass on December 8, 1941 (the day after Pearl Harbor). This church was dedicated on May 17, 1942.


Fr. Jerome Stoffel arrived five years later, and would shepherd the parish for 30 years. By the mid-1950s, the church was too small for the growing community, and so the diocese bought a former fraternity at 795 North 800 East, near Utah State University, and it became a Newman Center and St. Jerome’s Chapel.


The diocese sold the old church in 1962, and for the next 44 years, members of St. Thomas Aquinas parish and students from the Newman Center would celebrate mass at St. Jerome’s Chapel. Fr. Bob Bussen became pastor in 1977, and was the first priest to suggest the parish council consider remodeling or building a new church. After a sabbatical in Bolivia in 1984, he began celebrating Mass in English and Spanish.


Between 1986 and 1995, the parish was served by Fr. Colin Bircumshaw, Fr. David Van Massenhove, and Fr. Francis W. Voellmecke, and beginning in 1990, by Spanish-speaking priests as well: Fr. Francisco Gomez, Fr. Jesus Montoya, and Fr. Fernando Cristancho.


Fr. Clarence Sandoval and Fr. Francisco Pires arrived in 1995, and when Fr. Pires (who would later return as pastor) left in 1999, Fr. Sandoval began celebrating both Spanish and English Masses. With the arrival of Fr. Sandoval, interest in a new church building was revived. Parish members made pledges and fundraisers, and by the fall of 2000 the church was being designed.


The parish sold a parcel of land that had appreciated in value considerably in the years since Msgr. Stoffel purchased it, and an anonymous benefactor donated a parcel of land in Hyde Park for the construction. The new church and parish center were dedicated on June 24, 2006, and the Newman Center was renamed the St. Jerome Catholic Newman Center.


Permanent Deacon Jim Miller arrived after the parish moved to Hyde Park, Fr. Francisco Pires returned as pastor in the summer of 2011, and Sr. Marilyn Mark, who had served the parish for much of the 1990s, returned in late 2012.

Artist Transformed

Each artwork carries a unique narrative, and our Crucifix is no exception. Delve into the story of former Cache Valley artist, Eileen Doktorski, as she infuses her personal struggles into the creation of our crucifix..... Read

Statement of Beliefs

The Catholic Mass is the most sacred act of worship a person can participate in upon earth. At the Last Supper, Jesus Christ, sat down with his chosen Apostles for what He knew would be their last meal together. At that supper, Jesus does something new, something never done before, and yet something which continues until the end of time.

Knowing more about the Mass, (all of chapter 6 in John's gospel) we can be closer to Christ and to the miracle He left us on that Holy Thursday night. (1 Cor 11:23-26)

“The Catholic Mass…Revealed!”  is designed to help all people, whether Catholic or not, to better understand the miracle of the Mass. We can come to appreciate its beauty, its rhythm, even why many in history have faced death rather than be deprived of the opportunity to participate in the Mass.

Our prayer is that you come to know and love the Mass as making present again the one sacrifice of Christ’s love for us, (1 Peter 3:18) and a continuation of His Last Supper with his apostles. You too can come to know and love Jesus Christ who both commands and invites us to encounter Him in this very special way.


The following is from "The Catholic Mass...Revealed!"


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750th Jubilee of Saint Thomas Aquinas

The years of 2023, 2024, and 2025 represent three jubilee years of the birth (1225), death (1274), and canonization (1323) of St. Thomas Aquinas, Dominican and Doctor of the Church who is called the Angelic Doctor. As the patron saint of our parish, we will be honoring him throughout these years in both public and private ways. Please take time to look at these links to get to know our patron saint a little better and also to learn how to attain a plenary indulgence through his “intersession.”

The Life of Saint Thomas Aquinas

One of the most famous members of the Dominican Order, St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274) is well-known by many for his theological work, “The Summa Theologiae.” Born in Italy, his mother wanted him to become a Benedictine and had high hopes that he would eventually become abbot of Monte Cassino, where he spent much of his youth. To change his vocation, she had him kidnapped by his brothers on his way to Paris at the age of 19. He spent two years in their captivity. Despite this, nothing could shake him from his vocation to become a Dominican priest and he was eventually released.


Once free, in 1245, he began to study in Paris, France with Albertus Magnus whose favorite pupil he became. In 1248, he accompanied Albert to Cologne, Germany. From there, Thomas returned to Paris (1252) where he became known as a great teacher and theologian.


He spent some time in Rome as a papal advisor, returned to Paris to teach for a period and then returned to Naples to found a house of studies (1272). In 1274, on the way to a church council at Lyons, France, he took sick and died at the age of 49.

His works show him to be a brilliant lecturer, a clear thinker and an Aristotelian. In an age which was uncomfortable with the notion that the universe could be known apart from revelation, he pioneered the use of the Greek philosophy that featured the power of reason to demonstrate that God and his universe could be understood by reason guided by faith. His large girth and slow, deliberate style earned him the nickname "The Dumb Ox!"


His greatest contribution to the Catholic Church is his writings. The unity, harmony, and continuity of faith and reason, of revealed and natural human knowledge, encompasses his writings. The Summa Theologiae, his last and, unfortunately, uncompleted work, deals with the whole of Catholic theology.


The Feast of

Saint Thomas Aquinas

On 7 March 1274, St. Thomas Aquinas passed from this world to the Father. Only 50 years old, the legacy of his writings and his personal holiness continues to inspire the Church in our time.


Previously Saint Thomas Aquinas' feast day was celebrated on March 7th, the day of his passing, but was later moved to January 28. Saint Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of universities and students. He was canonized by Pope John XXII in 1323.

Decree - Plenary indulgence - St Thomas Aquinas

Decree - Plenary indulgence - St Thomas Aquinas The Apostolic Penitentiary, with the intention of heightening the devotion of the faithful and for the salvation of their souls, by virtue of the powers conferred upon it in a very special way by Francis, Pope by divine providence from our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, considering the prayers recently addressed to it by the Reverend Gerard Timoner III, Master General of the Order of Friars Preachers, on the occasion of the solemn celebrations in honor of Saint Thomas Aquinas, which will take place between 28 January 2023 and 28 January 2025, the Apostolic Penitentiary, therefore, drawing on the heavenly treasures of the Church, willingly grants a plenary indulgence, which the truly penitent and charitable faithful can enjoy under the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff), and which can be applied by way of suffrage also to the souls of the faithful departed still in purgatory, wherever they make a pilgrimage to a holy place connected with the Order of Friars Preachers3 , and there devoutly take part in the jubilee ceremonies, or at least devote a suitable time to pious recollection, concluding with the Lord's prayer, the symbol of faith and invocations of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of Saint Thomas Aquinas. The elderly, the sick and those who are unable to leave their homes for any serious reason will also be able to obtain a plenary indulgence. If, despising all their sins and with the intention of fulfilling the three usual conditions as soon as possible, they spiritually join in the Jubilee celebrations in front of an image of St Thomas Aquinas, offering to the merciful God their prayers as well as the sorrows and ills of their lives. To facilitate access to God's forgiveness through the power of the keys in pastoral charity, the Penitentiary urges priests of the Order of Friars Preachers to offer themselves with prompt and generous hearts to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to administer Holy Communion often to the sick. This Decree is valid only for this commemoration of St. Thomas Aquinas, notwithstanding any circumstances to the contrary. Given at Rome, from the Palace of the Apostolic Penitentiary, on 20 January 2023.

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