A Note From Our Pastor: September 6, 2026
On July 19th, in my Pastor’s Note, I proposed some changes to our Works of Mercy collections. Having also directly consulted members of our parishes, we will go forward with the following:
At both St. Thomas and at St. Philomena, we will have a second collection on the fourth weekend. We will do this every other month, starting in September, then November, then January, etc.
The organizations we will support (and the distribution percentage) are as follows:
St. Vincent de Paul (25%) - we already have a St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Thomas;
Des Moines Food Bank (20%) - we partner with them in our ‘Loaves & Fishes Meal’ on 4th Friday evenings;
Thea Bowman Apartments (20%) – named after a heroic nun, and part of Catholic Housing Services, providing housing for veterans, the homeless, and those who suffer with chronic mental illness or substance abuse issues.
Respect Life Initiatives (15%) - in addition to supporting efforts for advocacy and creating awareness on issues of human life, we will support local organizations that directly support the cause of life (e.g. 3W Medical for Women).
Family Life Initiatives (20%) – this will include Des Moines Pregnancy Aid, as well as Prepares (associated with Catholic Community Services). These local ministries support families before their child’s birth and beyond.
Additionally, I still would like to create a Works of Mercy Committee (representing both parishes) to serve as a consultative body. This group would meet quarterly, to periodically evaluate which organizations we support, but also to help us get more connected and involved with these organizations. Please let me know if you are interested in working with me this way.
On a different note, a few weeks back, I mentioned the impending change in our office staff, as Lucy Giaccio will end her time as our Communications Assistant. We are grateful and blessed to welcome her successor, Recy Tunay. She and her family are parishioners of St. Philomena and are one of our school families. Welcome to the team, Recy!
Speaking of the school, our Principal, Dr. Steve Morissette and his great team, got the new school year started. It’s great to have the students and their families back—all the energy and life that comes with it. I want to recognize the excellent leadership our school is blessed to have. Not every parish is blessed to have a school that runs with this degree of stability and overall viability.
With this in mind, I invite any of our parish families who desire Catholic education for their children to explore that possibility with us. Please don’t assume it can’t work. Our school was established and exists first and foremost for our parish families.
Yours in Christ,
Father Todd O. Strange
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