The Most Reverend Joseph H. Albers of the Diocese of Lansing assigned Fr. Cecil Winters as the founding pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in 1940. The first mass was celebrated in the State Theatre on Abbott Road on October 4, 1940. There were approximately 360 parishioners at that first mass. From that very humble beginning St. Thomas Aquinas has grown to 2000 families that number in excess of 8,000 persons.

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish was originally intended to be the university parish. Hence the reason for naming the parish after one of the greatest scholars the Catholic Church has ever produced, St. Thomas Aquinas. Fr. Winters was chosen as the founding pastor because of his reputation as a scholar.

Fr. Winters supervised the construction of the basement church on Abbott Road in 1942. Later that property was sold to Michigan Bell Telephone Company. That basement church still stands as part of the basement of the Michigan Bell Building on Abbott Road.
Fr. Winters died in 1943 and Bishop Albers named the Reverend Jerome V. MacEachin as the second pastor of this parish. During Fr. Mac's tenure as pastor, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish grew by leaps and bounds. Father MacEachin was a charismatic person who made the Catholic students very welcome at the Newman Club.

In addition he taught a course in Catholic Theology at MSU. As a result, Fr. Mac was known far and wide by students who took his classes on MSU's campus. He was not only known, but his students loved him very deeply.

During Fr. Mac's years as pastor (1943-1978) the current parish site was purchased in 1948. The school was opened in 1949 and an addition was constructed in 1955-56. The first principal of STA School was Sr. Sabina, OP an Adrian Dominican Sister. She was Fr. Mac's cousin. Over the years, STA school has been very successful at providing a good education in the academic subjects, but in addition they have formed the youth of the parish in gospel values.

STA School had grades 1-9 for a period of time. (Then the 9th grade was dropped and the kindergarten was added.) Today, STA School is a K-8 grade school. Originally the parish school was staffed by Adrian Dominican Sisters. Sr. Catherine Sibal, OP was the last Adrian Dominican Sister to work in the parish school. She retired from teaching in 1986. Mrs. Jane Bilas is the current principal of STA School.

For a period of time mass was celebrated at both the Abbott Road Church and the Alton Road site. The growing congregation necessitated this arrangement. In 1966 construction began on the current church/rectory complex which was dedicated in 1968. Mr. Bernard Mayotte, a parishioner, was the architect for the new church and rectory. Its distinctive design and the grande faceted glass window on the east facade have made it a significant landmark in the mid-Michigan area. During his years as the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Fr. MacEachin initiated the construction of all the buildings on the current church grounds.

In 1978, Msgr. MacEachin resigned his pastorate and was named Pastor Emeritus by Bishop Kenneth Povish. At that time, the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Lansing, Bishop James S. Sullivan, was named as the third pastor of STA Parish. During his tenure, the Outreach Mass was initiated. This involved the video taping of one of the weekend liturgies for airing on TV Sunday morning on WSYM, Channel 47. Under the direction of our parish Minister of Music, Dr. Conrad Donakowski, the purchase and construction of the organ was commenced. Before the organ could be completed and the sanctuary remodeled Pope John Paul II named Bishop Sullivan as the Bishop of the Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota. This appointment was made on April 2, 1985.

On June 1, 1985 Fr. Michael D. Murphy was named the fourth pastor of STA Parish by Bishop Kenneth Povish.

In 1985-86, the sanctuary of the church was remodeled and the organ completed. In 1989 the parish committed itself to a greater sensitivity to persons with handicaps and installed an elevator in the church building as well as various handicap accessibility modifications to the parish facilities.

Mrs. Annie Kitching and Mr. Joseph Reynolds co-cordinate the Religious Education programs in the parish.

The parish has undergone two modifications during its 50 years of existence. In 1957, St. John's Student center was created from the area of responsibility initially designated to STA. Then in 1988, St. Martha Parish in Okemos was established. At that time 487 families from this parish joined the new parish in Okemos.

In our 62nd year of existence, this parish continues to be a vibrant community of believers. Parishioners gather weekly to pray and be nourished by the Word of God and the Bread of Life in the Eucharist. The parish organizations which serve a multitude of needs to continue to function and bring a zest and richness to the fabric of parish life and to the community in which we are located. This parish reaches out to its neighbors in a number of ways that are unique--through the Outreach Mass and through the various concerts that are conducted in our church. Through these two programs we are able to share the richness of our faith with a multitude of people.