St. Thomas Aquinas

About St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center

St. Thomas Aquinas — affectionately known as "St. Tom's" — is the University Parish at Purdue University and one of the largest combined parish and campus-ministry programs in the United States. The parish serves a stable worshiping community of more than 815 resident families and the nearly 13,000 Catholic students attending Purdue, offering 35+ ministries and programs. Boiler Catholics, the registered student organization for Catholic Boilermakers, makes its home at St. Tom's and promotes an active Catholic lifestyle throughout the academic year. The parish's Sacred Mission is to engage the youthful energy of all its members to nurture their faith journey across all generations through liturgy, spiritual and intellectual formation, stewardship, and justice with peace. Its Sacred Vision calls St. Tom's to be a vibrant, diverse, welcoming community — a beacon of peace and God's love and a model of Jesus Christ at Purdue, in the Greater Lafayette area, and in the world.

History of Catholic Ministry at Purdue

Catholic campus ministry at Purdue dates to 1906, when the Catholic Club was founded and students crossed the Wabash River to attend Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Lafayette. The Newman Club was chartered in 1927, and in 1928 Reverend Leo Pursley was assigned as associate pastor of St. Mary's to work with Purdue students. By the late 1940s, Fr. Thomas Heilman's vision for a dedicated Catholic student center, championed by Bishop John Bennett, became a $275,000 parish fundraising campaign — and the St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel was dedicated on April 9, 1951.

• 1906 — Catholic Club founded at Purdue
• 1927 — Newman Club chartered
• 1928 — Fr. Leo Pursley assigned to work with Purdue students
• April 9, 1951 — Bishop John Bennett dedicates St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel; Fr. Heilman named students' vicar
• 1957 — Fr. Leo Piguet and Fr. Leo Haigerty arrive; Notre Dame credit course developed on site
• 1962 — "St. Thomas Aquinas" becomes the preferred name
• 1963 — Adjacent property purchased to expand the worship space
• May 3, 1964 — Bishop John Carberry dedicates the expanded St. Thomas Aquinas Church (capacity ~1,100–1,200)
• 1964 — Renovation wins first place in the North American Liturgical Conference church-renovation award
• 2000 — Ministry entrusted to the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Albert the Great
• 2024 — Fr. Andrew (Andy) McAlpin, O.P. begins as the current pastor

Dominican Heritage & Four Pillars of Ministry

Since 2000, St. Tom's has been served by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Albert the Great (the "Central Province"). In keeping with that heritage, the parish organizes its 35+ ministries around the Four Pillars of Dominican Life — Prayer, Study, Community, and Preaching — inspired by the example of St. Dominic. By balancing these four aspects in daily life, parishioners and students are encouraged to serve God in the best possible way, both at the parish and on campus.

• Prayer
• Study
• Community
• Preaching

Clergy and Staff

St. Tom's is currently led by Fr. Andrew (Andy) McAlpin, O.P., who became pastor on July 1, 2024. A native of Eagan, Minnesota, Fr. Andy grew up on a horse farm, served four years in the U.S. Navy, and worked in the tech industry before responding to God's call. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, entered the Dominican Order of Preachers in 2003, professed final vows in 2008/2009, and was ordained in 2009. He has served as a theology teacher at Fenwick High School, university chaplain at Dominican University, parochial vicar at St. Vincent Ferrer, and vocations director for the Province of St. Albert the Great. Fr. Dennis Woerter, O.P. joined as parochial vicar on July 1, 2024. A graduate of Fenwick High School and Loras College, Fr. Dennis was ordained in 1997, holds a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching, and previously served in Madison, WI; Denver, CO; Chicago and River Forest, IL; and most recently at St. Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University Bloomington. He speaks Spanish and works closely with the Spanish-speaking community.

• Fr. Andrew (Andy) McAlpin, O.P. — Pastor (2024–present)
• Fr. Dennis Woerter, O.P. — Parochial Vicar (2024–present)

Pastor History

St. Tom's has been shaped by a succession of visionary pastors — from its founding vicar Fr. Thomas Heilman, to the 1957 arrival of Fr. Leo Piguet, to the era of diocesan priests who oversaw the 1964 expansion, to the Dominican friars who took over pastoral leadership in 2000. The Dominican pastors have each left a distinctive mark on the parish: Fr. Daniel Davis, O.P. as the first Dominican pastor; Fr. Patrick Baikauskas, O.P. as a builder of new ministries and a 2016 Missionary of Mercy; Fr. Thomas McDermott, O.P. who shepherded the community through the early 2020s; and the current pastor Fr. Andrew (Andy) McAlpin, O.P.

• Fr. Thomas Heilman — founding vicar, 1951
• Fr. Leo Piguet — from 1957
• Fr. Daniel Davis, O.P. — 2000–2008 (first Dominican pastor)
• Fr. Patrick Baikauskas, O.P. — 2008–2020
• Fr. Thomas McDermott, O.P. — 2020–2024
• Fr. Andrew (Andy) McAlpin, O.P. — 2024–present

Service, Outreach, and Social Justice

St. Tom's offers more than 20 service ministries that help parishioners "love each other as I have loved you" — addressing social justice and serving at the church, in the local community, and on mission trips beyond. The parish supports the Mother Teresa Fund (rent and utility assistance for community members in need) and the ACE Food Pantry Collection (first Sunday of every month), and is active in the Greater Lafayette Hunger Hike, Purdue's Polar Plunge, Habitat for Humanity builds in the South and Appalachia, and international mission trips to Haiti and Cuba.

• Mother Teresa Fund (second collection, first Sunday of the month)
• ACE Food Pantry Collection (first Sunday of the month)
• Greater Lafayette Hunger Hike
• Purdue Polar Plunge
• Habitat for Humanity (South and Appalachia)
• Mission trips to Haiti and Cuba