About St. Thomas the Apostle · Helmville, Montana
St. Thomas the Apostle is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the ranching community of Helmville, Montana, in the Blackfoot River valley. Part of the Diocese of Helena, it is the faith home of a close-knit, historically Irish-Catholic community in Powell County and the mother parish for two mission churches: St. Jude the Apostle in nearby Lincoln and Living Water Mission in Seeley Lake. Under its current administrator the parish offers daily Mass three days a week at 9:00 a.m. (Wednesday–Friday), a Sunday Mass at 9:00 a.m. preceded by Adoration, and the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick either before or after Mass or by appointment. Despite its modest size, the parish maintains an active bulletin, Flocknote texting list, Facebook presence, and live-streamed liturgy connecting its scattered ranch families across the valley.
- Patron
- St. Thomas the Apostle
- Rector
- Father Józef Perehubka (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena
Why belong here
St. Thomas the Apostle is a small but devout mountain-valley parish where the church genuinely is the center of community life — a place where ranch families, retirees, and visitors are known by name. The parish supports four Masses a week (Sunday plus three daily Masses), Eucharistic Adoration before Sunday Mass, on-site Confession every Sunday morning, and Sacramental care by appointment. It also serves as the hub for two mission churches (St. Jude in Lincoln, Living Water in Seeley Lake), so joining St. Thomas connects you to the wider Catholic family of the upper Blackfoot and Swan valleys.
Mass times at St. Thomas the Apostle
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:30 AM – 8:50 AM (before Mass)
- Before or after any Mass, or by appointment
Adoration times
- Sunday 8:15 AM – 8:45 AM (before the 9:00 AM Mass)
Welcome & Parish Identity
St. Thomas the Apostle serves Helmville and the surrounding Blackfoot River valley as a small but active Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Helena. The parish's branding on its website ('Saints Thomas & Jude — Helmville and Lincoln, Montana') signals that St. Thomas functions as the hub for St. Jude Mission in Lincoln and Living Water Mission in Seeley Lake, with one pastor-administrator serving the cluster.
- Diocese of Helena
- Saints Thomas & Jude cluster (Helmville + Lincoln + Seeley Lake)
Helmville's Irish Catholic Heritage
Helmville was named when Henry Helm secured a post office in 1872, but the valley's deepest cultural root is Irish Catholic. Settled in the 1860s–1870s — first by Irish ranch families such as the McCormicks and Gearys (the Geary ranch dates to 1867) — the town grew around the rhythms of Catholic worship. A University of Montana 'This Is Montana' feature observes that 'Helmville's Irish Catholic origins have remained an important part of the town' and that the church is 'central to the community.' St. Thomas the Apostle is that continuing center.
- McCormick family, founding Irish ranch family
- Geary family (ranch est. 1867, oldest in the valley)
Mission Churches of St. Thomas
St. Thomas is the canonical home parish for two mission communities that the same priest serves.
- St. Jude the Apostle Mission — Lincoln, MT (Sunday Mass 11:00 AM)
- Living Water Mission — Seeley Lake, MT (Saturday Vigil Mass 4:00 PM; Rosary at 3:15 PM)
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by an Administrator (priest) rather than a residential pastor, reflecting its small size and its service as the hub for a three-church cluster. A Bookkeeper/Secretary keeps the office running.
- Father Józef Perehubka — Administrator (appointed July 1, 2023; reappointed for a second three-year term effective July 1, 2026)
- Maureen (Mo) Mannix — Bookkeeper / Secretary (406-793-5834 or 406-461-0084)
Bulletin & Communications
The parish keeps a regular bulletin with weekly and special-issue editions. The archived bulletin page on thomasandjude.org tracks issues back to 2019, and the parish uses Flocknote and Facebook (alongside Twitter and YouTube channels linked from the diocese page) to keep its scattered ranching families informed and connected to livestreamed liturgy.
- Weekly parish bulletin (archived since 2019 on thomasandjude.org/bulletins)
- Flocknote messaging system
- Facebook live-streamed Mass
- Twitter and YouTube channels (Diocese of Helena parish listings)
Diocese of Helena
St. Thomas the Apostle is one of more than 60 parishes and missions in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, which covers the western and central parts of Montana and is led by Most Reverend Austin A. Vetter.
- Diocesan headquarters: Cathedral of St. Helena, Helena, MT
- Bishop: Most Reverend Austin A. Vetter
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed. The most reliable first step is to call the parish office during the post-Mass window in Helmville, or to contact the parish secretary Mo Mannix directly.
- Phone — 406-793-5697 (parish office)
- Mo Mannix — 406-793-5834 or 406-461-0084
- Email — [email protected]
- Address — 108A Main St., Helmville, MT 59843 (P.O. Box 90, Helmville, MT 59843)
- Web — www.thomasandjude.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Anthony Greytak, S.J.
Served St. Thomas the Apostle in Helmville in the 1980s as part of a circuit that also included Sacred Heart (Wolf Creek), St. Jude (Lincoln), and St. Catherine (Boulder).