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A message from the Pastor
Greetings to our St. Tom's Community,
I am now free to share the good news about St. Tom's new pastor and parochial vicar.Fr. Andrew (Andy) McAlpin, OP, is your new pastor, and Fr. Dennis Woerter, OP, is our newest parochial vicar, effective July 1. I know Fr. Andy and Fr. Dennis well, having lived with each of them at different times, and very much enjoyed their company. Although you can Google more about them, below is a bit about each of them.
In Christ's Love,
Fr. Tom McDermott, OP, Pastor
Fr. Andrew (Andy) McAlpin, OP, Pastor of St. Tom's
About Fr. Andrew (Andy) McAlpin, OP, Pastor
Fr. Andy is currently serving as pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Madison, WI, and will celebrate his 60th birthday on May 27 this year! Like Fr. Ben, he is originally from the Twin Cities area. He grew up raising and training Arabian show horses and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. He responded to God's call following a four-year stint in the U.S. Navy and several years working in the tech industry. He entered the Order of Preachers in August 2003, received his Masters of Divinity in 2008 from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, professed final vows in June 2009, and was ordained on May 10, 2009, at St. Francis Xavier College Church in St. Louis, MO. Fr. Andy has served as a theology teacher at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, IL, as university chaplain at Dominican University, as parochial vicar at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, and as vocations director for the Province of St. Albert the Great before his assignment at Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Andy enjoys sports, working out at the gym, and playing the drums. He has a strong faith and adheres to the teachings of the Church with joy. He is outgoing and personable. He was even a student of mine in St. Louis! You will enjoy him.
Fr. Dennis Woerter, OP,
Parochial Vicar
About Fr. Dennis Woerter, OP, Parochial Vicar
Fr. Dennis Woerter, OP, grew up in St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in River Forest, IL (the parish I served before becoming pastor at St. Tom's) and attended Fenwick High School, a Dominican institution, in nearby Oak Park, and Loras College majoring in Speech Communication and Journalism. He entered the Dominican Order in 1990, receiving his Masters of Divinity and Master of Arts in Theology from Aquinas Institute of Technology in St. Louis. Ordained in 1997, he served in parishes in Madison, WI; Denver, CO (as pastor); and Chicago and River Forest, IL (at St Vincent Ferrer). He received his Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree in Preaching in the Practice of Ministry in 2009. From 2012 to 2019, he was chaplain and director of campus ministry at Fenwick High School, teaching theology and coaching boys and girls soccer. His doctoral research focused on preaching in Anglo-Hispanic communities. Fr. Dennis speaks Spanish and works closely with our Spanish-speaking community at St Paul Catholic Center at IU Bloomington,his most recent assignment