St. Thomas Apostle Parish was founded in 1913 to serve the needs of the bourgeing community of Woodley Park. Fr. Thomas Walsh was assigned as the first pastor, and oversaw the the organization of the new parish. Masses were originally offered in a home on Cathedral Ave. before a small white church was constructed on the site of the present rectory. To accommodate the growing parish, the foundation of the current church was poured in the 1920s, and Mass was offered in the basement for almost 30 years. During this subterranean period St. Thomas was referred to as "the church of the catacombs." The cornerstone of the present church was laid in 1951, and the church was dedicated by Archbishop (Later Cardinal) Amleto Cicognani, Apostolic Delegate of the Holy See to the Unites States, during a solemn Pontifical Mass on November 4, 1951. St. Thomas was renowned for its reserved, yet stately, style, which incorporated elements of neo-classical, art deco, and mid-century design. 

The history of Christ’s presence here in the St. Thomas boundaries includes the persons who have gone before us, and those who are to come. All continue to participate in this eternal work of grace.