About

The Parish of St. Thomas & St. Timothy is built upon a foundation that was formed and has flourished in West Hartford over more than a collective 160 years.

Our parish is one which loves and honors God; respects, loves and welcomes all people; cultivates a culture of faith, and makes and sends forth disciples who can change the world.

Our logo symbolizes our two churches by combining iconic symbols from each campus. The cross depicts the cross outside the main entrance of St. Timothy’s Church and is set inside the outline of the large stained glass window above the main entrance to St. Thomas the Apostle Church. The maroon and blue are representative of the colors used at both churches and schools.

History of Saint Thomas the Apostle Church

The beginnings of St. Thomas the Apostle Church were in a small wooden building located at the corner of the Boulevard and South Quaker Lane in West Hartford and were built with the support of the parishioners’ time, talent, and treasure.

Twenty-eight men of the parish helped build the structure. The first substantial donation was made by Mr. Thomas Eckert, and Father John F. Callahan, the first pastor, decided to name the church for the saint that bore Mr. Eckert’s name. Father Callahan, later Monsignor Callahan, resided in a stucco house on Boulevard opposite Jessamine Street.

The parish was established two years after the end of World War I to serve West Hartford families living north of Elmwood who had previously belonged to St. Joseph Cathedral and Our Lady of Sorrows in Hartford. The first Sunday Masses were celebrated on November 14, 1920, eleven days before Thanksgiving.

History of Saint Timothy Church

The Church of St. Timothy was founded in 1958 to meet the needs of 450 families in West Hartford, CT.

Its first pastor, the late Reverend Francis O’Neill, guided it for the first 30 years. Ground was broken for the church and school in September 1959 and the first Mass was celebrated in the church in June 1960.

Before the current church was built, Sunday Masses were offered at King Philip School; daily Mass was celebrated in a small chapel behind the rectory. This building is now a garage/storage space. The former rectory, now the parish’s main office space, was built in the 1700’s, and is considered a historic landmark.