Parish Staff
WELCOME TO ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE
Fr. Francis Noronha
Pastor
Fr. Francis Noronha was born on the 7th of November 1981 in Mangalore, Southern part of India. He is the third eldest of three brothers and four sisters. He has a brother who is priest and a sister who is a religious sister. Born in a traditional Catholic family, his father worked as a farmer and his mother was a housewife. In 2010, his mother suddenly passed.
After completing high school in 1997, he decided to discern his vocation to become a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross. He completed a year as a novitiate in 2005 after completing a Bachelor of Arts in 2004, in Bangalore, India. He completed a degree in Philosophy from 2005 until 2007. After completing his pastoral year in 2008, he was asked to come to Canada to pursue a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree at the University of Toronto at Regis College, Toronto. He completed his MDiv in 2011 and was ordained a priest on December 8, 2011 along with his brother Ronald, who is a diocesan priest. After completing a Master of Sacred Theology from 2011 until 2012, he served as an associate pastor at different parishes; St. Kevin’s parish from September 2012 to November 2013; St. Ann and St. Joseph parish from November 2013 until June 2015. In June 2015, he was appointed administrator of St. Joseph parish and in 2017 became the pastor. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo in Spiritual care and Psychotherapy.
I am excited to join the St. Thomas the Apostle community.
Deacon Mark Shaw
Permanent Decon
Deacon Mark Shaw is the oldest of three children. He was born and raised in Montreal and has been active in his Parish community since he was a young teenager. When he was eighteen, his family moved into a different parish, where he joined the youth choir. It is in that choir that he met his future wife (and his sister met her future husband). Eventually, he became the choir director of that very choir.
In school, he studied Theology and Education and became a high school teacher at the Sacred Heart School of Montreal. After nine years there, he and his wife, Maureen and their daughter, Amanda moved to Waterdown where they have been members of the St. Thomas community ever since, and he has taught Religion for over thirty years. After leading the choir for over 10 years, he felt God’s call to take on a new role in the Church, that of Permanent Deacon..
He is very happy to be “stationed” here in his family’s parish of St. Thomas and being of service to the community in any way our Heavenly Father asks him to be.
Debbie Mazzaferro
Parish Nurse (RN)
Debbie Mazzaferro was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. After graduation from Confederation College as a Registered Nurse (RN), she married Rocco. Together they have three children: Thea, Adam, and Adrian. Since moving to Waterdown, Debbie has received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ryerson University. Debbie has been a RN for many years and is currently working at Hamilton Health Sciences in the Operating Room at the McMaster site. Debbie has completed the Foundations of Parish Nursing program at St. Peter’s Seminary. As the Parish Nurse, Debbie works in collaboration with the staff to promote health and wellness in our parish by enhancing spiritual and physical wellbeing.
Holly Lester
Office Admin
Holly was born and raised in Waterdown, Ontario. Attended Guardian Angels Elementary school and St. Marys High school. While at St. Marys, she had the opportunity to complete her co-op placement at St. Thomas church for two years. After graduating high school, she attended Mohawk College and studied in the Executive Office Administration Program. She graduated college in Spring 2020.
Holly was an Altar Server for 10 years at St. Thomas the Apostle Church and now as part of her ministry, she trains and helps plan fun events for all Altar Servers.
Holly had the honor, while she was in College, to be able to work at the Chancery Office (Diocese of Hamilton) as the on-call receptionist and be on-call at St. Thomas.
She is here to help and to serve the people of God and His church.
Latest Homilies
Msgr. Sheridan – Third Sunday of Lent (March 15, 2020)March 16, 2020 - 10:52 am
Deacon Mark Shaw – Second Sunday of Lent (March 8, 2020)March 9, 2020 - 10:24 am- Msgr. Sheridan – First Sunday of Lent (March 1, 2020)March 2, 2020 - 10:40 am
- Msgr. Sheridan – Ash Wednesday (February 26, 2020)February 28, 2020 - 10:29 am
- Msgr. Sheridan – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 23, 2020)February 24, 2020 - 1:02 pm