Fr. Andy Smith
Pastor
ccm@uark.edu

Fr. Andy was appointed pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas in July of 2004. He is also pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Bella Vista, 50 miles away, so his time must be balanced between his two parishes. A native of Helena, Arkansas, who was ordained a priest in 1980, he is a life-long fan of the Hogs. He loves watching baseball at Baum Stadium, as well as catching football and basketball games as he can. He is an avid movie and music fan. Normally, he keeps office hours from 1:00pm until 5:00pm on Thursdays. Appointments can be made through Rachel at the parish office. No staff member, resident minister at St. Thomas, or seminarian has yet to beat this overweight, out of shape, old man in racquetball... much to their chagrin! Catch his column as well as his answers on the "Ask Fr. Andy" page.

Campus Ministry has been a part of Vera's life since she arrived in Arkansas in 1991 as a student at the University of Arkansas. After completing her degree (a BA in Social Work) she spent time at Mission Honduras - living with Fr. Cook's orphans. Upon her return to the States, she promptly swooned her now husband, Jon Zawislak, off his feet and they were married. Four wonderful kids later, she is still part of the St. Thomas Community as a Campus Minister (going on eight years now!)

At St. Thomas, Vera enjoys working with the various group ministries, the mission ministries, Sunday meals, development, the "Welcome to St. Thomas, we're glad you're here 'punch' ministry," and the new popcorn machine.

In Vera's "off" time, she enjoys changing dirty diapers, comforting "boo boos," reading children's books, cleaning markers and crayons off the walls and explaining why gun fights can't happen when it's 40 degrees out.

Laurie has been a campus minister at St. Thomas since August 2006. She holds a Master of Divinity Degree from Washington Theological Union.

Laurie is involved with religious education, sacramental preparation and preparing the liturgies at St. Thomas. She has a passion for Bible study, which you can discover for yourself at Break with the Bible.
Laurie loves questions about the faith. She went through a period of questioning the faith during college herself, so she is happy to spend time with you to discuss your faith ups and downs.

When not at St. Thomas, Laurie loves the outdoors, walking, hiking and canoeing. She continues to be a theology nerd, but also loves to read good fiction. She is often spotted walking across campus in search of lattes at Arsagas.

Rachel became a part of St. Thomas during the 2004-2005 school year, when she went through RCIA and joined the Catholic Church. As a student she was an active participant in the parish as she completed her BA in English and Journalism.

This is her second year working for St. Thomas. As the administrative assistant, Rachel maintains the website, compiles the weekly bulletin, answers requests for baptism/confirmation/marriage certificates, and stays busy keeping St. Thomas running as smoothly as possible.

During her spare time, Rachel enjoys taking classes at the university, to help her discern what she is going to make her life's work, reading anything she can get her hands on, and playing in the outdoors. She is also inordinately fond of chocolate.

As a freshman at Arkansas State University, Patrick began his time with Campus Ministry. The following year, he went to Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas. Upon returning to Arkansas after two years, he became a resident minister at St. Thomas.

Patrick leads the Vocations Discernment Group, which is for anyone trying to discover exactly what God is calling them to do. He also helps with the Ambassador program and odd jobs around the center, such as leading camping trips. His mission is to keep Fr. Andy happy, which he does by giving him at least one hug every Thursday and Sunday.

Theresa Cronan, Ed.D.
Faculty Advisor
thercron@uark.edu

Theresa is faculty advisor for Catholic Campus Ministry, our Registered Student Organization (RSO) at the University of Arkansas. In the College of Education and Health Professions, she teaches courses in literacy methods to pre-service and practicing teachers.

Theresa volunteers support to St. Thomas staff and students. She is a member of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA), the national professional organization for Campus Ministry, along with the St. Thomas staff.