Serving others plays an important role in a Cadet's education.

"We are a Catholic institution and take great pride in that fact. Not only do students study the tenets of religion, Christianity and the Catholic faith, but also they practice it in both word and deed. The incredible service of our students to those in need is inspirational.” - Headmaster Thomas B. Mich, Ph.D.

“Service is a major part of who we are as a school community. It is grounded in our Catholic faith, which calls us to act justly and serve with love. The graduation requirement reflects the critical role service plays in preparing young men to go out into the world as imaginative, compassionate and caring leaders.

We challenge the boys emotionally, intellectually and spiritually to go beyond a superficial understanding of the people they come into contact with. We hope they come to recognize that each person is made in God’s image, which is a core principle of our faith. We challenge them to love as Christ loved. The experience of service can be an awakening for them.” - Service Coordinator Jane Doyle

"In the six years I've been here, since seventh grade, I've developed that type of interest in helping others. Not just at school, but also in the community. That's a big part of being a student at Saint Thomas Academy." - Kyle Rohde '10 (Christian Service Award recipient as quoted in Sun Current newspaper)

Every year the STA Cadets and Middle School students volunteer approximately 25,000 hours in the Twin Cities community and beyond.

A few examples of the many ways our students serve others:

• Students must perform a minimum of 140 hours of service during their senior year.

• The KEE Club, a student-run service group, organizes a volunteer group of cadets, faculty, staff and parents to work at Feed My Starving Children. Every month during the school year, our volunteers package and send nutritious meals to areas of need around the world.

• Campus Ministers help organize a number of events throughout the year, including Advocacy for the Hungry, a food drive for Neighborhood House that has resulted in the organization’s largest collection by a single group for the past three years (18,000+ pounds in 2012; 14,000+ pounds in 2011; 13,000+ pounds in 2010; 5000+ pounds in 2009 ). 

• The Theology department organizes the annual Thanksgiving food drive. Every year, enough food is collected to deliver at least 25 baskets to the children at Bush Center; each basket containing food for Thanksgiving dinner and the weekend for each child’s family. In addition to these food baskets, the generosity of the community also helped to restock the food shelves of the Franciscan Brothers of Peace, St. Paul location.

• School-wide participation in the annual Advent Giving Program provides Christmas presents for many people registered at Catholic Charities. Students, faculty and staff provide gifts and grocery money, school supplies, hats and mittens to those who need help during the holidays. 

• The annual "Haunting for the Hungry" food drive helps stock the Franciscan Brothers of Peace food shelves in October.

• Hundreds of students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni assist Bill Foussard ’72 and Barb Aslesen with their annual Meals On Wheels Thanksgiving dinner deliveries.

• The annual service trip to Guatemala provides students the opportunity to work with people in San Lucas Toliman. Link to student postings and photographs.

• Out-of-uniform days raise thousands of dollars every year for various charities.