A Parish Built Around Service on US-301
St. Theresa Catholic Church stands on US-301 in Belleview, a small city in southern Marion County whose very name means "beautiful view." Pastor Father Tom Connery puts the parish identity in plain words: "Though we may be just north of The Villages, we are far from retiring. We have an eager and enthusiastic community who have a heartfelt care for the less fortunate." The church runs a soup kitchen every day of the year, a formal Social Service hub that logs more than 100,000 guests a year, a thrift shop, a food pantry, and a benevolence program that helps with rent and utility bills. Around that core of charity runs a full Catholic life: daily and Sunday Mass in English and Spanish, the seven sacraments, religious education from pre-kindergarten through high school, an Adoration Chapel, the OCIA journey for adults entering the Church, and a deep devotion to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the parish's patroness.
Mass in English and Spanish
Weekend Masses are celebrated Saturday at 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM, with the 6:00 PM Mass held in Spanish, and on Sunday morning at 7:30, 9:00, and 11:00 AM. A weekday Mass is offered Monday through Saturday at 8:30 AM. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard Tuesday at 12:00 noon and Saturday from 9:00 to 9:45 AM, with additional appointments available through the parish office. Anointing of the Sick is offered before weekend Masses or by appointment, and in emergencies the parish office responds at any hour. Sunday Mass, homilies, and Father Tom's daily reflections are livestreamed and archived on the parish's YouTube channel.
The Seven Sacraments
St. Theresa prepares parishioners for each of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. Infant baptism is scheduled through the parish office, while older children and adults enter the waters through the OCIA process. First Communion is prepared within the Sunday children's program and through OCIA. Confirmation is a two-year course built into the Sunday formation curriculum and is celebrated by the bishop of the Diocese of Orlando. First Reconciliation accompanies First Communion preparation. Couples preparing for marriage are asked to meet with Father Tom six to nine months in advance. Discernment for priesthood or consecrated life is supported in coordination with the Diocese of Orlando, and Anointing of the Sick is available for anyone facing illness or surgery, often within Mass.
The 365-Day Soup Kitchen, Food Pantry, Thrift Shop, and Benevolence
The parish outreach was formalized in 1983 as St. Theresa's Social Service Ministry and now partners with the Belleview Mayor's Office and other area agencies to form the largest agency in the Belleview Safety Net Alliance. The parish describes it this way: "St. Theresa's Social Service Ministry... We work with individuals regardless of their faith, race, or situation in life."
The Soup Kitchen feeds everyone who comes through the door, every day of the year, between 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM. Weekday meals include up to four courses, with lighter fare on weekends, and holiday meals are shared with parishioners through the year. The Food Pantry distributes groceries to Florida residents who register with a photo ID, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to noon. The parish Thrift Shop, located behind the parish office, is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM and accepts donations weekdays from 9:00 AM to noon; all proceeds fund parish ministries. Benevolence provides utility payments, rent help, emergency short-term motel stays, employment assistance, and other aid as funds allow. For all four programs, donations and direct inquiries go through (352) 245-1359, while the Thrift Shop can also be reached at (352) 245-0650.
Faith Formation from Pre-Kindergarten Through High School
Faith Formation at St. Theresa serves every age. Children's Faith Formation gathers pre-kindergarten through eighth graders on Sundays from 10:15 to 11:15 AM in the parish classrooms, where catechists help children grow in Catholic teaching and prepare for Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. Registration runs $25 per child with $10 for each additional child. Youth Ministry welcomes ninth through twelfth graders on Sundays from 3:00 to 5:00 PM in the Youth House, where teens gather for fellowship and explore the daily Mass liturgy. Adult Faith Formation centers on small groups that meet outside Mass for prayer, study, and mutual encouragement, with Father Tom writing that "God uses people to form people. That is why what happens between you and another person is never merely human-to-human interaction." Becoming Catholic (OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation) welcomes inquirers through free weekly classes, sponsor companionship, and a journey that culminates in the sacraments of initiation.
Music, Adoration, and Ministerio Hispano
The Music and Liturgical Coordinator, Christina Santiago, leads a ministry open to singers and instrumentalists at any skill level. Rehearsals and liturgies run year round, with seasonal "snowbird" musicians welcome, and no fees, materials, or required garments for participation. All members complete a background check and pastoral fingerprinting. The parish puts it this way: "We come together to serve the Lord - not to be served. We stand in contrast to the secular world around us, by boldly pointing to God and glorifying him."
The Adoration Chapel offers quiet time before the Blessed Sacrament, and Father Tom writes that "Spending an hour or more in the Adoration Chapel can be quite daunting. We know it is a good idea, beneficial and fruitful, but we doubt that we have the right stuff to do it." A booklet prepared by the pastor helps visitors settle into prayer, and regular weekly time slots can be arranged through the parish office.
Ministerio Hispano coordinates sacramental preparation for Spanish-speaking families through the same Religious Education program, with registration forms available in English and Spanish for Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation.
Legion of Mary, Ladies Guild, Bereavement, and GriefShare
The lay apostolates carry much of parish life at St. Theresa. The Legion of Mary meets Fridays at 1:15 PM in the Youth House for prayer, planning, and two hours of paired apostolic work each week, ranging from door-to-door evangelization and home visits to Pilgrim Virgin Statue rotations, religious education, and visits to the newly baptized. The parish calls it "the largest apostolic organization of lay people in the Catholic Church." The St. Theresa Ladies Guild meets on the second Monday of each month from September through May at 6:00 PM in the Parish Hall, supporting Catholic women in spirituality, leadership, and service.
The Bereavement Ministry coordinates funeral liturgy planning, post-funeral receptions, and a six-week grief support program offered twice a year. GriefShare, part of a national network, gathers on Wednesdays at 2:00 PM in the Main Parish Office building. The Liturgy team also includes Sacristans, Altar Servers, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Extraordinary Ministers of the Sick, and Hospitality (Greeters and Ushers), all working under the parish motto "We Are a Family Founded in Christ, Commissioned, Nourished, and Strengthened as Sacramental People Serving in Faith, Living in Hope and Love."
Roses from Heaven and the Story of St. Thérèse
The Roses from Heaven parish gift shop opens around Mass times on Saturdays and Sundays and on weekdays by request through the Parish Office. The shop carries crosses, crucifixes, rosaries and rosary cases, statues, Bibles, prayer books and missals, jewelry, ornaments, greeting cards, baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation items, holy water bottles, and Spanish-language books and holy cards, with seasonal stock for Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. The shop accepts Visa, MasterCard, and Discover and welcomes volunteers who complete diocesan fingerprinting.
The name of the parish honors St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the French Carmelite nun whose autobiography "Story of a Soul" became a religious best-seller of the twentieth century. Father Tom writes that the parish carries "an undying devotion to our wonderful patroness, St. Theresa (Therese in French). We strive to live out her axiom 'Simple acts of kindness done with great love.'" The Welcome Home Ministry carries that spirit forward with greeters, a Sunday morning welcome desk, and a new parishioner welcome lunch whose mission is to make St. Theresa "a Place of Joy."
Pastor Father Tom Connery and the Parish Team
Father Tom Connery serves as pastor, joined by Father Jim Torpey in retirement as an associate priest. Christina Santiago coordinates Music and Liturgy, Blair W. Learn directs OCIA, RCIA, and Alpha, and Michael Travaglini directs Social Services, the pastoral outreach that anchors so much of parish identity. Supporting roles include two Lead Sacristans, an Assistant to the Pastor, a Communications Coordinator, a Parish Administrator, a Receptionist, a Bookkeeper, and the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry Manager, along with thrift shop and maintenance staff.
Staying Connected
Parishioners and visitors can subscribe through Flocknote to receive parish-wide texts, emails, or phone calls, including Father Tom's daily reflection videos and "It Takes Two" daily writings. Online giving is available through the parish's MyVanco portal, and the annual Our Catholic Appeal supports the Diocese of Orlando's wider mission. The parish maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where Mass recordings, homilies, daily reflections, and the "Going Deeper into the Sunday Gospel" video series are kept. A 24-hour Prayer Hotline is available at (352) 496-1569.