A birthday party complete with cake and balloons is among the activities planned for the 50th anniversary of the St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Catholic Student Center.

St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 2210 Lincoln Way, sits across from the Memorial Union and serves a large portion of Iowa State’s Catholic students and faculty. The church’s congregation will begin a year of activities to celebrate the golden anniversary during the weekend of April 12.

The church was incorporated on April 13, 1947 and founded by Monsignor James Supple.

The year will kick off with special masses and a birthday reception held on April 12-13.

On April 15, a ceremony will take place to announce the establishment of the James Supple Catholic Chair at Iowa State. Kay Zytowski, publicity coordinator for the anniversary celebration, said $1 million was raised to endow the Supple Chair to study Catholic theology at ISU.

The position is named for James Supple, the first priest of St. Thomas, who is now the pastor emeritus. “He is still very, very active,” Zytowski said.

A speech will also be included in the ceremony. Ken Woodward, who is the religion editor of Newsweek magazine, will speak in the Memorial Union at 8 p.m. Tuesday about religion at the university level.

Other speakers and presentations are planned throughout the year, along with a picnic and a hymn-singing festival, Zytowski said.

Activities are planned to include alumni during next fall’s Homecoming weekend. A dinner and dance will be held, along with a ground-breaking ceremony for an extension to the student center and renovations to the church, Zytowski said.

More space for students and related activities and some offices will be included in the center’s expansion. “Plans are not finalized yet but we’re getting really close,” she said.

A $5.6 million fund-raising campaign is almost complete. The start date for construction is not set yet, but it will be as soon as bids are taken and awarded to contractors, Zytowski said.

Two community service projects are planned for later in the year.

Saturday workdays will be held in September and October during which volunteers can donate time to Habitat for Humanity. In December, projects will be completed to support the parish’s sister parish in El Salvador.

The celebration will end with a closing liturgy next April.