The Reverend Carole Horton-Howe, Vicar

Grace, peace, and a warm welcome to you!

 As Vicar of St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church, I am delighted to join everyone here in welcoming you to a church that strives to follow Jesus in “Doing The Loving Thing!”

 Know that you are welcome here just as you are, with your life experiences, questions, and longings to grow closer to God.

 Please let me know if you’d like to meet for coffee and conversation, to share your story, or to ask any questions you might have about our faith community. This is a caring and kind church.

 You matter to God. And you matter to us! We look forward to getting to know you better—and to sharing opportunities to pray, worship, make friends, serve others, and grow.

 I have been Vicar of St. Thomas for three years. Previously I served in the Diocese of Los Angeles as associate rector of St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Whitter and assisting chaplain at The Covington retirement community in Orange County.

I’ve always felt called to the work of justice and peace. Prior to my ordination to the priesthood, I worked as a paralegal in labor and employment law for law firms in Southern California and later as a human resources consultant to owners of small businesses.

 All these experiences were gifts that supported my call to serve God’s people in God’s church.

 I am married to Bob Howe, and we have one dog, Augie the Super Terrier, and are blessed with a host of treasured nieces and nephews. 

 In Christ,

The Reverend Carole Horton-Howe

Vicar, St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church

Takako Gibbs, Business & Accounting Manager

“It is my pleasure to work with the people of St. Thomas and the positive things happening here. I was born and raised in Okinawa, Japan, and graduated from university with a law degree. Later I decided to shift my career to accounting.

 I have more than 20 years of experience in accounting in both Japan and the United States. Additionally I have worked in facility management. I joined the team at St. Thomas in January of 2022.

 My husband recently retired from the Marine Corps, and throughout his military career we moved more than 10 times! We live in Temecula now, and we are grateful to have wonderful children and very happy dogs.

Hillary Ngo, Music Director

Hi, I'm Hillary Ngo, and I am the Music Director here at St. Thomas. I have taught choral and instrumental music at the K-12 level in Orange, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino Counties, and am currently an elementary vocal music teacher in the city of Orange. I currently also sing with VOX Femina Los Angeles, a treble choir that aims to give women a voice and create a world that affirms the worth of every person. I am an active member of the American Choral Director's Association and the National Association for Music Education. 

I have been a staff singer at many different churches across Southern California in the past 8 years, and I truly believe that I have found something special when I found St. Thomas. I am blessed to have found my church "home" and have the privilege of worshipping here every week.