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About
Fidelity & ExcellenceThomas Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
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A Liberating Education
Truth MattersTruth, and nothing less, sets men free; and because truth is both natural and supernatural, the College’s curriculum aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
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A Catholic Life
Under the Light of FaithThe intellectual tradition and moral teachings of the Catholic Church infuse the whole life of Thomas Aquinas College, illuminating the curriculum and the community alike.
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Is TAC Right for You?Do you enjoy grappling with complex questions? Are you willing to engage in discussions about difficult concepts, with the truth as your ultimate goal?
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Students & Parents
Mind, Body & SpiritThere is always something to do at TAC — something worthwhile, something fulfilling, and something geared toward ever-greater spiritual and intellectual growth.
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Alumni & Careers
What Can You Do with a Liberal Education?Nothing speaks more to the versatility of the College’s academic program than the good that our alumni are doing throughout the Church and the world.
Alumni Honor Fr. Buckley at East Coast Dinner
At their annual East Coast dinner last weekend, alumni of Thomas Aquinas College took time to honor a beloved College chaplain, Rev. Cornelius M. Buckley, S.J., who recently celebrated his 90th birthday.
“Fr. Buckley has had a long and distinguished career as a priest of the Society of Jesus,” said President Michael F. McLean, who traveled to Annandale, Virginia, for the occasion. “He has been an academic, an author, and an administrator. He has been a friend, a mentor, and a confessor to me and to many others in his years at the College and, before that, at the University of Santa Clara, Gonzaga University, and the University of San Francisco. He is a champion of orthodoxy, completely loyal to the Church and the very best in the Jesuit tradition. He is a wonderful homilist, a counselor to the students with a deft pastoral touch.”
The gathering, which took place at St. Michael Parish School, featured a barbequed dinner and a raffle to benefit the College (won by Louisa Scamperle ’12). The highlight of the evening, however, came when Fr. Buckley took to the lectern to offer alumni a sampling of his customary charm, pastoral wisdom, and mischievous wit. In his remarks, he shared jokes and anecdotes from his time at the College, before exhorting alumni to make the whole of their lives into a prayer. “Offer all your thoughts, all your desires, everything you do during the day to the Lord, asking him for the ability to do His will — not your will, but His will,” he said. “That, it seems to me, is the essence of prayer.”
Additionally, Fr. Buckley reflected on the significance of the last 12 years, which he has spent at the College. “For me the greatest grace that I have received in my life as a priest, or even before that, is being at Thomas Aquinas College,” he said. “So thanks to you, and thanks for the other people at the College, the alumni especially, for all that you have done for me. Hopefully I can return that by remembering each of you as individuals and also collectively in my daily Masses and prayers.”
