College Hosts Seminar on Religious Freedom at Legatus Summit

Some 32 Catholic executives and their spouses, from across the United States, gathered at the recent Legatus Summit in Naples, Florida, for “On Human Dignity & Religious Freedom,” a seminar hosted by Thomas Aquinas College.

“We have been offering a number of these seminars in recent years as a way to give Catholic leaders a taste of the College’s unique program of liberal education,” says Director of Development Robert Bagdazian “Participants sit around a table and, like our students at the College, work together to derive the meaning and implications of key works of the Western tradition.”

At the Summit, members of the international organization of Catholic business executives considered questions of religious liberty and freedom of conscience, guided by the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religious Freedom, Dignitatis Humanae. Leading the conversation were the College’s president, Dr. Michael F. McLean, and its vice president for development, Dr. Paul J. O’Reilly. Together, the two have spent more than 50 years conducting seminars at Thomas Aquinas College, where classes are taught via the Discussion Method and never exceed 20 students. The College’s curriculum consists exclusively of the great books of Western civilization, including various Church documents and encyclicals.

“It was great to introduce so many of my fellow Legates to the heart of what we do at Thomas Aquinas College,” says Dr. McLean. “They seemed to enjoy taking an active role in the process, and they brought many good insights to the conversation. We look forward to many more such events in the future.”