• In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges and Pope Francis’s second encyclical, Laudato Si’, some Catholics have complained that the Holy Father has spent too much time talking about the environment, and not enough about the sanctity of marriage. Dr. John Finley (’99), however, suggests another perspective. In Catholic World Report, the alumnus and former tutor offers “three reasons why Catholics should take seriously the encyclical’s subject matter, precisely in view of the Supreme Court’s decision.” Read more.

• “I was in my dress and getting ready to leave,” recalls Lane (Smith ’04) Scott, describing that woeful day in 2011 when she almost got her Ph.D. After spending three years completing her coursework and another four writing a dissertation, she learned that her dissertation had been rejected, and she would have to write an entirely new one. Over time, however, she has come to regard that dreaded moment as a blessing. The ordeal of writing a second dissertation was good preparation for the life she leads today — as a scholar, a pundit, a rancher, a wife, and a Catholic homeschooling mother. Read more.

• When alumnus Jared Kuebler (’03) joined the Thomas Aquinas College teaching faculty in 2011, he had already completed his doctoral studies (theology, Ave Maria University), but not his dissertation. He therefore spent most of his vacation and free time over the last few years completing this requirement — a challenging task for a full-time college instructor and father of six. His diligence, however, has paid off and, as a result, he has earned the title of doctor. In June Dr. Kuebler traveled back to Ave Maria and successfully defended his dissertation, “Created and Uncreated Duration: Time and Eternity in St. Thomas Aquinas.” Read more.

The Faith in Action Blog

GOOD FOR STUDENTS & SCHOOLS
The Case for Catholic Liberal Education

In a recent address to the Catholic Professional & Business Group of Reno, Nevada, Thomas Aquinas College President Michael F. McLean presented an address entitled The Case for a Catholic Liberal Education in the 21st Century. Discussing the College’s educational program, the moral life of its students, and its community of faith, he detailed its success in encouraging priestly/religious vocations and in preparing students for the secular workplace.
 
“Income and employment levels, as well as the testimony of employers, provide strong evidence for the worth of a broad and well organized education which is not necessarily directed to a specific vocation or profession,” Dr. McLean said. Yet even more importantly, he continued, “Catholic liberal education puts young people on a path which, if they follow it faithfully, will one day lead to their joining the angels and the saints in heaven, which, after all, is the real purpose of our lives here on earth.”
 
Relatedly, the Cardinal Newman Society has issued a new white paper which concludes that Catholic identity — that is, a robust embrace of the Faith — is key to the success of Catholic liberal arts colleges and universities. Citing Thomas Aquinas College as an example, author Adam Wilson observes that “some faithful Catholic institutions are successfully leveraging their faithful Catholic identities to attract students, inviting emulation both as models of success and as witnesses to the Faith.”

Full Story: Dr. McLean’s Address 
Full Story: Cardinal Newman White Paper