“SHE HAD THE BIGGEST HEART”
Students Mourn Loss of
Maggie Yanoschik (’23)

At 3:55 p.m. on March 24, the students of Thomas Aquinas College, California, filled Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel to pray the Rosary for sophomore Maggie Yanoschik, who was hospitalized and not expected to live much longer. Less than two hours later, they received word that their friend had gone to her eternal rest.

From the afternoon she had suffered a brain bleed nearly three weeks earlier, until the moment of her death on the eve of the Feast of the Annunciation, Maggie had been lifted up in prayer. Two days earlier, students had kept vigil for her at all-night Adoration. Throughout her hospitalization, she had family praying at her bedside and friends praying at parishes across the country. Her spiritual director, College Chaplain Rev. Paul Raftery, O.P., gave her the Sacrament of Anointing, and he was there with Maggie and her family as she left this world.

In this Year of St. Joseph, patron of a happy death, Maggie was blessed with a very happy death, indeed. She also had a very happy life.

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“NEXT GENERATION OF SAINTS”
Incoming Freshman’s Award-Winning Essay on Faithfully Catholic Education

By Trinity Chester

“Jesus, I trust in You.” I have whispered this prayer countless times throughout the past months. Amidst overturned plans, isolation, uncertainty, and limited access to the Sacraments, a simple act of trust in the Lord often feels nearly impossible. Even before the pandemic began, I knew that I wanted to attend a Catholic college, but the challenges of the past year have left me with the conviction that I could not possibly settle for anything less. I have various reasons for choosing to spend the next four years of my life in an academic community steeped in the rich and beautiful traditions of our faith, but they all boil down to one essential point: Christ is truly present there. And only in Christ’s presence can real peace, joy, and fulfillment be found.

Christ is at the heart of Catholic learning communities around the world. The most important building on a faithful Catholic campus is its chapel, where the Blessed Sacrament is housed. These beautiful churches are the epicenters of campus life, and from them Christ’s presence infuses colleges with a sense of peace and purpose. An education that seeks knowledge of the true, the good, and the beautiful must by definition bring us closer to Christ, who is Truth, Goodness, and Beauty incarnate. The genuine camaraderie found at Catholic colleges arises when people live and work in community with a common purpose—to know, love, and serve the Lord—and it cannot exist without Christ as its foundation.

The events of the past year have taught us that our broken world desperately needs young people with a love for the Lord and a missionary spirit, who will dedicate their lives to service and evangelization. Faithful Catholic colleges equip their students to be missionaries for the faith by carrying Christ with them into the world after graduation. Students joyfully and generously answer God’s call in their lives, whether to the single life, marriage, the priesthood, or religious life. Catholic colleges affirm the universal call to holiness, equipping students with the means to be Christ’s hands and feet and to glorify Him in their work.

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FAITH IN ACTION 
Reflections from the College's Alumni Blog

“HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER”
College Offers Annual Novena of Masses for Mother’s and Father’s Days

Beginning on Mother’s Day (May 9) and Father’s Day (June 20), Thomas Aquinas College’s chaplains will pray for all enrolled mothers and fathers over the course of nine Masses, offered in the College’s chapels. 

Each person enrolled in the Novenas will receive a beautiful, personalized card from the College. Inside, the card informs recipients of their inclusion in the Novena, as well as the names of their sponsors. The cost for each card, which includes shipping and handling, is $5.

More than just a warm greeting, the Novena card brings the promise of nine Holy Masses and the prayers of the students, faculty, chaplains, and staff of Thomas Aquinas College. “This is a wonderful way for our friends to include all their parents, godparents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles in the spiritual life of the College,” says Dr. McLean. “We invite everyone to enroll, and hope all of our friends will join us in our prayers for these devoted loved ones who give so much.”

All Mother’s Day names must be received by May 7; Father’s Day names must be received by June 18.

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