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EVANGELIZING THROUGH SONG
Students Stage “Flash Mob” at Ventura Mall, Sing in Local Tree-Lighting Ceremony
More than 100 Thomas Aquinas College students descended on Ventura’s Pacific Mall last Saturday for a choral “flash mob.”
After stealthily gathering around the mall’s Christmas central lobby — by the Santa Claus photo center and a Nativity display — the students simultaneously burst into song. They began with “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night,” and then concluded with “O Holy Night.” The mall’s surprised customers and employees seemed to delight in the performance, stopping whatever they were doing to take in the music, to sing along, and to cheer wildly afterward.
The previous night, residents of Ventura County gathered outside the Mission San Buenaventura for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, where they were treated to a performance of a new Thomas Aquinas College choral group: a men’s barbershop octet. The group braved the cold and sang “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Go Tell it on the Mountain,” “Silent Night,” “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas,” and “Jingle Bells,” — auguring the arrival of the Christmas season.
Full story & video: “Flash Mob” at Mall 
Full story & video: Barbershop Tree-Lighting
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TRUTH MATTERS
College Unveils New Slogan
“Truth will be the chief object of study as well as the governing principle of the whole institution.”
So reads the founding document of Thomas Aquinas College, A Proposal for the Fulfillment of Catholic Liberal Education, which declares truth to be central to the College’s mission. In the spirit of that document, and in the hope of sharing its promise ever more widely, the College has adopted a new slogan for its advertising and promotional materials: Truth Matters.
“We wanted a concise statement that conveys what makes Thomas Aquinas College unique among American institutions of higher learning, something that reflects both our fidelity to the teaching Church and our commitment to academic excellence through our program of Catholic liberal education,” says President Michael F. McLean. “‘Truth Matters’ does just that.”
In an age characterized by what Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has described as the “dictatorship of relativism,” Thomas Aquinas College stands firm in the conviction that the human mind can come to the truth about reality — about nature, man, and the God who made them. What is more, the College stands firm in the conviction that truth matters. “The truth shall set you free,” Our Lord promises, delivering us from the temporal prisons of sin and error ( Jn. 8:32).
Full story
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LIFE AFTER GRADUATION ...
College Hosts Series of Career Talks
In an effort to assist students in their post-graduation plans, Thomas Aquinas College’s Office of Career Advisement recently hosted a series of professional-development events. “We brought in a number of professionals from throughout Southern California to share their wisdom and experience,” says Director of Student Services Mark Kretschmer. “The idea was to give our students not only a sense of the professional opportunities that are available to them, but also the networking and advice — personal, professional, and spiritual — that will help them in their careers.”
The informal gatherings, which took place over the course of several afternoons this fall, featured several prominent guests from a wide range of fields.
Full story
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VIVA IL PAPA!
Alumna Brings Together 50,000 “Friends of Pope Francis”
On March 13, 2013, the day of His Holiness Pope Francis’ election to the Chair of St. Peter, Megan Baird (’02) launched a Facebook page dedicated to the new Holy Father. “Initially, it was a small project that I wanted to do during Lent in memory of my Mom, who died of cancer in 2007,” explains Miss Baird, an assistant manager for the Fort Worth Library system. “My mom would have LOVED this new Pope.”
Since then, Miss Baird’s online tribute has grown into something much, much larger. In eight months the page has received more than 50,000 “likes” — 50,650 as of this writing.
Full story
Friends of Pope Francis
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PRESENTS OF MIND
Support the College through your Christmas Shopping!
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for a Thomas Aquinas College student, alumnus, friend, or admirer? Visit our online bookstore, where you can find a wide range of College-themed products — from clothing to water bottles, prayer books to pens — as well all of the great books in the College’s classical curriculum.
For anything else, you can support the College through your online purchase at Amazon.com. Just start your online shopping experience by going to the College’s Amazon Gateway page, thomasaquinas.edu/amazon. Amazon, in turn, will pay an average of 7.5% of the purchase price to the College — at no extra cost to you.
The College Bookstore
Thomas Aquinas College Amazon Gateway
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