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FIRST ALUMNUS PRESIDENT!
Dr. Paul J. O’Reilly (’84) Named Next President of Thomas Aquinas College
In a unanimous vote, the Board of Governors has appointed Dr. Paul J. O’Reilly (’84) as the next president of Thomas Aquinas College — the first alumnus to hold that position in the school’s 50-year history.
“We selected Paul to lead the many constituencies of the College due to his vision, enthusiasm, and experience,” says Scott Turicchi, chairman of the Board of Governors. “Given his varied talents and my interaction with him over many years, I have the utmost confidence in his ability to guide the College, and I look forward to collaborating with him.”
A 30-year member of the teaching faculty and the current vice president for advancement, Dr. O’Reilly first came to the College in 1980, shortly after his family fled to North America to escape the Troubles in Northern Ireland. “Thomas Aquinas College taught me the importance of clear thinking, confident reasoning, and commitment to truth,” he reflects. “Life in the TAC community also showed me the importance of a structured and principled way of living.”
Although he expected to pursue a career in business, the College’s program of Catholic liberal education drew him in a different direction. Within one year of his graduation, Dr. O’Reilly married classmate Peggy (Steichen ’84) and moved to Quebec, where he earned master’s and doctoral degrees in philosophy at the Université Laval. He then taught for two years at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, before returning to Thomas Aquinas College as a member of the teaching faculty in 1989.
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Dr. Paul J. O’Reilly (’84) |
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ONE YEAR LATER
College Celebrates Commencement for Class of 2020
When the coronavirus forced members of the Thomas Aquinas College Class of 2020 to return home early last year, just weeks shy of their canceled Commencement, they were given a choice: How — and when — would they like to celebrate their graduation?
There was little dispute. Having finished their studies remotely, the seniors were adamant that they did not want a ceremony mediated through screens. They would wait as long as necessary to celebrate in person. Unable to end their Senior Year together, they would not graduate apart.
And so, some 14 months after their premature departure from the California campus, members of the Class of 2020 returned last Saturday for a Commencement that was only made all the sweeter for its delay. The Most Rev. Michael C. Barber, S.J., Bishop of Oakland, presided over a Baccalaureate Mass and a graduation ceremony marked by the joy of once more being together — and gratitude to God for His mercies. Several members, newly wed, processed onto the quadrangle alongside their classmates-turned-spouses. A few collected diplomas with newborns in arms.
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BICOASTAL PROVIDENCE
Alumni Couple Becomes First to Wed in New England Chapel
There was much joy and celebration on the campus of Thomas Aquinas College, New England, on May 29, as Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel hosted its first wedding.
Standing before the Chapel’s recently completed sanctuary, with Chaplain Rev. Greg Markey officiating, Kathleen (Doran) and Thomas Moore (both ’19) were united in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. The newlyweds — both graduates of the College’s California campus and employees at its New England counterpart — are the first to marry in the erstwhile Sage Chapel since the College acquired the Massachusetts campus and transformed the building for Catholic worship.
The couple’s story is a bicoastal tale of God’s providence. It begins seven years ago, when the two attended the College’s High School Summer Program, but never met. It then continues for the four years that, as classmates in a class of only 83 graduates, they were never more than casual acquaintances.
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Kathleen (Doran) and Thomas Moore (both ’19) |
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FAITH IN ACTION
Celebrating the Ordination of the 75th, 76th, and 77th Alumni Priests!
• On May 29, the Most Rev. Mitchell Rozanski, Archbishop of St. Louis, ordained Rev. Ryan Truss (’16) to the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ — making him Thomas Aquinas College’s 75th alumnus priest. “It was a great honor to be present and vest Fr. Ryan in the priestly robe, the chasuble, just after receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders,” says the College’s head chaplain, Rev. Paul Raftery, O.P. “The Church has another great young priest in Fr. Ryan, and he does all of us at the College proud. Still, we cannot neglect to pray for him and all our priests that they be faithful to the end, usque ad mortem.”
• Just two days after his June 5 ordination at the hands of the Most Rev. José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, Rev. Michael Masteller (’13) returned to TAC’s California campus to offer Mass in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. “As Christians, we must experience that encouragement that God always wants to give us,” said Fr. Masteller in his homily. “What a great gift that we can give to the world, as Christians, to be a light, to be a source of encouragement and hope.” For his first assignment, Fr. Masteller — the College’s first alumnus ordained for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles — will serve the faithful at St. Helen Catholic Church in South Gate.
• The Most Rev. Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, ordained Rev. John Winkowitsch, O.P. (’04) on Saturday, June 5, at St. Dominic Church. The new priest is one of 11 alumni members of the Dominican Friars of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, and the fifth ordained to the priesthood. “It was very moving to witness his joy on the day of his ordination,” says tutor Dr. Brian Kelly (’88), who served as Fr. John’s godfather when the new priest entered the Church as a TAC freshman 20 years ago. “He will be a great blessing for the Dominicans and for the Church.”
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Rev. Ryan Truss (’16)
Rev. Michael Masteller (’13)
Rev. John Winkowitsch, O.P. (’04) |
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“GRACIOUS AND TRULY BEAUTIFUL”
Reflections on TAC, New England, from an Early California Graduate
A member of the College’s seventh graduating class, Anne S. Forsyth (’81) has had a lifelong relationship with Thomas Aquinas College.
In the late 1960s, her parents, John and Jane Schaeffer, became supporters of the College even before it opened its doors. She would attend and graduate as a member of its sixth class, with her five sisters soon following suit. Mrs. Forsyth returned in 2000 and served as assistant to the president and then also as director of college relations from 2003 until last year, when she was appointed director of special projects.
Working on a video to commemorate the College’s upcoming 50th Anniversary, Mrs. Forsyth recently traveled to the newly acquired New England campus for the first time. “It is both gracious and truly beautiful,” she says. “As different as the two campuses appear to be, I felt completely at home at Northfield. The reason is that together our pioneering students and tutors — with their families — have successfully established a second TAC, in a very short time, with all of the essentials in place: the academic program, the spiritual life, and the community life.”
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Anne S. Forsyth (’81)
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