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VIA Dolorosa
College Dedicates New Stations of the Cross
On Friday, March 7, some 200 students, members of the faculty and Board of Governors, and friends of Thomas Aquinas College gathered to pray the Stations of the Cross at the campus’s newly installed Via Dolorosa — a gift of College Governor Robert Barbera. The occasion was, at once, somber and joyful. Sorrowfully, the group contemplated the sufferings of Christ while, at the same time, delighting in the beauty of the College’s newest devotional treasure.
As Head Chaplain Rev. Joseph Illo guided the procession, he stopped to bless each Station before leading the worshippers in prayer. Surrounded by oak trees and redwoods, the group contemplated the 14 scenes from Our Lords’ Passion and death. “To walk along and meditate upon these Stations is a profoundly moving experience,” said President Michael F. McLean.
Following the ceremony, the community retired to St. Joseph Commons for a celebratory dinner. There, even though it was a Friday in Lent, all enjoyed a pasta dinner with meat, as March 7 is a Solemnity on campus, commemorating the Dedication of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel in 2009. Dr. McLean thanked Mr. Barbera for his extraordinary generosity and presented him with a framed photo of the new Via Dolorosa, signed by the College’s students. The Stations, said Dr. McLean, “will be an inspiration to generations of friends, faculty, and students of Thomas Aquinas College — indeed, to all who wish to heed Our Lord’s admonition to take up your cross and follow Me.”
Full story and slideshow 
Pray the Stations
A Lenten Message from Dr. McLean
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COMMENCEMENT 2014
Edwin Cardinal O’Brien to Serve as Speaker
His Eminence Edwin Cardinal O’Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, has accepted President Michael F. McLean’s invitation to serve as Thomas Aquinas College’s 2014 Commencement Speaker. The former Archbishop of Baltimore and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Cardinal O’Brien will travel from Rome to the College’s California campus to participate in the May 17 graduation ceremony. He will also serve as the principal celebrant and homilist at that morning’s Baccalaureate Mass, and he will be awarded the College’s highest honor, the Saint Thomas Aquinas Medallion.
“Throughout his nearly five decades of ministry, Cardinal O’Brien has done whatever the Church has asked of him, whether that was jumping from airplanes, administering sacraments to soldiers on the battlefield, or tending to the spiritual needs of Christians in the Holy Land,” says Dr. McLean. “It will be an honor to welcome him to our campus, to benefit from his words of wisdom, and to recognize his life of faithful service to Christ and His Church.
Full story
Commencement Information and Schedule
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“DON’T JUST KEEP THE FAITH”
A Homily by Head Chaplain Rev. Joseph Illo
“I am privileged to work in a College that was founded to prepare Catholics to bring the light of Christ’s truth into the secular world. Here at Thomas Aquinas College we dedicate four years to the epic task of assimilating the greatest thought of western culture. We must be aware of the danger, however, that after these four years we will fail to launch out after graduation. TAC is the beginning of our evangelical mission, not the end. We educate ourselves in order to bring those eternal truths beyond the College, beyond our families and friends, into the public square.
“The world’s salvation depends upon the witness of Christians like us.... Our College has provided the world with hundreds of Catholic witnesses who preserve the good and change the bad in the realms of business, politics, education, and the arts. Emulate them! Prepare for your own launching by studying the truth diligently now, so that you can liberally shine Christ’s truth into your own spheres of influence after graduation.”
Full homily
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CAREER FORUM 2014
Catholic Professionals Offer Students Advice & Guidance
“All of you have been the recipients of a great gift, this remarkable education. But with any great gift goes the burden,” said Rob Neal, president of Hager Pacific Properties, to some 65 Thomas Aquinas College students at a Career Forum on Sunday in St. Bernardine of Siena Library. “It’s going to be incumbent upon you to make your way out there and to share these gifts with others.”
How those students will make their way — and share their gifts — was the subject of the on-campus forum, sponsored by the College’s Office of Career Advisement. Joining Mr. Neal on the dais was his wife, Berni, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and member of the College’s Board of Governors; the Board’s Vice Chairman, Scott Turicchi, president of j2 Global, Inc.; and his wife, Lannette, president of Falling Upward Productions.
The Career Forum was one of several such events the Office of Career Advisement has planned for this year, including a Career Strategies Workshop on résumé writing and interview preparation.
Full story and slideshow
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HONORS & COMMENDATIONS
City, Kiplinger Honor College for Academic Excellence and Value
At a February meeting of the Santa Paula, Calif., City Council, Mayor Richard C. Cook issued a proclamation honoring Thomas Aquinas College. In recognition of the College’s being named to the Princeton Review’s list of 75 Best Value private institutions, the proclamation praised the College for “providing outstanding academics to the Santa Paula community and affordability to students with need.”
Noting that the Princeton’s Review’s “Best Value” colleges “were selected based on criteria such as academic quality, cost, and financial aid,” Mayor Cook’s proclamation commended the College for its “dedication to learning and service to the Santa Paula community.” Thomas Aquinas College, it continued, is “a school environment that is deeply rooted in tradition and … brings together the city of Santa Paula.”
Meanwhile, another college guide, Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine have named Thomas Aquinas College one of the 30 Best College Values in the West/Southwest for 2014, as well as one of the region’s Top 10 liberal arts colleges.
“We are honored by Kiplinger’s recognition of Thomas Aquinas College’s importance to this region,” says Director of Admissions Jon Daly, noting that the College also attracts a good many students from beyond the west and southwest. “More than half of our students hail from east of the Rocky Mountains, and our student body includes residents of 37 states and 5 countries.” In November Kiplinger ranked the College number 41 out of just 100 “Best Private Colleges” in the United States, placing it among the “Top 10 Best Values in Private Colleges Under $20K” (net).
Full story: Santa Paula commendation
Full story: Kiplinger Ranking
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