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REAL PRESENCE
Blessed Sacrament Reposed for First Time
in New England Chapel
Friends of Thomas Aquinas College from throughout the Northeast gathered in Northfield, Massachusetts, on March 3 for a glorious moment in the history of the newly acquired New England campus: The Blessed Sacrament was reposed — for the very first time — in the campus Chapel. The reservation followed the first regularly scheduled Mass to be offered in the chapel, which, until students arrive in the summer, will host Masses every Saturday.
In his homily, Rev. Thomas Kocik, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, referenced Our Lord’s admonition in the day’s Gospel reading that the blind cannot lead the blind (Luke 6:39-45). “All too many institutions devoted to forming youth have become blind guides,” he said. By contrast, Thomas Aquinas College is a place “where students receive a total intellectual, spiritual, and moral formation through the special intercession of our patron, the Angelic Doctor.”
After Communion, Fr. Kocik reposed the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle, and the sanctuary lamp was lighted, marking the presence of Our Lord. “May Christ, the Light of the of the World,” said Fr. Kocik, “richly bless the work that lies ahead here.”
Full story 
Coverage from the Diocese of Springfield
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Rev. Thomas Kocik reposes the Blessed Sacrament
An impromptu alumnae choir
President Michael F. McLean
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Alumni Day of Giving 2019
Alumni Help to Raise $93,243
On Thursday, March 7, the alumni of Thomas Aquinas College — aided by the generosity of two members of the Board of Governors — helped to raise $93,243 for their alma mater.
The day marked the College’s second annual Alumni Day of Giving, held on the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas. By day’s end, alumni gifts totaled $57,233 — more than double last year’s contributions. Combined with two matching gifts, that amounts to $93,243 in all — a 38 percent increase from 2018, and enough to cover the financial aid need of some seven current students for a year.
“Seeing the alumni come together, as we did Thursday, was inspiring,” says Vice President for Development Paul J. O’Reilly (’84). “We are deeply grateful to all the alumni who gave, as well as to our-matching-gift benefactors who were able to motivate us to even greater generosity.”
Full story
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SENIOR rEFLECTION
National Catholic Register Profiles TAC Senior Jose Guardiola
A brief profile of Jose Guardiola (’19) is included in a recent National Catholic Register story, “Catholic College Students Reflect on Their Years in College.”
In the profile, Mr. Guardiola, of Cuauhtemoc, Chihuahua (Mexico), describes what led him to choose Thomas Aquinas College. “I was looking for a place that offered a rigorous academic education. I wanted a place where I could read a lot, and study philosophy and theology,” he says. “That decision has paid off.”
The senior goes on to describe how, after graduating this spring, he intends to earn a master’s degree in creative writing. In the summer of 2017, Mr. Guardiola was the only undergraduate among just 13 students to participate in a summer writing workshop at the University of Iowa, home of one of the nation’s top-ranked creative-writing programs, led by bestselling novelist Lan Samantha Chang. There he worked on the novel he began during his freshman year, When Venus Passes Through Virgo (“Virgo signifying the Virgin Mary, and Venus, the temptation to turn inwardly”). He also tells about how he came into the Faith — and the effect it has had on his family.
Story in the National Catholic Register
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Jose Guardiola ('19)
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FAITH IN ACTION
Highlights from the College's Alumni Blog
• “It’s really strange to be back here giving a talk,” confessed Dr. Samuel Caughron (’96), who visited the College’s California campus last month. Yet the president and CEO of MAWD Pathology Group, which serves 18 hospitals in the greater Kansas City area, returned to his alma mater because, as he put it, “The world needs more TAC graduates in healthcare.” Dr. Caughron took students’ questions, described what the life of a physician entails, and offered advice on applying to medical school. He also spoke about how his Catholic liberal education informs his work: “I think that an education at Thomas Aquinas College is the best education you can have going into medicine.”
• Sr. Mary Thomas, O.Praem. (Alison Bright ’09) made her Profession of Solemn Vows as a Norbertine Canoness in Tehachapi, California, on February 2, the Solemnity of the Presentation of the Lord. Sr. Mary Thomas, who entered the community on October 7, 2011, is one of three Thomas Aquinas College alumnae at the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph. Since the Holy See’s elevation of the community to an independent canonry within the Norbertine Order in 2011, the monastery has grown substantially, from 20 to over 40 canonesses. Please keep Sr. Mary Thomas and the Norbertines in your prayers!
• For the second year in a row, alumnus attorney David A. Shaneyfelt (’81) has been named one of Southern California’s Super Lawyers — an annual roster of top attorneys within various regions of the United States. “Honestly, recognition like this makes me squirm,” says Mr. Shaneyfelt. “There are so very many TAC attorneys and they are all super in my mind. And because of our formation I think we all share the same passion and the same priorities — faith, family, work, and in that order. In the end, that’s what counts, and I’m sure none of us would be clear on the end if we hadn’t been formed by TAC in the beginning.”
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 Dr. Samuel Caughron ('96)
Sr. Mary Thomas, O. Praem. (Alison Bright '09)
David A. Shaneyfelt ('81) |
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PASTOR TAKES TO THE AIRWAVES
Fr. Illo Speaks on Classical Education,
Thomas Aquinas College
A former Thomas Aquinas College chaplain, Rev. Joseph Illo, recently appeared on Relevant Radio’s “Inner Life” program to speak about a topic he knows well — Catholic liberal education.
Fr. Illo is the pastor of San Francisco’s Star of the Sea Church, which this past fall transitioned its elementary school into the archdiocese’s first classical academy. The switch to classical education, Fr. Illo told Catholic San Francisco, was partially inspired by his two years at the College. “I became impressed by its efficacy in teaching critical-thinking skills,” he said. Last summer most of his school’s faculty came to the College’s California campus for a training workshop with experienced educators — including Thomas Aquinas College alumni — from the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education.
The pastor spoke more about his time at the College when responding to a caller who is the father of three current students. “I think a lot of us that visit Thomas Aquinas College say, ‘Oh, if only I could go to school again. If only I had had this education!’” he began. “Bishops come by to do graduation Masses, and without fail they always say, ‘If only I could have had this education!’ So I think the good news is we can share in that. I mean, you’re a parent, and you probably didn’t get that growing up (or maybe you did), but you’re providing that for your children.”
Full story
Relevant Radio podcast
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Rev. Joseph Illo
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