Students sing, pray, and celebrate at the news of Pope Francis’ election:

Related:

• Slideshow: Greeting Pope Francis
• College Welcomes Pope Francis

News of the white smoke above St. Peter’s first reached campus at around 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, and the bells in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel began ringing shortly thereafter. Immediately, some students rushed to St. Ignatius of Loyola Hall — fittingly, it would turn out, given the election of the first Jesuit pope — while others went to Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel for the mid-morning Mass. In the Chapel, they prayed for the new Holy Father, and in Loyola Hall, they watched for him.

Welcoming the election of His Holiness Pope Francis, Thomas Aquinas College President Michael F. McLean offered the following statement:

“The Thomas Aquinas College community rejoices at the election of Pope Francis, and we pledge our fidelity to the new Vicar of Christ and head of the Roman Catholic Church. We join with our fellow Catholics around the world in offering prayers of thanksgiving for our new Holy Father and in asking God to pour forth His graces and blessings upon Pope Francis as he begins his pontificate.”

Viva Il Papa!

Each year, starting in the fall and continuing well into the spring, the seniors of Thomas Aquinas College labor to create what will be the culmination of their four years of academic efforts — the senior thesis. Based on a subject of each student’s own choosing, and drawing from the College’s classical curriculum, the thesis represents its author’s effort to apply his or her education to a matter of scholarly and personal importance.

Thomas Aquinas College tutor Elizabeth Reyes — that is, Dr. Elizabeth Reyes — has successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, with honors, at the Braniff Graduate School’s Institute of Philosophic Studies at the University of Dallas. In addition to being a member of the Thomas Aquinas College faculty, Dr. Reyes is also an alumna, having graduated from the College in 2003.

The women of Thomas Aquinas College met on the campus fields Saturday morning for the annual “Powder Puff Bowl” — a friendly game of flag football, with their male classmates serving as coaches and referees. The two squads — Team Swagg (underclassmen) and the Furies (upperclassmen) — played a spirited match. The Furies won, however, in a 14-0 shut-out on touchdowns from Abby Retallick (’14) and Jane Grimm (’13), both capped off with extra points by Aileen McCarthy (’14). Afterward the teams and spectators joined together for a celebratory barbeque lunch.

Please join the College in praying the following novena, authored by Chaplain Rev. Cornelius M. Buckley, S.J., for our cardinals as they prepare to elect a new Holy Father. The novena will begin on Monday, March 4 and run through Tuesday, March 12:

“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. To you I will give the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.”

The 2013 Presidents’ Day Lecture

By Dr. Jeffrey Tulis
February 22, 2013

The following is footage from Act V, Scene 1, of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which the St. Genesius Players of Thomas Aquinas College performed on February 16, 2013:

Related — Photographic Slideshow: