Current Students

A group of Thomas Aquinas College students explored the natural beauty surrounding campus this past weekend with a backpacking trip to Topatopa Bluff (alt. 6,367 ft.). The College’s head chaplain, Rev. Paul Raftery, O.P., led the effort, and offered Mass for the students at the peak. Photos are available below:

On September 15, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, a group of students conducted a Rosary procession around the campus. The group began outside St. Joseph Commons and walked down to the Lourdes Grotto on the lower campus, which was mercifully spared during the Thomas Fire, despite extensive damage to the surrounding area.

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On Friday night the College hosted the inaugural concert of this year’s St. Vincent DePaul Lecture and Concert Series — for the first time in the newly dedicated St. Cecilia Lecture and Concert Hall. The Santa Barbara String Quartet performed music by Bach, Corelli, and Mozart.

Following last week’s Senior-Freshman beach day and dance, the juniors took their turn welcoming members of the Class of 2022 on Saturday night with a dance of their own. The event had a “Winne the Pooh” theme and began with a home-made movie before swing-dancing and refreshments:

Next up: The Senior Welcoming Dance!

For nearly 40 years, Thomas Aquinas College has operated on a 131-acre property in Santa Paula, California. By God’s grace, the size of that property has now expanded more than six-fold.

At the end of August, College officials acquired more than 700 acres of surrounding open space. The acquisition substantially re-assembles the historic Ferndale Ranch along Santa Paula Creek, 131 acres of which were first deeded to the College in 1975.

Each fall the sophomores, juniors, and seniors take turns hosting welcome events for the new Freshman Class. This past weekend, it was the seniors’ turn. The day began with a joint trip to the beach:

Then, that evening, the seniors held a welcome dance, complete with the limbo, on the campus basketball courts:

Last Saturday members of the College community gathered for the annual All-College Picnic:

The afternoon began with an inter-class tug-of-war, which the freshmen won handily. Then came a refreshing dive on a make-shift slip-n-slide, followed by the picnic itself — a chance for upperclassmen to reconnect after the summer and to get to know members of the Freshman Class.

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by the Most Rev. José H. Gomez
Archbishop of Los Angeles
Homily from Votive Mass of St. Cecilia (transcript)
Dedication of St. Cecilia Hall
August 27, 2018