Current Students

By Rev. Joseph Illo
Head Chaplain

Note: Fr. Illo delivered the following remarks at a going-away barbecue held in his honor on May 4, 2014.

Thank you for coming to say goodbye to someone who was with you only briefly. It’s a good reason to have a barbecue — many thanks to the cooks!

On Sunday evening the Thomas Aquinas College community congregated on the picnic area by the basketball courts for a barbeque dinner in honor of Head Chaplain Rev. Joseph Illo, who is departing this summer to found an oratory in San Francisco.

On Wednesday night the College basketball courts hosted the championships games in this year’s interclass basketball tournament. First, in the women’s game, the Seniors bested the Sophomores, 28-24. The Sophomores got revenge in the ensuing men’s game, however, defeating the Seniors 25-22.

Each spring, in the final weeks of the semester, members of the Senior Class team up against the faculty in the annual Senior-Tutor Softball Game. In this year’s contest, which took place on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 30, the tutors bested their students, 12-10.

After the game, the College’s athletic fields became the site of another popular senior tradition — the thesis draft-burning party.

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 education to a matter of scholarly and personal importance.

This past weekend, a group of the College’s Canadian students squared off against their American counterparts for a friendly game of street hockey on the campus tennis courts. Following a prayer and the singing of both countries’ national anthems, the match ensued — a hard-fought battle, with Team Canada eking out a 9-8 victory.

On May 8, the District of Columbia Circuit Court will hear the federal government’s appeal of Thomas Aquinas College’s victory over the HHS Mandate. The government is asking the court to lift the permanent injunction that has thus far shielded the College from the federal policy compelling employers to provide contraceptive, sterilization, and abortifacient coverage in their health plans.

In a longstanding tradition, the younger classes at Thomas Aquinas College take turns each spring bidding farewell to the soon-to-be-departing seniors. This past Sunday the sophomores had their opportunity, preparing and serving an elegant, outdoor brunch for the Class of 2014.

The morning included numerous toasts, both humorous and wistful, as the two classes looked ahead to Commencement and the end of the academic year.

On Friday evening, the Thomas Aquinas College Choir, under the direction of Daniel J. Grimm (’76), performed Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado before a packed audience in St Joseph Commons. The production marked the final event of the 2013-2014 St. Vincent de Paul Lecture and Concert Series.

To celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy, Chaplain Rev. Michael Chabarek, O.P., led a Eucharistic process across the campus after Sunday’s 11:30 a.m. Mass. The procession visited each of the residence halls, where students kneeled, sang hymns, and prayed before the Eucharistic Lord.

Jesus, we trust in you!