Lent, 2016

Dear Friend,

Lent is a time of waiting and a time of preparation. For us at Thomas Aquinas College, this year it is doubly so.

At the end of this month, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral arguments in our case against the HHS Mandate. The Mandate requires organizations either to offer contraception, sterilization, and abortifacient drugs as part of their employee health plans — or to cooperate with the government in doing so.

A recent story in the Santa Barbara News-Press highlights Thomas Aquinas College’s challenge of the HHS Contraceptive Mandate, which is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Day of Prayer and Fasting
for Success of Oral Argument
before U.S. Supreme Court
March 23, 2016

The above video, which aired live on EWTN on January 23, comes from this year’s Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco. It features three of the more than 200 Thomas Aquinas College students who attended this year’s Walk — Jessica Pipes (’16), Emily Sanchez (’17), and Kevin Eubanks (’18) — who discuss their commitment to the pro-life cause and its connection to the College’s motto, Truth Matters.

Thomas Aquinas College’s newly appointed regional auxiliary bishop, His Excellency Robert Barron, paid an informal visit to its Santa Paula campus this past Monday evening. Coming at the invitation of a member of the student body, the Bishop took time to get to know students personally, offering them encouragement and spiritual fortification.

Audio:

In late May the editors of First Things magazine will hold an “intellectual retreat” in Los Angeles, at which members of the Thomas Aquinas College faculty will conduct seminar discussions on a poignant and timely topic, The Search for Happiness.

“The community of Thomas Aquinas College is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia. A faithful Catholic, a true patriot, and a brilliant jurist, Justice Scalia will long be remembered for his fidelity to the Constitution of the United States. His passing today is an enormous loss for our country.

Below are photos from this afternoon’s Ash Wednesday Mass in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. This evening, the College will offer a Mass and Divine Mercy service beginning at 5:00 p.m.

This past weekend some 30 Thomas Aquinas College students enjoyed an educational tour of one of Los Angeles’ finest art museums, thanks to the generosity of College Governor Maria O. Grant.