Benefactors

“I ask that you pray that Thomas Aquinas College remain strong and vigorous in carrying out its mission of Catholic liberal education. The task before us is a noble one, and it is worth dedicating ourselves to it with all the energy and determination we have. And no matter how challenging this task may sometimes be, we can take comfort in what Christ Himself tells us when He says, in St. John’s Gospel, ‘If you make my words your home, you will indeed be my disciples; you will learn the truth, and the truth will make you free.’”

When he addressed graduates at Commencement 2001, His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., then the Archbishop of Chicago, presented a concise and inspiring vision for the life of the Christian. “The education you’ve received here at Thomas Aquinas College has begun to set you free,” he began, “to pursue the truth in life, to discern good from evil, to recognize falsehood and destructive ways of living, to live life at the highest level possible: a life lived in communion with God and with all those whom God loves.”

“Let us also pray for the governors, the faculty and staff, the students and families of Thomas Aquinas College, so they continue to grow in knowledge and grace — may the Lord guide their important mission, so that they always give witness to the light which Jesus Christ brought to humanity — with the humbleness and courage of the first Roman martyrs, of Peter and the Apostles, remembering the courageous witness they have left for us.”

After the last vehicle rolls off the Thomas Aquinas College campus following Commencement; when the residence halls, once teeming with students, grow quiet; when silence briefly replaces Socratic discourse in the classroom buildings, it may seem as though the intellectual life of the College has slipped into a summer’s hibernation.

Four members of the Thomas Aquinas College teaching faculty — Dean Brian T. Kelly and tutors Katherine M. Gardner, Jared P. Kuebler, and Paul K. Shields — recently participated in a gathering of theologians at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Conference Center, hosted by the Most Rev. José H. Gomez.

A beloved Thomas Aquinas College chaplain, Rev. Cornelius M. Buckley, S.J., has fallen ill and needs our prayers.

“His doctor seems confident that Father will make a full recovery, but this may take some time,” says Dean Brian T. Kelly. To provide spiritual aid and comfort for a man who has served the College so generously and lovingly, Dr. Kelly urges all friends of the College “to pray for Fr. Buckley, especially during the Triduum and the holy season of Easter.”

On Saturday, March 21, Thomas Aquinas College hosted the annual Legatus-Aquinas Forum with the 2015 theme of “The Wisdom of Genesis.” Some 27 members of the Ventura-North Los Angeles Chapters of Legatus, the international organization of Catholic business executives, participated in the event, which took place on campus.

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