A New Alumna Looks Back at Her Time at the College and Ahead to Her Future

Note: The following essay is adapted from comments made to the Thomas Aquinas College Board of Governors at its May 11, 2012, meeting.

I am so delighted to have this opportunity to extend my thanks to you. I am delighted, too, that I have the opportunity to do so in the form of a story. I love a good story, and I may be partial, but I think this is a very good story, indeed.

The short version of the story is this: Thomas Aquinas College turned my life on its head.

Dear Friends,

Last week, at the invitation of His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, I had the honor to take part in the Ecclesia in America Congress at the Vatican in Rome. Coming as it did at the beginning of the Year of Faith, this experience was a great grace for me and for the College.

Thomas Aquinas College has received a grant of $3.2 million from the Fritz B. Burns Foundation of Los Angeles for the construction of a new classroom building on its campus located in the foothills of the Topatopa mountains in Ventura County. The new building — the thirteenth constructed since the College acquired the undeveloped site in the 1970s — will nearly complete the academic quadrangle, which is anchored by Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel.

Giving Rate More than Quadruple National Average,
Reflects Alumni Satisfaction

“It’s not hard to get our graduates to contribute to the College,” says Director of Alumni Relations Mark Kretschmer. “I just send them an e-mail, reminding them how important their donations are to the College’s future. Then the gifts start rolling in.”

On November 30, 2012, the Thomas Aquinas College Choir presented its annual Advent Concert in St. Joseph Commons, performing Bach’s Mass in B Minor. The following video features the Sanctus.

Loyal benefactors of Thomas Aquinas College, Barbara and Terrence Caster of San Diego, Calif., are marking their 35th anniversary as members of the President’s Council. Mr. and Mrs. Caster are the owners of A-1 Self Storage, one of California’s oldest self-storage companies, boasting 42 locations throughout the state.

An interview with the Most Rev. Liam Cary, Bishop of Baker (Ore.)

On Convocation Day (August 21, 2012), the Most Rev. Liam Cary, Bishop of Baker (Ore.) served as the principal celebrant at the Mass of the Holy Spirit and the speaker at the Matriculation Ceremony.

Q: You were ordained a bishop just this past May. What was your reaction to the news of your appointment?

“The ‘door of faith’ (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the Word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime.”

— Porta Fidei
Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI

Advent, 2012