News

One week after the men of Thomas Aquinas College squared off for the annual Turkey Bowl, the women met on the campus fields Sunday for the “Powder Puff Bowl” — a friendly match of flag football, with male classmates serving as coaches and referees.

The Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski, Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts, recently appeared on WGBY-TV’s Turning Point, alongside Admissions Counselor Patrick Cross (’14) to discuss Thomas Aquinas College’s recently approved plans for a branch campus in his diocese. (See video, above.)

On Saturday, December 1, the students of Thomas Aquinas College transformed St. Joseph Commons into a formal ballroom for the annual Christmas dance:

As is custom at the College, a large portion of the evening was dedicated to student-produced entertainment, with songs, skits, and caroling. There was also a dramatic reading of “The Night Before Christmas” for children of faculty members, followed by a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

The pioneers, or settlers, who will launch Thomas Aquinas College’s New England campus next year gathered on the California campus Monday night for a celebration of their shared venture.

At a dinner in the Dumb Ox Café, President Michael F. McLean thanked the eight tutors, as well as their spouses, who have agreed to serve as the East Coast’s initial teaching faculty. He also saluted some 34 freshmen who have offered to transfer to the branch campus next fall, entering as sophomores what will one day become Thomas Aquinas College, New England’s first graduating class.

At 6:28 p.m., one year ago today, flames erupted just a half mile from the California campus of Thomas Aquinas College. The ensuing inferno, later named the Thomas Fire for its proximity to the campus, would become the most destructive fire in California’s recorded history. Over the course of nearly six weeks, it ravaged more than 280,000 acres, destroying nearly 1,100 structures. Yet by God’s grace, and through the work of U.S.

Please pray for Joe Kern, who for many years served as Thomas Aquinas College’s general counsel, and who has fallen seriously ill. Members of the College’s President’s Council, Mr. Kern and his wife, Lynda, are the parents of four alumni: Hannah (Tulberg ’77), Paul (’80), Mary (Orellana ’82), and Charlie (’85). They are also the grandparents of six alumni: Dorothy (Berndt ’11), Sam (’11), and Henry (’16) Tulberg; and Rafael (’07), Gabriel (’08), Helena (’11), and Regina (’16) Orellana.

Lord, hear our prayer!

On Saturday afternoon some 20 Thomas Aquinas College students gathered at the Ventura Planned Parenthood to sing Christmas Carols, “spreading the joy of Christ,” as senior Rachel Rivera described it, “to those who are blind to the joy of birth.” In an effort to encourage hope, the group, organized by junior Ryan Uchison,

With just two weeks left in the semester, students are getting an early start on Christmas festivities. Earlier this month, the Thomas Aquinas College Choir performed a complete, unabridged production of Handel’s Messiah. Then, on Wednesday evening, students decorated the Ken and Joyce Skinner Coffee Shop. See photos, below.

Next up: this weekend’s Christmas dance!

By Dr. John Nieto
Thomas Aquinas College
Tutor Talk (prepared text)
October 3, 2018
Audio

Please pray for the repose of the soul of the Most Rev. Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, Wisconsin, and a longtime friend of Thomas Aquinas College, who died Saturday night after suffering a cardiac event three days earlier.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Bishop Morlino, who, just last spring, served as our Commencement Speaker,” says President Michael F. McLean.  “He was on that day, as he was throughout his 44 years as a priest and bishop, courageous in proclaiming the truth, not unlike the lion depicted on his coat of arms.”