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DEFENDING THE FAITH
Cardinal Müller Visits College for All Saints’ Day, Receives Highest Honor
On the Solemnity of All Saints, as members of the Thomas Aquinas College community gathered to honor members of the Church Triumphant, they were joined by one of the preeminent leaders of the Church Militant, His Eminence Gerhard Cardinal Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
“It is fitting that, on this day when we honor those who have lived out the Faith heroically,” said President Michael F. McLean, “we should be blessed to welcome this prince of the Church who is charged with promoting and defending that same faith throughout the world.”
During his short time on campus, His Eminence offered the Solemnity Mass in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, attended a reception and dinner in his honor, and delivered a lecture entitled, “The Question of God Today.” In recognition of the cardinal’s lifelong fidelity to Christ and His church, the College also used the occasion to present him with its highest honor, the Saint Thomas Aquinas Medallion. “In light of his weighty responsibilities in the Church,” said Dr. McLean, “it is a great honor for us that Cardinal Müller would travel to California to spend some time at the College and to address our community.”
Full story & photo slideshows 
Text and audio of Cardinal Müller’s homily
Text and audio of Cardinal Müller’s address
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His Eminence Gerhard Cardinal Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Chairman of the Board of Governors R. Scott Turicchi, Cardinal Müller, and President
Michael F. McLean
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Cardinal Müller
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Graduates & Gratitude
College Tops US News’ 2017 Rankings for Alumni Satisfaction
U.S. News & World Report has named Thomas Aquinas College to it its annual list of the “10 Universities Where the Most Alumni Donate,” based on a survey of 1,374 colleges and universities. The College, which has jockeyed for the #1 position with Princeton University for years, fell short of that distinction this time, but still claimed the second-highest alumni-giving rate in the United States — and the highest among all national liberal arts colleges.
As part of its annual ranking of American colleges and universities, U.S. News & World Report measures the percentage of alumni who contribute to their alma maters, so as to gauge graduates’ satisfaction with the education they have received. The rankings are based on the two-year average alumni-giving percentage for the years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. Thomas Aquinas College is the only Catholic institution to make the Top 10 rankings, the only one from the Western United States, and the only one founded within the last 100 years.
The College’s 58.7 percent alumni-giving rate is more than six times greater than the previously reported national average rate of 8.4 percent. It is also more than five percentage points higher than the average among those schools with the Top 10 highest rates (53 percent).
Full story
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68 ALUMNI PRIESTS!
Four Graduates Ordained in Last Six Weeks
• On Saturday, October 1 — the Feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux — the Most Rev. Robert J. Hermann, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of St. Louis, Missouri, ordained Rev. Reginald (Ryan ’97) Wolford, O.P., in the city’s St. Dominic Priory. Fittingly, Fr. Reginald offered his first Mass the next morning in a church named for St. Thérèse, Little Flower in Richmond Heights. He is now working toward his licentiate in sacred theology from the Liturgical Institute at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake.
• One week later, Rev. Deneys Williamson (’10) received the Sacrament of Holy Orders at the hands of his archbishop, the Most Rev. Buti Joseph Tlhagale, in his hometown of Johannesburg, South Africa. The day after his ordination, Fr. Deneys offered his first Mass at the church where he now serves as curate, or assistant priest, Johannesburg’s St. John the Apostle. Only weeks into his priesthood, he is already busy offering Masses, hearing confessions, leading catechetical programs, and providing adult formation and spiritual direction.
• Finally, last Sunday His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke, Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, conferred the Sacrament of Holy Orders upon two more graduates: Rev. Joseph Hudson, O.S.B. (’03), and Rev. Robert Nesbit, O.S.B. (’07). Fr. Hudson and Fr. Nesbit are two of the 11 Thomas Aquinas College alumni living and praying at Clear Creek Abbey in Hulbert, Oklahoma. With their ordinations, the College can now claim 68 ordained priests among its alumni — thanks be to God!
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Rev. Reginald
(Ryan ’97) Wolford, O.P.
Rev. Deneys Williamson (’10)
Rev. Joseph Hudson, O.S.B. (’03)
Rev. Robert Nesbit, O.S.B. (’07)
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“COMING FULL CIRCLE”
Legatus Magazine Profiles College
Vice President Paul J. O’Reilly
The new issue of Legatus Magazine features a profile of Dr. Paul J. O’Reilly (’84), a tutor at the College and its vice president for development. The article begins:
“Few Americans have ever had the experience of walking to Sunday Mass with the fear that someone might attack them along the way.
“But for Paul O’Reilly — a member of Legatus’ Santa Barbara Chapter — this was a common experience growing up in Northern Ireland in the late 1970s. He was raised in Belfast with the constant unease of being a target.
“‘The Troubles,’ as they were called, began in the late 1960s in Northern Ireland with both Catholic and Protestant paramilitary groups committing acts of terrorism until 1998.
“For Paul, the second of eight children, these Troubles coincided with troubles that brewed at home. ...”
Full story
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Margaret (Steichen) and Paul O’Reilly (both ’84)
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PRAYERS FOR ADVENT & CHRISTMAS
Chaplains to Offer Novena of Masses
Beginning on December 17, and ending on Christmas Eve, the chaplains of Thomas Aquinas College will offer the College’s Third Annual Christmas Novena of Masses in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. “We first came up with the idea for the Christmas Novena two years ago, as a way for the College’s friends to pray for their loved ones and their intentions,” says President Michael F. McLean. “The idea was so well-received that the Novena has quickly become an annual tradition.”
During Advent each person enrolled in the Novena will receive a beautiful, personalized card from the College. On the front, the card features a nighttime photo of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, framed by a seasonal green border. Inside, it informs recipients of their inclusion in the Novena, as well as the name of their sponsors. The cost for each card, which includes shipping and handling, is $5.
More than just a Christmas greeting, the Novena card brings the promises of nine Holy Masses and the prayers of the students, faculty, chaplains, and staff of Thomas Aquinas College. “This is a wonderful way for our friends to include their loved ones in the spiritual life of the College,” says Dr. McLean. “We invite everyone to enroll, and hope all of our friends will join us in praying for the entire College community this Advent.”
Enroll now!
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