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THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE E-LETTER
NOVEMBER 2017
 
 
 
 
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CAMPUS LIFE
MULTIMEDIA
 
     
Halloween Dance Slideshow:
Halloween
Dance
 
     
Spearshake Festival Slideshow: Spearshake Festival  
     
The Hon. Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain Judge O’Scannlain on Religion and the Courts  
     
Paul Galbraith Slideshow:
Fall Concert with Paul Galbraith
 
     
Trivial Pursuit Slideshow:
Tutors v. Students Trivial Pursuit
 
     
Dr. Gregory Vall Lecture: “Sabbath Precept in the Divine Economy”  
     
Fall Schubertiade Video:
Fall 2017
Schubertiade
 
     
Fall Schubertiade Slideshow:
Fall 2017
Schubertiade
 
     
L.A. Regents Wine-Tasting Event Slideshow:
L.A. Regents
Wine-Tasting Event
 
     
Dr. Glen Coughlin Dr. Glen Coughlin: Metaphysics & Natural Philosophy  
   
President's Council  
   
  UPCOMING EVENTS  
   
Tutor Talk: Dr. Carol Day
“Real Analogies in Nature
and Their Importance for Natural Science” 
November 15
3:45 p.m.
 
   
Talk on Pope St. John Paul II
“I Served a Saint”
Dr. Mario Enzler
Finance Professor
Busch School of Business and Economics
The Catholic University of America
November 17
3:45 p.m.
 
   
Concert: The Thomas Aquinas College Choir
Mozart's Coronation Mass in C
& Vivaldi's Gloria in D major  
November 17
7:00 p.m.
 
   
Thanksgiving
November 23
 
   
Thanksgiving Recess
November 23-26
 
   
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
December 8
 
   
First Semester Examinations
December 9-15
 
   
Christmas Vacation
December 16 – January 7
 
   
Christmas Eve
December 24
 
   
Christmas
December 25
 
   
New Year’s Eve
December 31
 
   
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
New Year’s Day
January 1
 
   
Lecture
“Joseph is a fruitful bough” (Gen 49:22):
The Patriarch, His Seed, and the Messiah
Dr. Christopher Decaen
Thomas Aquinas College
January 19
7:30 p.m.
 
   
OneLife LA 2018
January 20
 
   
Legatus Summit Seminar
St. Thomas Aquinas on 
God’s Justice and Mercy
Naples, Florida
January 25
 
   
Walk for Life West Coast 2018
January 27
 
   
Shop the campus bookstore!  
   
 IMEMORIAM  
   
Theodore R. Kretschmer
October 10
Father of Stephen (’92), Elizabeth (Berquist ’93), and Mark (’99);
President’s Council member


George Letteney
October 24, 2017
Father of tutor Michael (’88); grandfather of Anastasia (Blain ’13), Anthony (’14), and Teresa (’16)

 
 
 
 
NEW ENGLAND UPDATE
Dr. McLean Visits Massachusetts as College Seeks Approval for Proposed New Campus

Last week Thomas Aquinas College President Michael F. McLean visited New England and stopped by the Northfield property in Massachusetts, a magnificent gift made to the College by the National Christian Foundation last spring. Patrick Cross, a graduate of the College’s Class of 2014 who lives nearby and gives tours of the site to interested visitors, was on hand to greet Dr. McLean.

On March 6, the College submitted its application to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to operate a second campus at Northfield. On August 24, Dr. McLean headed up a team of faculty and governors of the College that participated in a site visit with a team of four Massachusetts, college-level educators. On October 10, that visiting committee delivered its report to the College. After consultation with the faculty and Board of Governors, the College will submit its response to that report in the next few days. The visiting committee will then have up to 30 days to make its response to the College.

Says Dr. McLean, “Once we receive their response, we’ll be in a better position to know where we stand. In the meantime, the property is being well-maintained, and the faculty and students are praying for a timely conclusion to this process. I urge all our alumni, friends, and benefactors to join with us in prayer for this intention.” He added, “We will pass along news as it becomes available.”


New England updates 
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Stone Hall
Stone Hall

Pat Cross and Michael F. McLean
Patrick Cross (’14) and Dr. McLean

Kenarden Hall
Kenarden Hall


 
 
EXCELLENCE AND VALUE
ACTA, WalletHub Give College
Top Rankings

• The American Council of College Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has released its annual report on the curricular strength of American institutions of higher learning and, once again, Thomas Aquinas College is at the very top of the list. On its “What Will They Learn?” website, ACTA posts evaluations of the major public and private colleges and universities in all 50 states. For the ninth time in as many years, ACTA has given Thomas Aquinas College a grade of “A,” placing it among the top 2 percent of American colleges and universities. Moreover, the College is one of only four schools, or the top 0.4 percent nationwide, to earn a perfect score for the strength of its curriculum.

The personal-finance website WalletHub has named Thomas Aquinas College No. 25 on its 2018 rankings of the 112 Best Colleges in the United States — the only Catholic school to make the list. The site also rates the College as No.1 for “faculty resources,” No. 5 in the West, and No. 9 for “career outcomes.” To arrive at their findings, WalletHub’s analysts considered “26 key measures to determine where prospective students can expect to receive a top-notch education at the lowest price points.” Among these criteria are student selectivity, tuition costs, student-faculty ratio, and post-graduation median salary.

 
 

Princeton Review

WalletHub Best Colleges Badge
 
 
“THE MASS
Students Participate in Filming of 
Bishop Barron’s Next Project


Some 20 Thomas Aquinas College students arose early one recent Saturday morning to drive to Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Santa Barbara, California, where the Most Rev. Robert Barron was recording his latest video study program, “The Mass.” 

As the Episcopal Vicar of the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region, His Excellency is responsible for overseeing the portion of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles that includes the College’s Santa Paula campus. He is also the founder of the Word on Fire media ministry and the host of its award-winning documentary series, Catholicism.

The event was, for the students, a retreat of sorts. “In his talks, Bishop Barron pointed out to us the deep symbolism in every detail of the Mass, from something as small as putting money in the collection to the words of consecration, which was very powerful,” reflects Resident Assistant Jeannette Richard (’17). “Too  often, we go to Mass and just go through the motions, without paying attention to the prayers we are praying. But understanding the deep significance of these prayers means we can better participate in the Mass.”


Full story
 
 

The Most Rev. Robert Barron, Marya Garneau (’21), and Erica Johnson (’21)
The Most Rev. Robert Barron, Marya Garneau (’21), and Erica Johnson (’21)
.

FAITH IN ACTION
Highlights from the College’s Alumni Blog 

•  Writing for the Daily Signal, of which she is the managing editor, Katrina Trinko (’09) offers a thoughtful, heartfelt response to those who question the value of prayer in light of the recent shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. “When I pray after Texas, or after a personal tragedy, or after seeing another loved one be hurt, I don’t do so with an expectation that this prayer will finally break the cycle of evil and suffering,” she writes. “Instead, I try to trust. I remember that Jesus Himself, on the eve of his crucifixion, prayed that ‘may this cup be taken from me’ —and yet He went on to be crucified.”

• In a recent homily, Rev. Nicholas Blaha (’02) took up the topic of the Reformation, the 500th anniversary of which fell on October 31. Specifically, he focused on each of Luther’s three “solas” — scriptura, fides, and gratia (Scripture, faith, and grace) — through the lens of the teachings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, with an eye toward areas of compatibility with Catholic doctrine. “We can benefit, I think, from receiving a great love for the words of Scripture and the revelation that comes to us through it,” he said, as an example. “To have the same eagerness to receive the gifts of grace through Scripture that Luther and other reformers did, I think, would benefit all of us enormously.”

• Two graduates have taken the first step in religious life — the postulancy — entering religious communities to begin formal discernment. On September 8, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sean Wood (’13) joined the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in the Bronx, where, by God’s grace, he will take up a life of service to the poor on the streets of New York City. And on November 1, the Feast of All Saints, Molly O’Brien (’03) entered the Abbey of St. Walburga, a community of contemplative Benedictine nuns in Virginia Dale, Colorado.

Faith in Action blog 

 

Katrina Trinko (’09)
Katrina Trinko (’09)

Rev. Nicholas Blaha (’02)
Rev. Nicholas Blaha (’02)

Sean Wood (’13)
Sean Wood (’13)

Molly O’Brien (’03)
Molly O’Brien (’03)
 

PRAYERS FOR ADVENT & CHRISTMAS
Chaplains to Offer Novena of Masses

Beginning on December 16, and ending on Christmas Eve, the chaplains of Thomas Aquinas College will offer the College’s 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 three 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! 

 

A Christmas Novena
 
     
 
 
 
 
  Thomas Aquinas College