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SPIRITUAL UNION IN CHRIST
College Livestreams Masses from
California Chapel
“A very happy Easter to everyone as we overcome our separation, not only through the help of technology, but especially through the bond of Christ uniting us in His mystical body,” began Head Chaplain Rev. Paul Raftery, O.P., in his Easter Vigil homily on Saturday night. “We are at this time witnessing in a special way to the spiritual union we have in Christ, united but apart in our various homes.”
Although members of the Thomas Aquinas College community have been unable to attend the College’s Paschal Triduum and Easter liturgies in person, they have participated via video livestream and, of course, spiritually. Thousands of students, alumni, faculty, staff, governors, parents, friends, and their family members have watched Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter services from Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel on the California campus.
The College will continue livestreaming Masses daily throughout the Octave of Easter and then on weekdays and Sundays for as long as California’s “shelter in place” edict remains in effect. The embedded streams are available at ThomasAquinas.edu/Mass and on the College’s YouTube Channel. Recorded videos are posted shortly after the conclusion of each observance.
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FAITH STREAMING UNDERSTANDING
Academic Program Goes Virtual
In response to concerns over the COVID-19 virus, the College was forced to send students home in late March, but rather than let the academic year come to a premature end, it opted to continue with classes conducted remotely — for the first time in its nearly 50-year history. “I was a little surprised at how easily my section picked up the online discussion method,” says senior Thomas Baker. “It doesn't feel quite as natural as a conversation in the classroom, but nevertheless it flows a lot more smoothly than I first feared.”
Tutors now conduct the College’s Socratic discussions via video chats of 17 or 18 participants, a short-term substitution for its customary wooden tables. For mathematical demonstrations, students make use of Zoom’s electronic whiteboard, explaining Euclidean propositions and other proofs for classmates thousands of miles away. And to keep in touch between classes, students and faculty have begun connecting via the Slack project-management app.
For the most part, students and tutors seem satisfied with the temporary arrangement, despite the general consensus that the screen-based format is more tiring and sometimes disrupts the flow of a conversation. “The online method is less than ideal, but it is more than adequate given the current circumstances,” says President Michael F. McLean. “It is great to see our students again, even if only virtually.”
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Tutor Brian Dragoo teaches an online class.
A student attends class from home. |
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EVER ANCIENT, EVER NEW
How a Classical College Made the Quick Leap to Online Learning
Thomas Aquinas is a famously low-tech college — students read printed copies of centuries-old books and residence halls lack WiFi — yet it nonetheless successfully made the jump to online learning in just one week. How it accomplished this feat is a testament to God’s grace, made manifest in the diligence of its students, the resourcefulness of its faculty, and the generosity of one of its parents.
When concerns over the spread of the coronavirus began to threaten the prospects of completing the academic year, Admissions Director Jon Daly received a call from John Birch (’92), an alumnus and the father of two students on the California campus. The co-founder and COO at Virtual Service Operations (VSO) in Nokesville, Virginia, Mr. Birch offered VSO’s assistance with making the shift to online learning. From there, VSO worked closely with Dean John Goyette and three members of the faculty — Mr. Daly and tutors Brian Dragoo and Andrew Seeley — to bring the community up to speed.
“TAC is, oddly enough, better prepared to make this transition than most ‘modern’ colleges because of its classroom method,” says Mr. Birch. “The classroom conversations lend themselves well to video conferencing, and the reading assignments and papers are much easier to manage than the various kinds of homework that are often assigned at other schools.”
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A Zoom seminar
Online learning |
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FAITH IN ACTION
Alumni Work to Support Church & Society During Coronavirus Crisis
• “A small biotech company, based in Kansas City, is making a major contribution to local hospitals and healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic,” begins a recent Fox 4 news report. “MAWD Pathology Group is redirecting its resources to ramp up the production of testing kits for COVID-19.” The physician and executive responsible for this act of public service is Dr. Samuel Caughron (’96), MAWD’s president and CEO. “What we saw is, in our hospitals, these patients who were being admitted, who were coming in for care, as well as the healthcare workers in the hospitals, needed a quicker turnaround time,” Dr. Caughron told reporters at KCTV News 5. So he and his team began offering expedited testing for those who are ill.
• A nun with the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Wichita, Kansas, Sr. Mary Catherine Blanding, IHM (’76) recently presented to her community a talk about how, according to the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, spiritual communions compare to sacramental communions. In her generosity, she has now shared a version of that talk with the Thomas Aquinas College community. “Jesus Christ is present, body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Blessed Sacrament, whether we receive communion corporeally or not,” Sr. Mary Catherine writes. “Just as we believe in the efficacy of the Baptism of Desire, so we can trust in the real effects from the ‘Eucharist of Desire.’”
• Demonstrating an incredible knack for timing — or, more likely, the role of providence in her work — Suzie Andres (’87) has just published a new book perfectly timed for this moment: Something New with Saint Thérèse: Her Eucharistic Miracle. The book describes the Eucharistic miracle by which Our Lord satisfied St. Thérèse’s “desire to receive Him in Communion much more frequently than seemed possible,” at precisely the moment when so many of the faithful are suffering the same anguish. In a generous act of solidarity with fellow Catholics during challenging times, Mrs. Andres is offering the electronic version of Something New for free. She is likewise doing the same with two of her other works: Stations of the Cross with Our Sister St. Thérèse and The Paradise Project.
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Dr. Samuel Caughron (’96)
Sr. Mary Catherine Blanding, IHM (’76)
Suzie Andres (’87) |
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“HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER”
College Offers Annual Novena of Masses for Mother's and Father's Days
“For many of us, the joys of Mother’s and Father’s Days will be diminished this year as social distancing separates us from our parents, the Mass, or both,” says President Michael F. McLean. “In these difficult times, our need for prayer becomes all the more evident, as does the communion we can experience by participating, even if only spiritually, in private Masses offered throughout the world.”
With that in mind, the College’s annual Mother’s and Father’s Day Novenas take on a special importance this year. Beginning on Mother’s Day (May 10) and Father’s Day (June 21), the College’s chaplains will pray for all enrolled mothers and fathers over the course of nine Masses, offered in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel on the California campus. For as long as Californians remain “sheltering in place,” these Masses will be available to view via the College’s website.
Enrolling parents, grandparents, and godparents — living or deceased — in the novenas is a wonderful way to include them in the prayers of the College and the Church. And because each enrollee will receive a beautiful, personalized card from the College, it is also a good way to express to them your loving and prayerful gratitude. To enroll your loved ones, please complete our online form. Mother’s Day names must be received by May 8 and Father’s Day by June 19. The cost is $5 per enrollee to cover shipping and handling costs.
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Mother’s Day Novena card image
Father’s Day Novena card image
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