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To inspire you during this, Thomas Aquinas College’s 2020 Week of Giving, I encourage you to watch this video of alumnus Michael Masteller (’13), who is due to be ordained to the transitional diaconate for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles later this summer.
“I don’t bring something special to the priesthood; the priesthood is something that God gives to me,” Mr. Masteller says in the video, produced by L.A. Catholics. “It’s our path of holiness. Every person has a path. Every vocation is that path of holiness.”
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Rev. Cornelius M. Buckley, S.J.
Chaplain |
For the students of Thomas Aquinas College, that path runs across our California and New England campuses. It was during his time at the College that Mr. Masteller first began to discern seriously his vocation.
“Obviously the great access we have to the Sacraments, daily Mass, and confession, as well as always having the Chapel available for prayer, was very helpful,” he once said. “The biggest thing for me, though, was that in St. Serra Hall we had a group of guys who took our studies and growing in faith very seriously. Two guys were doing holy hours every morning at 6 a.m. in the Guadalupe Chapel, and they invited me to join them. … That holy hour made me feel God’s love for me and gave me incredible peace. When you feel the love of God in a profound way, it flows out into your friendships with other people and the work that you do. Everything in your life becomes better.”
This is what the Week of Giving is all about, to “renew the face of the earth,” as the Psalmist describes it, by helping to make the transformative gift of a Thomas Aquinas College education affordable for our students’ families. If you have already made your gift this week, thank you. We are only about half way into the Week of Giving, yet friends of the College have already given $221,597 to our Annual Fund!
If you have not yet given, please know that a dear friend of the College, Dr. Melissa Buckley (no relation), has promised to match all gifts made this week, dollar for dollar, up to $350,000. To have your gift doubled at no cost to you, please make your gift now!
Mr. Masteller’s experience at the College was hardly unique. Some 10 percent of our alumni go into the priesthood or religious life. But whether they enter the broader world as priests or religious; doctors, engineers, educators, or lawyers, our graduates bring with them that palpable sense of God’s love, nurtured during their student years, which flows into their work, their friendships, and their communities.
We need you to help our students become alumni who renew the face of the earth. Due to the financial toll of COVID-19 on our families, the College anticipates about $6 million in financial aid costs this coming year. Please be as generous as you can, knowing that your gift will be matched, dollar for dollar.
Thank you for your support of Thomas Aquinas College.
God bless you,
Rev. Cornelius M. Buckley, S.J.
Chaplain
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