What do you know about this doctor of the church? Here is how he has influenced my life.
In the Catholic church, we celebrate different saints on each day of the year. St. Thomas Aquinas’ feast day is on January 28th. I learned much of what I know about him from attending Aquinas College in Michigan. Every year, the week of his feast day, there would be an entire week of celebration, special programs, lunches, all kinds of festivities. My favorite was the giant birthday cake that would be in the Academic building lobby and you could grab a piece in between classes.
St. Thomas lived from 1223-1274. He was a Dominican priest, scholar and teacher. His direction of the way to live for God is to pursue the truth. In his writing Summa Theologica, he argues that God exists and sets to prove it with five logical arguments. It’s not a surprise that he is the patron saint of education.
Aquinas was the perfect place for me to ask questions and explore my faith while being immersed in it. Our time was infused with the Dominican traditions of prayer, study, ministry, and community. Caring for others- through ministry in our community was part of our education, we took part in yearly service projects and when I studied in France, it was through a service learning organization. One of the other things I loved about the AQ campus is that it’s covered in trees, the buildings just seem to “appear”. Fall has never been as beautiful as the years I spent there.
When my sister and I visited Paris, we attended a Saturday evening mass at the St. Thomas Aquinas church on the left bank. It honestly didn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside had beautiful art and the acoustics were fantastic. A true gem that you would walk by and not notice. There were not many people there, and when mass began, the cantor singing truly sounded like an angel from heaven. We were in the right place at the right time.
It’s funny how you end up right where you need to be. The first time I visited Aquinas College, I knew it was the place for me. The most convenient church for mass in Paris was St. Thomas Aquinas. Coincidence? I think not. Perhaps he has been one of my patron saints and I just didn’t know it.
All these years later, I can see how the Dominican traditions influence my life today. I can see the ways that prayer, study, ministry, and community are an integral part of the fabric of my life. The lessons I learned in college have extended well beyond the years I spent at Aquinas. I am a proud AQ Saint and I even had some birthday cake this week. Thank you Dominican sisters and St. Thomas!