Our Patron Saint
Echoing the Desire of St. Thomas Aquinas
Although Saint Thomas Aquinas lived eight centuries ago, his spirit and philosophy have lived on, not only through his timeless writings, but also through those institutions dedicated, as his life was, to the pursuit of Truth. When he was only five years old, Thomas began his formal studies under the direction of the Benedictine monks of Monte Cassino Abbey. Even from his youth, his soul burned with the desire to know the one truth that gave meaning to all other truths: "What is God"?
As the years of Thomas' studies passed, his great desire for a life of prayer and study led him to the Dominican Order, whose motto of "Veritas" or "Truth" mirrored the object of his longings. Within the Order, he encountered the genius and holiness of Albert the Great. Under Albert's influence, Thomas was not only moved to a deeper hunger for study, but also to live more fully the Dominican religious life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Thomas sought truth wherever it could be found, not fearing to delve into the writings of thinkers of other times and beliefs. Although his reading was so extensive that it enabled him to write one of the greatest syntheses of theological thought of all time, Thomas attested that he learned more at the foot of the Cross than from any book.
In keeping with the legacy of our patron, we at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional School strive first and foremost to nurture in our students a spirit of prayer, sustained by a comprehensive knowledge of truth. This emphasis on the sacred does not, however, negate the value of the secular courses of study. In his Summa Theologica, Saint Thomas wrote that grace builds on nature. The natural gifts of mind and body are the foundation for the greater, supernatural gifts of the soul. By instructing our students in a well-rounded curriculum, we hope to impart to them those truths which prepare them to accept the grace to know, love, and serve God, Who is the source of all Truth.
Reflecting on the life and relying on the intercession of Saint Thomas, who sought God from his childhood, we endeavor to instill, even in the very young, a love for learning and a desire for prayer. It is our goal that through our apostolate of Catholic education, we will each be formed in the spirit of Saint Thomas Aquinas, so that at our lives' ends we will echo his great desire. When asked by the Lord what reward he would have for writing well, Thomas replied, "Nothing, Lord, but Thyself."
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