President’s Message

Dear Friends,

Aquinas College is a place where faith seeks understanding, where learning is inseparable from prayer, and where education is embraced as a mission of the Church. Rooted in the charism of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation, Aquinas College exists to serve Christ and His Church through the formation of teachers, priests, and faithful lay leaders.

Aquinas College is the only Catholic college in Middle and East Tennessee, and we take that responsibility seriously. In a time when Catholic education faces many challenges, Aquinas College remains steadfast—forming joyful witnesses of Christ who are sent forth to teach and to preach in truth and charity, for the salvation of souls and the transformation of culture.

Our campus is home to a unique and vibrant academic community. We educate young Dominican sisters preparing for lives of service in Catholic classrooms, seminarians beginning their priestly formation for the Diocese of Nashville, and lay students who desire a rigorous, faith‑filled education or ongoing intellectual formation. While our student body is intentionally small, the reach of their vocation is not. Each graduate goes forth to shape countless young minds and hearts, multiplying the impact of this work far beyond our campus.

In recent years, Aquinas College has continued to grow thoughtfully and purposefully. Alongside our bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, we now offer a Certificate in Propaedeutic Studies, serving first‑year seminarians in this foundational stage of formation. Our dedication to academic excellence, human formation, and spiritual growth remains constant, even as we respond to the evolving needs of the Church.

Aquinas College also serves the wider community through summer formational opportunities, including intensive residential formation training in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and liturgical music, weekend retreats, our Virtues in Practice program, and resources available through our Center for Catholic Education. In these ways, our mission extends beyond our students to support Catholic education throughout the region and beyond.

At Aquinas College, joy is not an afterthought—it is a fruit of belonging to Christ and participating in His work. Ours is a community marked by prayer, friendship, intellectual seriousness, and a shared love for the Church. It is a place where young women and men are encouraged to listen for God’s call and are given the intellectual formation needed to respond generously.

We are deeply grateful for the many friends, benefactors, and partners who support Aquinas College with their prayers and resources. Your generosity makes this mission possible and allows us to continue forming those who will serve the Church for generations to come.

I invite you to explore our website further and learn more about our College. It is my hope that this website can convey some small sense of the joyfulness, fidelity, and dedication to Catholic education upon which Aquinas College is founded.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.

Sincerely in Christ,
Sister Cecilia Anne Wanner, O.P.
President