St. Thomas Aquinas Mass and Celebration

January 28, 2025, proved sunny and pleasant in Nashville, TN, not unlike the temperature at Roccasecca, Italy where, 800 years ago, the future saint, Common Doctor of the Church, and our College’s Patron, St. Thomas Aquinas, was born. This year, in honor of the historic event, the Reverend Luke Mary VanBerkum, O.P., of the Province of St. Joseph, delivered a fitting homily focusing on the family dynamics of Aquinas’s early life and the necessity of God’s breath to produce and sustain a living soul.

During the celebration of the Mass, Most Reverend J. Mark Spalding, Bishop of Nashville, handed the Mandatum to Sr. Anne Catherine Burleigh, O.P., Lecturer of Theology. The Bishop explained how this presentation effects a close, enduring bond between the Bishop, the recipient, and the students who receive “what has been handed on” with confidence that it is the true doctrine of the Church. Father Mark Chrismer, Chaplain of the St. Cecilia Motherhouse, concelebrated the Mass. Student sisters performed the sacred music, and student seminarians assisted as altar servers.

Sr. Cecilia Anne Wanner, O.P., President of the College, welcomed the attendees, which included about 120 patrons and friends of the Aquinas community and invited everyone to a festive luncheon following the Mass. It seems that everyone left refreshed and lighthearted, including perhaps even those students whose classes were delayed by the event. Buona festa!

Read Nashville Catholic article Aquinas College Celebrates Patron Saint on His Feast Day

Read Nashville Catholic article St. Thomas Aquinas: Harmoniously Embracing Faith, Reason