Patron Saint of Students????
St. Thomas Aquinas is a Doctor of the Church and the patron saint of students, philosophers, publishers, booksellers, academics, theologians, apologists, universities, and schools. Today is the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas.
In 2022, I was introduced to the Catholic Daughters of America. The local meeting place for this organization is housed in St. Thomas Aquinas Church in New Port Richey, Florida. Because of the Catholic Daughters of America, I had the opportunity to learn about the life of St. Thomas Aquinas and the beautiful church named after this patron saint of students.
St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Dominican theologian and one of the most influential medieval thinkers of scholasticism.
In art, he is depicted with a book indicating his role as teacher.
A dove by his ear, the sun, or an ox are also symbols important to the life of St. Thomas Aquinas.
The dove by his ear signifies his writings were written with divine guidance. The sun represents the light he shed on difficult theological issues.
The ox is from a story from his youth. St. Thomas’ nickname as a student of the Dominican order was “Dumb Ox” because he was quiet and slow moving. However, one of his teachers, St. Albert the Great, saw promise in this student and predicted that his teachings would be heard throughout the world.
One of St. Thomas Aquinas’ best known works is the Summa Theologiae. I enjoyed reviewing parts of this work when writing my latest book on the life of the Blessed Mother – Mary’s Life Journey & Her Amazing Yes!
The St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in New Port Richey, Florida is a beautiful facility which started as a Mission in 1980 to serve the Seven Springs area of Central Florida. This church is a growing community with many parish activities to include the Catholic Daughters of America.
The Catholic Daughters of America is one of the largest international organizations of Catholic women in the world. This organization began in 1903 in Utica, New York by the Knights of Columbus. The Catholic Daughters of America have a presence in 42 states including beautiful, sunny Florida! I am happy to be a part of this group and look forward to attending the state convention in April.
Let me know in the comments below if you’ve ever read any writings by St. Thomas Aquinas or if you are a member of the Catholic Daughters of America.
If you’ve read my latest book, – Mary’s Life Journey & Her Amazing Yes! – please be sure to leave your review on Amazon. Once on the Amazon page, scroll to the bottom to leave your review. To order your copy, click on the Amazon button below! Happy Reading!
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