Note: At its 2015 Commencement exercises, Thomas Aquinas College awarded its highest honor, the Saint Thomas Aquinas Medallion, to Sr. Regina Marie Gorman, O.C.D., vicar general of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles.

The Saint Thomas Aquinas Medallion, an award established by the College’s Board of Governors in 1975, is a means of recognizing those Catholics who have shown, through their lives and work, an extraordinary dedication to God and His Holy Church. Each recipient has demonstrated unfailing adherence to the Magisterium as well as influential leadership in advancing the teachings of the Church. The Medallion is awarded by resolution of the Board of Governors on behalf of the entire College community.

Below are the remarks delivered by College President Michael F. McLean before Chairman of the Board of Governors R. ScottTuricchi awarded the medallion:

Introduction of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Medallion Recipient

In this Year of Consecrated Life called for by Pope Francis, we are honored to have with us as our Commencement Speaker today, Sr. Regina Marie Gorman, the Vicar General of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles.

For more than 40 years, Sr. Regina Marie has lived the consecrated life of a Carmelite sister, “uniting,” as her foundress Mother Luisita desired, “the contemplative spirit of Carmel to the active life.” During this time, Sister has taught junior high students in Los Angeles schools and served her religious order in numerous leadership capacities. In her 12 years as Superior General of the order, Sr. Regina Marie oversaw the work of her more than 120 fellow sisters in their service to the elderly and the sick at the convalescent home that they operate in Duarte, at their retreat house in Alhambra, and in the Los Angeles schools in which they teach. They are an exceptionally vibrant group of consecrated women.

Sr. Regina Marie has also served until just this past fall as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious in the United States. Established in 1992, its mission is to promote collaboration and inter-communication among its members; participation, dialogue and education about the teaching of the Catholic Church on the religious life; cooperation with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; and unity with the Pope and fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church.

In its preparatory work for the 1994 World Synod of Bishops on the consecrated life and its role in the Church and in the world, the Synod secretariat declared that:

The consecrated life is a gift which the Father has given to the church … so that, in faithfulness to the Gospel, the most characteristic traits of the life of his Son, Jesus — the chaste, poor, and obedient one — and the unfathomable riches of His mystery, might be present in the world and might draw everyone toward the kingdom of God.

We are deeply grateful to Sr. Regina Marie Gorman for embodying this ideal of the consecrated life so fully, and for being for us all a faithful and joyful sign of Christ. Thank you for being with us on this graduation day.