A Letter from President Michael F. McLean
Dear Friend of Thomas Aquinas College,
As believers, we are destined for heaven, but we must work out our salvation here on earth, ever mindful of Our Lord’s exhortation to “be in the world, but not of it.”
At Thomas Aquinas College, we aim to prepare young men and women to do just this. Our mission is to help enlighten their minds with the truth and to provide a vibrant spiritual life so the truth will take root in their souls. Thus fortified, we send them into the world where they take up a wide array of vocations and professions, becoming leaders in the Church and in society. Striving for holiness and integrity on their journey toward the heavenly city, they serve as a leaven for a culture that is becoming ever more secularized.
As citizens of both “the city of man” and “the city of God,” to quote St. Augustine, our graduates understand the threat posed by unrelenting attacks on the fundamental rights and institutions we hold dear — religious freedom, marriage and the family, and even life itself. They know that much is at stake for those who desire to live according to God’s law in a society that is turning its back on it.
There is an urgent need in our country for graduates like ours who can defend the principles of the natural law, our Constitution, and our faith in the public square.
Graduates such as Katie Short, Andy Zepeda, and Greg Pfundstein. Katie and her classmate, Andy, now a member of our Board of Governors, co-founded the Life Legal Defense Foundation in 1989, an organization committed to defending the right to life in our nation’s courtrooms. Now serving as the legal director of LLDF, Katie is advising the College about our legal options as we seek recourse against the HHS contraceptive mandate. Greg serves as the executive director of the Chiaroscuro Foundation in New York, which is actively involved in the battle to uphold both human life and religious freedom.
Many other graduates are doing their part to defend the best traditions of our country and the teachings of our faith.
Some are mothers and fathers, who in preparing their children for lives of holiness and good citizenship, are resisting the tides of secularism. Some are educators, who by helping to form the minds of young people, are grooming the future leaders of our country. Some are professionals — doctors, lawyers, architects, and military officers — who inspire their fellow workers as they strive for excellence and integrity in their daily work. Still others are parish
priests, pastors, and seminary professors providing leadership in the work of the Church. And there are many more who in the quiet of their convents and monasteries pray and sacrifice for the good of us all.
As we begin our 42nd year, I write to ask for your help in ensuring that Thomas Aquinas College will continue to produce graduates such as these. As you know, in order to remain free from government intrusion, the College has never accepted direct state or federal funding. We have had to rely, therefore, on the generosity of our benefactors, who have enabled us each year to keep our commitment that no student be turned away for financial reasons. For this, I am deeply grateful.
This year more than 70 percent of our students need financial assistance. As our economy has worsened, their level of need has increased, and we find ourselves more in need than ever of your help. I ask you, therefore, to prayerfully consider joining our President’s Council by making a sacrificial gift now to our student financial fund of $1,000 or more. Your generous donation will be of substantial assistance in providing the nearly $4 million in financial aid that our students need. If $1,000 is more than you can give, then please consider making a gift of $500, $250, $100, $50, or whatever amount is possible. No gift will be too small, and every gift will be of help.
Because these are difficult times for many of us, you may want to consider making a 10-month pledge to be paid over the course of this academic year. Keep in mind, too, that many companies provide matching gifts for donations made by current and former employees and their spouses. These matching gifts will maximize your giving.
The benefactors of Thomas Aquinas College are truly our partners in this noble endeavor. They are enabling us to pass on to our students the truths and traditions of our faith and the principles on which our country was founded. In gratitude, we remember them daily in the four Masses offered in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel.
I pray that you will join with our benefactors now in making a donation to our financial aid fund. Your generosity will be richly rewarded by the good that our graduates go on to do, and even more by our heavenly Father, whose generosity cannot be outdone.
Sincerely,
Michael F. McLean, Ph.D.
President