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About
Fidelity & ExcellenceThomas Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
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A Liberating Education
Truth MattersTruth, and nothing less, sets men free; and because truth is both natural and supernatural, the College’s curriculum aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
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A Catholic Life
Under the Light of FaithThe intellectual tradition and moral teachings of the Catholic Church infuse the whole life of Thomas Aquinas College, illuminating the curriculum and the community alike.
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Admission & Aid
Is TAC Right for You?Do you enjoy grappling with complex questions? Are you willing to engage in discussions about difficult concepts, with the truth as your ultimate goal?
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Students & Parents
Mind, Body & SpiritThere is always something to do at TAC — something worthwhile, something fulfilling, and something geared toward ever-greater spiritual and intellectual growth.
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Alumni & Careers
What Can You Do with a Liberal Education?Nothing speaks more to the versatility of the College’s academic program than the good that our alumni are doing throughout the Church and the world.
Alumni Authors Reflect on Notre Dame, Holy Week
“The heart of Paris has fallen in fire, and Catholics are heartbroken,” observes alumnus author Sean Fitzpatrick (’02). “Such blows like the destruction of Notre Dame Cathedral are beyond rationalization — but this does not mean that they … occur without reason.”
In his latest article for Catholic Exchange, Mr. Fitzpatrick, the headmaster of Gregory the Great Academy in Elmhurst, Pennsylvania, reminds readers that “God can and will bring about the good,” and “He will not let His Church perish in flame” — no matter what the travails of the moment. “Tragedies like the burning of Notre Dame offer Christians the chance and the grace to embrace the peace afforded by placing all things in the hands of God,” he remarks. “Just as one cannot have hope without hesitation, or fortitude without fear, there can be no trust without some degree of devastation and loss.”
Meanwhile, writing in Crisis, fellow Thomas Aquinas College graduate Erik Bootsma (’01), connects the tragic events of Paris to the Paschal Triduum. “It is perhaps just coincidence that the great Cathedral of Paris dedicated to Our Lady was engulfed in flame at the beginning of Holy Week, but I tend not to think so,” he reflects. “One simply cannot avoid the connection that the ‘death’ of the Cathedral of Notre Dame somehow echoes the death of Our Lord, which we commemorate this Holy Week on Good Friday.”
With Christ, however, death never gets the last word. A classically trained architect and the owner of Erik Bootsma Design, Mr. Bootsma cites examples of the rebuilding of other great churches to give hope that Notre Dame will one day reclaim its former glory. And just as the cathedral’s near-destruction points to Good Friday, its promised reconstruction hints at the glory of Easter. “On the third day after His death on the Cross, Jesus rose from the tomb into new life,” he writes. “The rebuilding of the cathedral would be not just a work of art, but a work of faith — just as it was for those who built it — symbolizing Christ himself, resurrected and glorified.”
As. Mr. Fitzpatrick concludes, “We look to the Resurrection, and we pray, to see the rise of Notre Dame from the ashes.”
* Photo credit: By Zachi Evenor based on File:North rose window of Notre-Dame de Paris, Aug 2010.jpg by Julie Anne Workman - Flickr,based on File:North rose window of Notre-Dame de Paris, Aug 2010.jpg, CC BY-SA 2.0
