-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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?
-
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.
-
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.
In Year of Consecrated Life, Vicar General of Women’s Religious Order to Speak at Thomas Aquinas College Commencement
May 1, 2015
10,000 Ojai Road
Santa Paula CA 93060
Contact: Anne Forsyth, Director of College Relations
(805) 525-4417
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
In Year of Consecrated Life, Vicar General of Women’s Religious Order to Speak at
Thomas Aquinas College Commencement
SANTA PAULA, CA—May 1—On Saturday, May 16, Sr. Regina Marie Gorman, O.C.D., will serve as commencement speaker at Thomas Aquinas College’s annual graduation exercises. The Vicar General of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, Sr. Regina Marie will also receive the school’s highest award, the Saint Thomas Aquinas Medallion, in recognition of her life-long fidelity and service to the Catholic Church.
“We are honored and delighted that Sr. Regina Marie will be with us for Commencement in this Year of Consecrated Life, established by Pope Francis,” says Dr. Michael F. McLean, president of the college. “She has been a faithful and joyful witness to Christ both in her leadership locally of the Carmelite Sisters and nationally as the former Chair of the Board of Directors of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious. We very much look forward to her remarks.”
Sr. Regina Marie will address a graduating class of 80 students who hail from across the United States and abroad. Upon completion of the college’s rigorous, 4-year curriculum that includes mathematics, natural science, Latin, literature, philosophy, and theology, each graduate will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts. These new alumni will go on to a wide variety of pursuits including law, medicine, business, military service, education, as well as the priesthood and religious life.
Presiding at the Baccalaureate Mass prior to the commencement exercises will be one of the college’s former chaplains, Rev. Joseph Illo, now pastor of the Oratory-in-Formation at Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco. Says Dean Brian Kelly, “Our graduating seniors very much look forward to welcoming back to campus this much-beloved priest, counselor, and friend.”
About Sr. Regina Marie Gorman, O.C.D.
Born in Detroit and raised in Los Angeles, Sister Regina Marie attended Catholic elementary and high school in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California. Her professional training includes a Master’s Degree in Theology and Christian Ministry from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.
For over 40 years, Sister Regina Marie has lived her calling as a Carmelite Sister of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles as junior-high teacher, as Directress of Novices and Postulants, as Vocation Directress, as Superior General of the Carmelite Sisters for 12 years and currently as Vicar General of the Carmelite Sisters. The order operates Santa Teresita, a convalescent home in Duarte and a retreat house in Alhambra, and its sisters teach in Los Angeles schools.
Sister Regina Marie has also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR) in the United States, stepping down in the fall of 2014. The CMSWR was established in 1992 to promote collaboration and inter-communication among its members; participation, dialogue, and education about the teachings 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.
About Thomas Aquinas College
Now in its 45th year, Thomas Aquinas College has developed a solid reputation for academic excellence in the United States and abroad. At Thomas Aquinas College, there are no majors, no minors, or electives because all students acquire a broad and fully integrated liberal education. The College offers one 4-year, classical curriculum that spans the major arts and sciences. Instead of reading textbooks, students read the original works of the greatest thinkers in Western civilization — the Great Books — in all the major disciplines: mathematics, natural science, literature, philosophy, and theology. Rather than listening to lectures, they engage in rigorous Socratic discussions about these works in classes of 15-18 students. The academic life of the college is conducted under the light of the Catholic faith and flourishes within a close-knit community, supported by a vibrant spiritual life. Genuinely committed to upholding civic virtue and leading lives dedicated to the good of others, Thomas Aquinas College graduates enter a wide array of fields where they are a powerful force for good in the Church and in the culture. Well-versed in rational discourse, they become leaders in education, law, medicine, journalism, public policy, military service, and business. In addition, a steady 10% of alumni go on to the priesthood or religious life.