On July 31, 2012, Rev. Cornelius M. Buckley, S.J., marked the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. To celebrate his golden jubilee and to honor his life of service, Fr. Buckley’s family and friends established an endowment in his name at Thomas Aquinas College.
Fr. Buckley has served with distinction as a chaplain at the College since 2004. In recognition of his abiding love for young people and his care for them, contributions to the Fr. Buckley Endowment are distributed annually to qualified students of Thomas Aquinas College in need of financial assistance. Benefactors to the endowment are thereby be a source of great good for the young men and women to whom Fr. Buckley has so completely devoted himself.
“Fr. Buckley has touched so many lives and brought so many young people closer to Christ,” says Paul J. O’Reilly, president of Thomas Aquinas College. “His friends and family could think of no better way to celebrate his golden jubilee than to create an endowment that will continue to bless the lives of young people for decades to come.”
About Fr. Buckley
The author of the book When Jesuits Were Giants, Fr. Buckley is himself a “giant” to those who have had the privilege of knowing him during his five decades of service to Christ and the Church. Since his ordination, he has spent most of his life with young Catholics as a teacher, administrator, chaplain, and friend. One can hear the echo of his footsteps in the halls of the University of Santa Clara, Gonzaga University, St. Ignatius High School, and the University of San Francisco.
As a longtime chaplain at Thomas Aquinas College, he was an integral part of the lives of the students, offering them the sacraments, spiritual direction, and always a lively wit. “I’ve been very happy here,” Fr. Buckley often remarked. “It’s the crowning point of my career to be at Thomas Aquinas College.”
Fr. Buckley is widely published and holds advanced degrees in history and philosophy from Gonzaga University and the University of Paris, Sorbonne. He has served as director of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars and as a trustee on the boards of the University of San Francisco, University of Santa Clara, and St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, Calif.
“Fr. Buckley’s long and active life offers all who know him a remarkable example of the virtues of obedience, charity, fidelity, and humility, and is marked by that joy that is a sure sign of the true believer,” says Dr. O’Reilly.
Support the Fr. Buckley Endowment
“If this helps raise money for needy students to attend the College, then let’s do it,” says Fr. Buckley of the endowment in his name. “The important thing is that we find ways to make a quality, Catholic education available to those who seek it.”
To make a gift to the Fr. Buckley Endowment, please click the button below or send checks to Thomas Aquinas College, 10,000 Ojai Rd., Santa Paula, CA 93060. For further information, please e-mail Karim Obagi, executive director of development, or call him at 805-421-5928.