Bishop Barron Encourages Students of Thomas Aquinas College

Thomas Aquinas College’s newly appointed regional auxiliary bishop, His Excellency Robert Barron, paid an informal visit to its Santa Paula campus this past Monday evening. Coming at the invitation of a member of the student body, the Bishop took time to get to know students personally, offering them encouragement and spiritual fortification.

The visit, which took place on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, began with the evening Mass in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, at which His Excellency served as the principal celebrant and homilist. The Bishop then met with students over dinner in St. Joseph Commons, before treating them to a brief “pep talk,” as he described it, and entertaining questions on topics of their choosing.

Grounded in Peter

“It is indeed a joy to be back,” said His Excellency in his homily, referencing his first visit to campus more than two years ago when, as the rector of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Mundelein Seminary and founder of the Word on Fire media ministry, he presented a lecture on liturgical theology. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be back to be the regional bishop of this area, but it’s great to be with you in this beautiful place and on this very important feast day.”

The Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Santa Barbara pastoral region, Bishop Barron described the authority of St. Peter and his successors as “grounded in the Holy Spirit,” and thus everlasting. “This is why the Church has endured,” he said. “It is only because the authority comes from the Holy Spirit that we can speak of the Church as grounded and founded on rock.”

“February Doldrums”

After dinner, the Bishop urged students to stay vigilant in their studies. “Please never tire of the work you’re given here,” he said. “I know it’s hard, but don’t give up. It’s not just for you. It’s for the Church and, through the Church, for the wider culture. You’re getting a very rich, high-octane version of Catholicism, and that’s going to change the culture. That’s our job in many ways. We’re leaven, we’re light, we’re salt, meant to transfigure the culture.”

The Bishop’s visit called to mind past years when the College’s founding president, Dr. Ronald P. McArthur, addressed students during what he called “the February doldrums” — that time in the academic year when energies naturally begin to flag. “Ever since Dr. McArthur passed away in 2013, no one has quite been able to carry on that tradition,” reflects Dr. McLean. “But Bishop Barron assumed that grandfatherly role in a way that only one of the community’s patriarchs — or a shepherd of souls — truly could.”

His Excellency advised students to be mindful of the great good that they, through God’s grace, can achieve in the world. “I see a place like this, it’s small, but talk about a mustard seed! It’s small, but talk about the little bit of leaven — small but powerful in the life of the Church,” he said. “I want to encourage you along those lines. You have a key role to play in the culture.” In the following, 45-minute question-and-answer session, Bishop Barron discussed topics ranging from film to liturgy, evangelization, and spiritual warfare. “Hope big. Dream big,” the Bishop enjoined the students. “We have the promise of Christ.”

Heartened by His Excellency’s inspiring words, students left St. Joseph Commons reinvigorated for the remaining months of the academic year. “Bishop Barron was able to give this community exactly what it needed at just the right time,” says Dr. McLean. “We are honored by his visit, and grateful to have such a true disciple of St. Thomas Aquinas as our regional bishop. We hope that this will be just one of his many visits to our campus in the years to come.”