New England
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September 16, 2021
As part of the yearlong observance of its 50th anniversary, Thomas Aquinas College hosted the first-ever Alumni & Parent Day this past Saturday on its New England campus.
“We celebrate the 50th anniversary of Thomas Aquinas College,” said the Most Rev. William D. Byrne, Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts, who visited the campus and offered Mass in honor of the occasion. “More particularly, here in New England we rejoice at a community being whole: freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, with a new class set to graduate this year, the first one from this New England campus.”
Jointly sponsored by the College’s Alumni and Parents’ Associations, the day attracted some 200 attendees. The event began with a campus tour as well as a discussion on wealth and retirement planning with the College’s director of gift planning, Paul Blewett (’85). After lunch, alumni and parents delved into a seminar on The Federalist, Nos. 10 & 51, led by three members of the College’s teaching faculty, Dr. Thomas Kaiser, dean of the New England campus; Dr. Steven Cain; and Dr. Josef Froula.
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“Sitting in the seminar helped me to understand that the Discussion Method is the best possible way to learn,” observed Robert Hinkle, father of Anna (’24). “I feel more confident that this is the place my daughter should go to school.”
Late in the afternoon, Bishop Byrne offered an anticipatory Mass in Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel. “The genius and grace of Thomas Aquinas College is seen not only in the excellence of its education but, most importantly, in its fidelity to the teachings of Christ and His church,” he said in his homily. “It is here, I pray, that every man and woman who attends this college will leave to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah.” His excellency also shared some advice with the Senior Class, whom he dubbed “The Pioneers,” since its members will be the first graduates from the New England campus: “To whatever profession you are called, you will be witnesses to the world of faith, hope, and love.”
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After Mass, families congregated on the Gould Lawn for a barbeque dinner. President Michael F. McLean used the occasion to offer some words in observance of the 20th anniversary of 9-11, while also thanking the Alumni and Parents’ Associations for their work on behalf of Thomas Aquinas College.
“Much gratitude for our 50 years of success is due to the many friends and benefactors of TAC, without whom the College would not exist,” Dr. McLean said. “Gratitude for our success here in Northfield is due to our friends and benefactors as well, but also to you parents, for entrusting your children to us here in New England, and for praying tirelessly that God will bless our efforts on this campus now and in the future. Thanks are due to our alumni as well — a number of whom are also parents of students here on this campus — who have contributed financially to the success of our efforts here. Our alumni have been among the strongest supporters of this New England project from its earliest stages, and we are very, very grateful for their support and enthusiasm.”
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Then, to end the day, all gathered in the Tracy Student Center for an ice-cream social. “I am so glad how the event turned out,” exclaimed Caroline Guinee (’20), the campus’ visitor coordinator, “and cannot wait for when we host families again.”
