Earthquake Report

Dear TAC-California Families,

In addition to absorbing heavy rain showers, courtesy of Tropical Storm Hilary, Thomas Aquinas College’s California campus has experienced a 5.1-magnitude earthquake, which struck at 2:40 on Sunday afternoon, four miles southeast of neighboring Ojai. By God’s grace, no one was harmed. 

College and Ventura County Fire officials have spent the last few hours carefully assessing the damage and, mercifully, there is little to report. One of the bells in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel’s belltower has come loose from its carriage, and we have some plasterwork to repair. As of this writing, however, we have yet to detect any structural damage, and the campus’s utilities are still functioning. As a safety precaution and per the Fire Chief’s decision, we are temporarily closing the Chapel until it can undergo a thorough inspection later this week.

Although we regrettably must cancel Monday morning’s Convocation Mass of the Holy Spirit, we still plan to host the Matriculation ceremony in St. Cecilia Hall at 10:15 a.m., as well as the academic year’s first classes that evening. Please continue to keep the College in your prayers!

In Christ,

Michael J. Letteney
Dean
Thomas Aquinas College, California