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HOPEFUL DAY FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Supreme Court to Hear College’s Case Against HHS Mandate
The Supreme Court of the United States has granted a writ of certiorari to Thomas Aquinas College’s challenge of the HHS contraceptive mandate.
On Friday the Court announced that it had agreed to hear seven cases filed by religious organizations in opposition to the mandate that compels them to facilitate free contraceptive, abortifacient, and sterilization coverage for their employees. Among the lawsuits, which the Court is consolidating into a single case, is Roman Catholic Archbishop v. Burwell, Sec. of H&HS, et al., in which the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., the Catholic University of America, and Thomas Aquinas College are co-plaintiffs.
“This decision by the Supreme Court is a sign of the importance of these cases and their implications for religious freedom and freedom of conscience all across the country — freedoms which we believe are guaranteed both by statute and the United States Constitution,” says President Michael F. McLean. “We are hopeful that the Court will uphold these freedoms and allow religious institutions to provide health insurance for their employees in a way consistent with the tenets of their faith.”
Full story 
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ACADEMIC RIGOR & ALUMNI LOYALTY
College Earns “A” from ACTA, top ratings for Alumni Satisfaction from US News
• The American Council of College Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has released its 2015-16 report on the curricular strength of American colleges and universities and, once again, Thomas Aquinas College is at the very top of the list. For the seventh time in as many years, ACTA has given the College a grade of “A” and a perfect rating, placing it in the top 0.2 percent of American colleges and universities. Moreover, the College is one of only four schools, or the top 0.04 percent nationwide, to earn a perfect score for the strength of its curriculum.
• As part of its annual college rankings, U.S. News & World Report measures the percentage of alumni who contribute to their colleges and universities, so as to gauge graduates’ satisfaction with the education they have received. In its latest survey of nearly 1,200 schools — based on average giving rates between 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 — the magazine ranks Thomas Aquinas College No. 2 in the United States, second only to Princeton University, and No. 1 among national liberal arts colleges. The College’s 58.3 percent alumni-giving rate is nearly five times greater than the previously reported national average rate of 12.8 percent.
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FAITH IN ACTION
Highlights from the College’s Alumni Blog
• When David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress devised his plan to expose Planned Parenthood’s practice of harvesting and selling the organs of aborted babies, he turned to San Francisco’s Life Legal Defense Foundation and its co-founder and vice president, Katie Short (’80), for legal advice. Now that the National Abortion Federation has struck back with a lawsuit designed to ruin Mr. Daleiden and suppress his findings, he has turned to Mrs. Short once again. Mrs. Short is leading Mr. Daleiden’s pro bono defense team in what promises to be a lengthy and intense legal battle.
• Greg Pfundstein (’05), president of the New York-based Chiaroscuro Foundation, recently appeared on the Canadian television program Context with Lorna Dueck to discuss the recent visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to the United States. Over the course of a lengthy interview that covered such topics as the nature of Church doctrine and God's mercy, Mr. Pfundstein cautioned against the tendency to force papal statements into a narrowly political framework. “His comments transcend our political categories, and I think it’s a mistake to think of them only in those terms,” he said. “If anyone feels completely comfortable with everything he says, they’re probably not listening carefully.”
• Three members of the Class of 2015 — Samantha Flanders, Tori Miller, and Joanna Kaiser — have recently returned from a post-graduation mission trip to Port au Prince, Haiti, where they worked with the Missionaries of Charity. “We began every morning at 5:00 a.m. in the chapel with morning prayer, meditations on Scripture, and Holy Mass,” writes Miss Flanders. Then, they “would go and help take care of the 115 babies (mostly suffering from malnutrition) that the sisters provided care for in the compound.” Read more of Miss Flanders’ recollections on the Faith in Action blog.
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Katie Short (’80) with David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress
Greg Pfundstein (’05)
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2015 Classmates: Samantha Flanders and Tori Miller
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“A CATHOLIC MIRACLE IN SHANGRI-LA”
Regina Magazine Revisits the History of Thomas Aquinas College
“Today, it’s the Shangri-la of college campuses. But it was not always so.”
So begins a thoughtful examination of the history of Thomas Aquinas College in the latest issue of Regina magazine, featuring an extensive interview with graduate and Director of College Relations Anne Forsyth (’81). “The Catholics who founded Thomas Aquinas College in 1969 were laymen taking on an enormous challenge, unheard of at a time when Catholic schools were universally administered by the clergy,” the article continues. “The story of how they established this inspiring Catholic college nestled in the foothills of the Topatopa Mountains, at the entrance to the Los Padres National Forest in the teeth of the enormous upheavals of the late 1960s is the stuff of movie plots.”
Read the full story
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PRAYERS FOR ADVENT & CHRISTMAS
College Chaplains to Offer Novena of Masses
Beginning on December 16, and ending on Christmas Eve, the chaplains of Thomas Aquinas College will offer the College’s Second Annual Christmas Novena of Masses in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. “We first came up with the idea for the Christmas Novena last year, as a way for the College’s friends to pray for their loved ones and their intentions,” says President Michael F. McLean. “The response was so enthusiastic that we have decided to do it again.”
At some time in Advent, each person enrolled in the Novena will receive a beautiful, hand-addressed card from the College. On the front, the card features a nighttime photo of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, framed by a seasonal green border. Inside, it informs recipients of their inclusion in the Novena, as well as the name of their sponsors. The cost for each card, which includes shipping and handling, is $5.
More than just a Christmas greeting, the Novena card brings the promises of nine Holy Masses and the prayers of the students, faculty, chaplains, and staff of Thomas Aquinas College. “This is a wonderful way for our friends to include their loved ones in the spiritual life of the College,” says Dr. McLean. “We invite everyone to enroll, and hope all of our friends will join us in praying for the entire College community this Advent.”
Enroll now!
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