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Thanksgiving Dinners on Both Coasts: “We must be exceedingly grateful”
All College
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November 22, 2023
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The students, faculty, and staff of Thomas Aquinas College gathered for Thanksgiving dinners on both coasts this past Sunday, November 19, directing their gratitude to God for guiding and blessing the College so richly in its more than 50 years of dedication to Catholic liberal education.
In California, students donned their finery and made their way to the St. Joseph Commons, beautifully decorated for the occasion, to mingle with tutors and their families before Head Chaplain Rev. Robert Marczewski began the event with the opening prayer. In a suitably civic spirit, Jack Gardner (’24) led dinner-goers in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Susana Sedler (’24) led them in singing the National Anthem. To conclude the opening ceremony, Tutor Dr. Scott Strader (’97) read Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, which establishes “a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe.” Then dinner began.
Photos: California
As everyone tucked into dessert and coffee, the evening’s program continued. Dr. Michael Letteney, dean of the California campus, honored Dr. David Appleby for 20 years of service as a member of the teaching faculty. Formerly a tenured professor of history at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Dr. Appleby embraced the challenges of teaching at the College with characteristic humor and aplomb, aided throughout by his wife, Marilyn. In recognition of their dedication, Dr. Letteney presented the Applebys with a bottle of wine, flowers, and a commemorative medallion. “From gatekeeper on up, this is a great community to be a part of,” said Dr. Appleby. “It’s a second home.”
Dr. Paul O’Reilly then delivered a reflection on the virtue of gratitude, weaving Scripture and St. Thomas with the thoughts of Lincoln and Washington in an eloquent reminder that “there is always a need to acknowledge our blessings.”
Among those many blessings was a musical performance by student choral group Chrysostomos, whose rendition of classic hymns rounded out the festivities.
Chaplain Rev. John Chung closed the evening with a prayer, after which all dispersed — to study and to sleep — with the event’s thoughts and music on their minds.
In New England, students gathered with faculty in Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati Student Center, conversing with their tutors and playing with their tutors’ children, before everyone took their seats. Head Chaplain Rev. Greg Markey opened the night with prayer, after which Christopher McCann (’24) led the community in the Pledge of Allegiance and Trinity Duggan (’24) in the National Anthem. As counterpart to Dr. Strader in California, Tutor Dr. Peter Cross (’11) read Lincoln’s Proclamation.
Photos: New England
Consistent with Lincoln’s expectation of “thanksgiving and praise,” dinner-goers enjoyed a traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings. Before dessert, Dr. Steven Cain, dean of the New England campus, rose to address the gathering. “We, too, are receiving God’s mercy and love at this College,” he reflected. “We have been given a great gift of spending part of our lives here, attempting to see Jesus for who He is. The success of this college, beginning from its founding, has been guided and protected by the provident and loving hand of God, and it is a mercy. We do not deserve the mercies He has bestowed on us, but if He has bestowed them on us, we must be exceedingly grateful.”
To conclude the evening, the College choir, under the direction of Stephen Grimm (’75), performed several pieces, including “Come Ye Thankful People, Come” and “Oh, Shenandoah,” adding to the abundance of gifts that God has given to Thomas Aquinas College over the years, and for which the students, faculty, and staff were glad to return their humble thanks.
