Celebrating Saint Thomas Aquinas: Patron Saint of Catholic Schools

January 28 is the day the Catholic church has set aside to honor and remember St. Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of Catholic schools and so much more, but St. Thomas Aquinas actually died on March 7th. The Diocese of Orlando’s Catholic schools in Orlando base many of their theological studies on St. Thomas Aquinas’s papers. Below is a brief history of this beloved saint.Early LifeSt. Thomas Aquinas was born the son to the wealthy Count Aquino in the family castle near Naples, Italy. He was educated at Monte Cassino by Benedictine monks and continued his education at the University of Naples. During his studies, he secretly joined the mendicant Dominican friars against his family’s wishes. When they discovered their son’s secret, Thomas was whisked away and imprisoned by his family to keep him from continuing his work with the friars. His family kept him under guard for a year, trying in vain to sway him from his path of being a mendicant Dominican friar.Education & WritingsUpon his release, Thomas studied in Paris, France under Saint Albert the Great. Thomas was ordained in 1250 and taught theology at the University of Paris. He spent a great amount of time writing defenses of the mendicant orders and Bible-related passages, as well as commentaries on Aristotle. Most of his writings were not in his hand, but dictated to scribes. He received his doctorate and taught in many schools across Italy. He was appointed Regent of Studies in Naples in 1272 and began working on Summa Theologica, which was to be his opus.Late LifeOn December 6, 1273, Father Aquinas experienced a divine revelation so powerful he abandoned his Summa Theologica, stating it was “so much straw in the wind” when compared to the revelation he beheld. He immediately made preparations to attend the Council of Lyons but died en route from obesity and overwork.Pope Leo VIII deemed all theologian students study Aquinas’s works, and, in 1323, he was canonized. In 1567, St. Thomas Aquinas was entitled Doctor of the Church. Learn more about the philosophical teachings of the Catholic schools in Orlando by reading our blogs or by contacting the Diocese of Orlando at 407-246-4903.