St. Thomas Aquinas, a priest and doctor of the Church, was one of the greatest and most influential theologians of all time. He lived from 1226 to 1274. He was born into a royal family and was sent to a Benedictine monastery at the age of 5 for studies. He amazed the monks with his learning and practice of virtue. Despite many attempts by his family to dissuade him, he became a Dominican priest at the age of 17. He was well known throughout his life as a brilliant theologian and a very humble man. His life was spent praying, preaching, teaching, writing, and journeying. At one point in his life, he declined the opportunity to become an archbishop, fearing that the responsibility would interfere with his sacred task of explaining and defending Christian truth.
In his lifetime, he wrote over 60 works explaining and defending the faith, with his most famous work being the Summa Theologica. He was canonized in 1323 and his feast day is January 28th. He is the patron saint of all Catholic universities, colleges, and schools.
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.
