It has several distinctive features which makes it unique. Flowing out of the Catholic intellectual tradition there are no textbooks and no formal lectures. There are no majors or specializations. It is rooted firmly in the historical traditions of the church and her history.
"It is the truth that sets men free" is the guiding principle which charts the course for students, faculty and administration. It is a unique oases in the debates over contemporary texts, trends and tenure.
Not long ago I was reading one of my favorite journals entitled First Things. According to their website, they are an "interreligious, non-partisan, research and education institute whose purpose is to advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society."
That being said, the real purpose of citing First Things is because they advertise educational institutions in the Catholic Tradition.
St. Thomas Aquinas' advertisement caught my eye. The print ad simply had a picture of the school and in a basic text the following words appeared over the picture.
'The future never needed the past
more than it does today."
Those eleven words are powerful words. The leadership of St. Thomas Aquinas is using those words to advertise a classical education. But I have been thinking about what those words might mean if we seriously applied them to other situations we face on a daily basis.
The future can inform the present in innovative ways, but it can profoundly shape the future of serious organizations that are interested in making a difference in people and communities. I am living in the present because I have the benefit of the past. But I am oriented toward the future. My prayer is that I will bring the best of the past and present into my efforts to shape the future.
Just think of it....a college with no textbooks or lectures...One would think they wouldn't need to advertise for that kind of education...
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