Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., has been appointed rector of the Angelicum. Photos courtesy of the Angelicum
St. Joseph Province Friars Bring Wisdom of Aquinas to the Global Church at the Angelicum
By Br. Bertrand Hebert, O.P
The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, called “the Angelicum” after its patron, serves the universal Church by forming “students as virtuous leaders, capable of evangelization and promoting integral human development, illuminated by the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas.” It has formed the minds of alumni like Venerable Fulton Sheen and Pope St. John Paul II, and continues to be a center for global Thomism. The once-esteemed university fell on hard times for many decades. By God’s providence, friars and scholars have recently taken momentous steps to restore the university’s reputation.
Facade of the church at the Angelicum, Rome
The influence of the Province of St. Joseph has become notable with the recent appointment of Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., as Rector Magnificus. Five friars from our province currently hold positions at the Angelicum.
Fr. Thomas Joseph, along with his appointment as rector, is an associate professor of the theology faculty, teaching courses in dogmatic theology. He is also the director of the Thomistic Institute on the Angelicum’s campus. Apart from his duties at the university, Fr. Thomas Joseph is an academician of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas, an academy under the direction of the Holy See whose mission is to develop and disseminate Aquinas’ doctrine to the modern world.
Frs. Ezra Sullivan, O.P., and Cassian Derbes, O.P., have been teaching at the Angelicum for years. Fr. Ezra was invited to the faculty after completing his doctoral studies at the Angelicum. He is a visiting professor for the theology faculty, specializing in moral theology, and a lecturer on the philosophy faculty. Fr. Cassian is a lecturer for the theology faculty specializing in spiritual theology.
Our province’s two most recent additions to the Angelicum are Frs. Benedict Croell, O.P., and Thomas Davenport, O.P. Fr. Benedict is the university’s Director of Development & Mission Advancement, as well as the Director of Public Relations. Fr. Thomas is a visiting professor for the philosophy faculty and one of the directors of the Thomistic Institute’s Project for Science and Religion.
Thanks to your generosity, these men formed in the charism of St. Dominic confidently preach to the wider Church with the doctrine of St. Thomas at their side. May God continue to bless all our benefactors, and may He continue to inspire men to preach “Caritas Veritatis”—The Charity of Truth (motto of the Angelicum).
With nearly 70 men in formation, we have the most successful men’s Catholic vocations program in America. YOUR support is needed to train these men to preach the Gospel as Dominican Friars!
