Born in West Virginia, Fr. Aquinas grew up as the second of seven children. After finishing high school in southern Virginia, he attended the University of Virginia, where he received both a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Foreign Affairs. While attending the University, he was active in the campus ministry and the university parish of St. Thomas Aquinas, where he first met the Dominicans. “Seeing the sincere fervor and dedication of the friars in Charlottesville and throughout the Province of St. Joseph, I could not help but desire to offer my life in the service of the Church through the Dominican Order.”