On MAY 4, 2016, a commissioned sculpture of St. Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of Aquinas College, was unveiled and blessed at a ceremony. Herein are the words spoken by Sister Mary Kay Oosdyke, a member of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, the congregation that founded Aquinas College.
Today we gather around this magnificent symbol and sculpture, not a sacrament but a sacramental, meaning it is more than a sign that says this is Aquinas College; it is a reminder of who we are and what we are doing here.
It is a beautiful expression of Thomas Aquinas which has a magnitude and compelling strength, material integrity and a depth of meaning that point to the human and divine reality Thomas probed so deeply.
This sculpture is eminently fitting for this 13th century Dominican thinker who wedded faith and reason, who contemplated truth wherever he could find it including outside the Catholic world such as ancient Greek philosophers and Islamic and Arabic sources. And his study and prayerful contemplation of Scripture and humanity led him to a profound mystical encounter with Jesus Christ.
This sculpture speaks of that mission to all who enter this campus: an honest and diligent search for human truth and its relationship with eternal Truth for the good of all.
On behalf of the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids… I express our tremendous gratitude and appreciation for this magnificent sculpture of Thomas gracing the entrance of a college the Sisters founded with a sense of mission, untold sacrifice and utter faith that God would sustain their effort.
May this symbol of Thomas speak to all who enter this campus of an honest and diligent search for human truth and its relationship with eternal Truth.
And what does this imposing symbol of Thomas ask of us?
It asks—will you use your faith, your intelligence, your heart and will, to seek as much truth as you can about our world and do whatever you can to make this world a place God might recognize.
This task holds a promise. If you do this with personal integrity, like St. Thomas Aquinas, you will find meaning for your life that will sustain you and lead you to ultimate communion with your Creator and best lover.
Will you, using your faith, your intelligence, your heart and will, seek as much truth as you can about our world and, do what you can to make this world a place God might recognize?
