This Small Catholic College Produces Priests, Nuns and Other Religious Vocations

The College Fix ^ | 10/28/22 | Claire Anderson

[marshmallow]

80 priests so far produced by Thomas Aquinas College

A small Catholic college with locations in California and Massachusetts continues to produce priests, nuns and other religious vocations year after year.

Around 10 percent of Thomas Aquinas College alumni enter priesthood or religious life, according to Christopher Weinkopf, communications director for the 500 student school. This summer, Augustine Wilmeth (pictured) became the 80th alumnus priest. Five years prior, the college reached 71 alumni priests, meaning it has had nine more priests ordained in five years.

Religious life could include joining an order such as the Dominicans, Franciscans or Benedictines and living as a nun or religious brother.

The College Fix’s former cartoonist Pat Cross, now with the Norbertines, is among those alumni pursuing the priesthood. Three of his fellow Aquinas grads joined him this year.

“The deep spiritual life of the College — which includes four Masses a day plus a curriculum ordered to theology — surely plays a role in helping students discern their vocations, as many of our alumni attest,” Weinkopf told The Fix via email.

Students also have ready access to spiritual direction to help them with their discernment.

“We also have full time chaplains on both campuses who serve as role models for our students and provide spiritual direction,” Weinkopf noted. “The College additionally regularly hosts various vocations talks from dioceses and religious orders.”

The Fix reached out to several priests to ask them about their experience at Thomas Aquinas College and how it helped their formation but none responded.

Success has captured attention of the Vatican

The success of Thomas Aquinas College in producing vocations has attracted the attention of Catholic Church higher-ups.

[Bayard]

Church hierarchy will kill it in no time.

[Dr. Sivana]

My alma mater, Christendom College, also has an excellent track record of vocations.

One of the reasons the traditional Mass has been so widely said in the Arlington Diocese in recent years is because of all or the Christendom graduates who signed up with the Diocese.

Christendom forgives all student loans for those students who become priests or religious (although that doesn’t cover SSPX due to irregular status last I knew).