Not only was St. Thomas Aquinas a great thinker, philosopher and theologian, he was a devout and faithful Catholic, practicing charity and compassion, keeping almost nothing for himself, generously giving away what he had. Thimk of him as the Saint of Faith and Reason. He also wrote some beautiful hymns, such as the Adoro Te Devote. (Video below.)

Adoro Te Devote – Gregorian Chant

I did not know about him until today: 

St. Thomas “cherished a most tender devotion to St. Agens, constantly carrying relics of this virgin martyr on his person.”

From the Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch, quoted from an article at Catholic Culture.

St Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of: academics; against storms; against lightning; apologists; book sellers; Catholic academies; Catholic schools; Catholic universities; chastity; colleges; learning; lightning; pencil makers; philosophers; publishers; scholars; schools; storms; students; theologians; universities; University of Vigo.

I also didn’t know this prayer for schools and Catholic education in general. If ever this was needed, it’s needed now. Here’s a prayer before studying.

O God, who made Saint Thomas Aquinas outstanding in his zeal for holiness and his study of sacred doctrine, grant us, we pray, that we may understand what he taught and imitate what he accomplished. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect Prayer

Thanks for reading. I hope you’re enjoying your visit and that something here is useful and helpful to you on your journey. Until next time, whoever and wherever you are, may the Lord bless you and keep you, and may the peace of Christ be always with you. +JMJ+

---

Notes and Links

• Article on St. Thomas at Catholic Culture.
• Video of Adoro Te Devote.
• Prayer: The Collect
• Prayer: for Schools and Catholic Education
• Prayer before study, St. Thomas’s own: O Creator ineffable
• Another prayer before study (scroll down on page), in which St. Thomas honors, not worships, our Blessed Mother with his petitions.
• Images: Apotheosis of St. Thomas Aquinas, by Francisco de Zurbaran, public domain. Stained glass image of St. Thomas Aquinas in conversation with the Crucified Christ (that’s my title for it anyway, there wasn’t one at the Wiki) at Saint Patrick Church in Columbus, Ohio. Photo taken by Nheyob, CC BY-SA 4.0.