Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the most well-known Doctors of the Church, was born in ca. 1225 A.D. His parents, who were wealthy nobles, intended him for marriage; however, when Thomas expressed the wish to enter into religious life, his parents decided he would enter the Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino and then become its abbot one day. Thomas refused, and, after a year of forced confinement to his home, his parents consented to his entering the Dominican order. Thomas is, perhaps, most well-known for his writing of the Summa Theologica (his summary of all catholic teachings). While it is true that Saint Thomas did not accept the Immaculate Conception as a reality (this dogma was not defined until several hundred years after his death), we can be sure that one who had so thoroughly interpreted and defended the Catholic Faith as he had would surely submit himself to the Church's authority on all her teachings, once they are made known.
As we enter into another year after the Incarnation of our Lord, let us ask for the intercession of Saint Thomas Aquinas, that we might enter more deeply into a relationship with our Lady, and come to know more the intricacies and beauty of our Catholic Faith.
Saint Thomas Aquinas has a wide variety of works, some of which are carried in the Flores Mariae Gift Shop. Click here to view our small collection of works by this saint and authors who have interpreted them.
